Science and Enterprise

Tag: software

  • Security Flaws Revealed in Full-Body X-Ray Scanner

    20 August 2014. Computer scientists at three universities evaluated the backscatter X-ray scanners used in U.S. airports up to 2013, finding weapons could be readily concealed, and the device vulnerable to hacking. The team from University of California in San Diego, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor will present…

  • New Medical Technologies Investment Fund Raises $110M

    19 August 2014. HealthQuest Capital, a spin-off investment firm, says it raised $110 million for funding in technology-based start-ups serving the health care industry. The company was spun off from Sofinnova Ventures in Menlo Park, California and founded by Garheng Kong, a Sofinnova general partner. HealthQuest plans to invest in companies developing medical devices, diagnostics, patient-care…

  • System Tests Quality of Engineered Stem Cells, Tissue

    14 August 2014. Biomedical engineers and systems biologists developed an online system that tests the fidelity of engineered cells and tissue to the real-life properties of the cells they aim to emulate. The system, known as CellNet, is the creation of researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston University, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired…

  • Consortium to Develop Common Neuroscience Data Format

    4 August 2014. A coalition of research institutes and universities working in neuroscience are constructing a common format for sharing data about the brain to make emerging databases more useful to researchers. The Neurodata Without Borders project is an initiative of Allen Institute for Brain Science, California Institute of Technology, New York University School of…

  • Engineered Protein Detoxes Pesticides, Chemical Weapons

    1 August 2014. Biochemists at New York University synthesized a protein that removes the toxic elements of chemicals found in pesticides and some chemical warfare agents. The team led by Jin Kim Montclare at NYU’s engineering school published its findings last week in the journal ChemBioChem (paid subscription required). The process, which includes use of…

  • Genome Institute Grant Funds 23andMe Database Upgrades

    29 July 2014. National Human Genome Research Institute, part of National Institutes of Health, is funding enhancements to the research database capabilities of personal genetics company 23andMe in Mountain View, California. The two-year, $1.37 million project aims to help the company better mine its genetic and survey data collections for research connecting genomic variations to…

  • Organ Chip Start-Up Gains $12 Million in Early Funds

    28 July 2014. Emulate Inc., a new company spun-off from a Harvard University bioengineering lab, raised $12 million in its first venture round to finance development of chip-like devices that mimic the functions of human organs. The funding round was led by NanoDimension, a venture capital company specializing in nanotechnologies, with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and…

  • Robotic Device Provides Extra Fingers to Enhance Human Grip

    18 July 2014. Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology designed a glove-like robotic device that adds two more fingers and coordinates with a person’s hand to help with manual activities. Mechanical engineering professor Harry Asada and graduate student Faye Wu discussed the device earlier this week at the Robotics Science and Systems conference in Berkeley,…

  • Food Safety Test Systems Company Raises $60 Million in IPO

    17 July 2014. Roka Bioscience Inc., a developer of molecular-level food safety tests in Warren, New Jersey, issued 5 million shares in its initial public offering (IPO) yesterday. The company priced the shares at $12.00, raising $60 million. Roka Bioscience will trade on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol ROKA. The company develops tests for…

  • Text Messages Help Young Adults Reduce Binge Drinking

    11 July 2014. Medical researchers at University of Pittsburgh show mobile phone text messages can provide feedback to young adults with a history of alcohol abuse that cuts their binge drinking. Findings from the team led by emergency medicine professor Brian Suffoletto were published online earlier this week in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine.…