Tag: Europe
-
GSK, Johnson & Johnson Join in Life Science Venture Fund
The London-based venture capital company Index Ventures unveiled a new investment fund for early-stage life sciences companies, with pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Janssen, a division of Johnson & Johnson, among the investors. The Index Life VI fund, valued at €150 million ($US230 million), is the first for Index Ventures devoted solely to the life sciences.…
-
Clinical Trial to Test Electronic Tinnitus Treatment
A clinical trial in the U.K. will test a miniature electronic device that aims to reset neurological patterns causing tinnitus, a debilitating hearing disorder. The Acoustic CR Neuroodulation device to be tested was developed by Adaptive Neuromodulation GmbH in Cologne, Germany. Tinnitus is a condition characterized by a constant sound pattern in the ears, like…
-
Unilever Launches Open Innovation Initiative
The consumer goods manufacturer Unilever unveiled today its open innovation program seeking ideas for new products and technologies from the public at large. The initiative is managed by the online intellectual property marketplace yet2.com. Unilever’s program is structured around a set of issues or problems for which it seeks collaborators to find solutions. The opening…
-
European Autism Research Consortium Launched
An international coalition of pharmaceutical companies, universities, and advocacy organizations aims to discover new drugs to battle autism spectrum disorder, a collection of conditions affecting social interaction and communication. The project known as European Autism Interventions: A Multicentre Study for Developing New Medications (EU-AIMS) is considered the largest single grant for autism research in the…
-
Irish Govt to Fund U.S. Life Sciences VC Presence in Ireland
The government of Ireland plans to invest $37.5 million in Sofinnova Ventures, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California that supports start-ups in the health care field, for the company to establish a presence in Ireland. Ireland’s Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton (pictured right) made the announcement today during a visit…
-
Hydrogen Power Utility Vehicle Practical, Not Cost-Effective
A pilot test in Switzerland of a street cleaning truck powered by a hydrogen fuel cell shows the vehicle saves energy and is environmentally friendly, but the high costs of the vehicle do not yet make it financially feasible. The test was carried out by the Swiss materials science and technology research institute Empa, with…
-
Challenge-Funded Research Studies Animal Testing Alternative
Research at University of Southampton in the U.K. will study in-vitro alternatives for testing the toxicity of drug candidates on animals. The U.K.’s National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) awarded £500,000 ($US 800,400) for the study from its 2011 CRACK IT challenge seeking alternatives to tests with lab…
-
Coating Developed to Enable Faster, Stronger Dental Implants
A clinical study led by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden shows that a new process speeds and strengthens the implants of artificial teeth in the jaw bones of patients. The findings of the study appear online in the journal Bone (paid subscription required), and the study leader has founded a company for commercializing the…
-
No-Engine Commercial Aircraft Taxiing Deemed Feasible
Research conducted at University of Lincoln in the U.K. indicates airliners can power their taxiing after landing by harnessing energy in the wheel rotation of their landing gear to generate electricity. The study was funded by a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the U.K. government’s main funding agency for studies…
-
Pharmacist/Tech Initiative Found to Cut Medication Errors
An initiative led by pharmacists, using information technology was found to reduce more prescription errors by general practitioners than simple automated feedback among patients at risk for these errors. The findings by a team led by University of Nottingham medical professor Tony Avery, himself a practicing G.P. , appear online in the journal The Lancet…