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Report: Startups Help Sustain Long-Term Job Growth
An analysis of U.S. Census Bureau business data by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation indicates that the numbers of jobs created by startup companies in the U.S. since 1977 have stayed fairly stable, even while most of the startup companies themselves have disappeared. The report — After Inception: How Enduring is Job Creation by Startups?…
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Nanotech Firm Commercializing Biotechnology Research Tools
Shrink Nanotechnologies, a nanotechnology company in Carlsbad, California, announced today formation of a new wholly-owned subsidiary, Shrink Chips LLC, to commercialize biotechnology research tools. Among its offerings is the ShrinkChip Rapid Prototyping System (RPS) to manufacture microfluidic chips, also known as lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices, as well as other biological and chemical sensors. LOC devices are…
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Study: Industry Drug Trials Show More Favorable Results
A study published in today’s issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine reviews drug trials appearing on the Web site ClinicalTrials.gov, and finds those trials funded by industry sources are more likely to report data favorable to the drug being tested. The investigators — Florence Bourgeois and Kenneth Mandl of Children’s Hospital Boston in Massachusetts…
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Clinical Trial Approved of Potential Treatment for Asthma, COPD
N30 Pharmaceuticals in Boulder, Colorado, announced today approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin a phase I clinical trial of a drug called N6022, that the company says has the potential to be a treatment for acute exacerbations of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and inflammatory bowel disease. The trial, involving…
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FDA Approves Drug for Neurological Movement Disorders
According to Merz Pharmaceuticals in Greensboro, North Carolina, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its drug Xeomin for the treatment of adults with cervical dystonia or blepharospasm, disorders characterized by involuntary, sustained muscle contractions. Merz Pharmaceuticals says the FDA approved the drug, with the generic name incobotulinumtoxinA, based on results from two…
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University-Business Partners Get Grant for Energy Project
MTECH Laboratories in Ballston Spa, New York has received a Small Business Innovation Research grant from National Science Foundation to demonstrate the feasibility of its energy distribution system for large buildings. The grant funds joint research and development on power distribution with the nearby College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany,…
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New E. Coli Test Announced, Certfied
The biotech company Life Technologies in Carlsbad, California unveiled a new, faster test for E. coli bacteria at the International Association for Food Protection annual meeting now in progress. This particular assay detects the E. coli O157:H7 strain known for causing serious diseases in humans. E. coli O157:H7, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease…
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Biotech Company Finds Genes Enabling One-Step Biofuel Process
A team from LS9 Inc., in South San Francisco, California published results of research describing the discovery of engineered genes that create alkanes — the hydrocarbon building blocks of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel — from sugar. The company says this discovery, published in today’s issue of Science magazine, accelerates the process of converting biomass…
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Clinical Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell Therapy Authorized
Geron Corporation of Menlo Park, California said today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the clinical hold placed on the company’s investigational new drug and its Phase I clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury may proceed. GRNOPC1 is Geron’s lead human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based candidate.…
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Nanomaterial Reduces Fumes from Imported Drywall
A company in Manhattan, Kansas has adapted a nanotech material developed to counter toxic waste into a product that cuts down on sulfur fumes given off by imported drywall installed in homes throughout the U.S. The company, Nanoscale Corporation, uses its FAST-ACT product, which breaks down and removes the corrosive sulfur compounds, thus reducing the…