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BioTechCircle News®
July 2011
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Issue 97
See all previous issues at archives: http://www.techmanage.net/research
You can now follow our comments and updates on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BioTechCircle
In this articles section: links to 96 free Web articles in 13 major categories.
Starting this month, you’ll see “BTC’s News You Can Use” as a new major category. These articles contain vital new information for improving health and well being or issues that we feel you need to be aware of and can start using right away.
The major categories are in alphabetical order and further subdivided to make it easy for you to locate news and developments in technology, the business and the markets in the life science areas of interest to you. We’ve provided brief synopses to help you decide which articles you’d like to read. Simply click on the title to go directly to the original article.
Here are the major categories.
Agri-Biotech (13 articles)
Biobusiness Management (3 articles)
BTC’s News You Can Use (12 articles)
Diagnostic Tools (4 articles)
Industry (9 articles)
Investments/Government Support (5 articles)
Novel Applications (1 article)
Organizations (2 articles)
People Profiles (2 articles)
Platform Technologies (20 articles)
Research Advancements (16 articles)
Research Tools (8 articles)
Strategic Relationships (1 article)
For a brief explanation of how we categorize the articles, please see "Express Guide to Monthly Web Articles at: http://www.techmanage.net/expressguide_articles
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Subcategory: Animal
Swarms of Locusts Use Social Networking to Communicate
Institute of Physics (15-Jul-11)
Swarming, a phenomenon that can be crucial to an animal’s survival, is created
by the same kind of social networks that humans adopt. Social interactions
occur when locusts, walking in one direction, convince others to walk in the
same direction.
Subcategory: Crops
Growing Plants with Friendly Fungi
Biotechnology and Biological Science (21-Jul-11)
Scientists are examining whether adding a safe, harmless fungus to compost
boosts the growth and proliferation of crops' roots which can help them grow
using less water. Presence of fungus may also help reduce or eliminate
fertilizer.
Melody M. Bomgardner Chemical & Engineering News (06-Jul-11)
Bayer CropScience will pay up to $750 million to U.S. rice farmers to resolve
claims that its experimental LibertyLink rice contaminated crops, making them
unexportable. The rice was genetically modified to be tolerant to Liberty's
glufosinate herbicide.
Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel
Breaking Down Cellulose without Blasting Lignin:“Dry Rot” Genome Offers
Sessons for Biofuel Pretreatment
DOE Joint Genome Institute (14-Jul-11)
The brown rot fungi have somehow circumvented the step of attacking lignin
to get at carbohydrates and then converting them to fuels, chemicals or paper,
suggesting an upgrade in efficiency for industrial processes.
The Last Drops: How to Bridge the Gap Between Oil and Green Energy
Paul Roberts Popsci (12-Jul-11)
Oil packs more energy into less space than any other commonly available
resource, and it requires much less energy to produce. We face some complex
choices, not just about where to extract what kind of oil, but also about when
to extract it.
Subcategory: Environment
California Groundwater Management Trickles up from Local Sources, Stanford
Donna Hesterman Stanford University News (07-Jul-11)
California is almost unique in having no statewide legislation providing for
management of groundwater use. However, a surprising number of local water
districts are taking on the challenge of groundwater protection, even without
state leadership.
Airplanes May Cause Extra Rain Near Some Airports
Yahoo Finance (30-Jun-11)
Airplanes flying through super-cooled clouds around airports can cause
condensation that results in more snow and rain nearby, according to a new
study. Conditions for this inadvertent weather modification occur about 5%,
but 10-to-15% in winter.
Subcategory: Environmental
Jennifer Chu MIT News (18-Jul-11)
Simple model predicts the maximum tree height in different environments. Can
give ecologists information on the potential density of a forest and size of its
tree canopy to the amount of carbon stored in woodlands and the overall
health of an ecosystem.
Subcategory: Food
Tasting Scotch Whisky, Note By Vacuum-Distilled Note
Paul Adams Popsci (26-Jul-11)
Adams describes culinary adventures you can have with laboratory
technology, mostly flavor components of Scotch whiskey, but also of ice
cream made in oak casks.
Subcategory: Microorganisms
Growing Plants on Oil Contaminated Land
Eureka (23-Jun-11)
By optimizing the use of naturally occurring bacteria, a group of European
scientists was able to clean contaminated soil without using either chemicals
or GMOs. Once the process is complete, plants might grow with the addition
of fertilizer.
Down-under Digestive Microbes Could Help Lower Methane Gas from Livestock
Emily Caldwell Ohio State Research (30-Jun-11)
The discovery that a bacterial species in the Australian Tammar wallaby gut is
responsible for keeping the animal’s methane emissions relatively low
suggests a potential new strategy may exist to try to reduce methane
emissions from livestock.
Richard P. Grant The Scientist (01-Jul-11)
In the dark Arctic shallows, heterotrophic marine bacteria are doing a
surprising amount of dark carbon fixation. Questions remain: how prevalent is
the process, what happens over longer time periods or wider areas?
Hot Springs Microbe Yields Record-breaking, Heat-tolerant Enzyme
Robert Sanders UC Berkeley News (05-Jul-11)
Hyperthermophilic Archaea's cellulase is the most heat tolerant enzyme found
in any cellulose-digesting microbe. May be useful in extreme industrial
processes, including the production of biofuels from hard-to-digest plant fiber.
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Subcategory: Environmental
EPA Recognizes Strides In Green Chemistry
Anne Vazquez Facility Blog (29-Jun-11)
Lists award winners in the 5 "greener" categories: chemicals
(Sherman-Williams), small business (BioAmber), synthetic pathways
(Genomatica), reaction conditions (Kraton Performance Polymers), academic
Bruce H. Lipshutz, PhD, U.Calif., Santa Barbara).
Ten Honda Manufacturing Facilities in North America Achieve Zero Waste Sent
Motorsports Newswire (14-Jul-11)
Initiatives developed over the past decade span activities, from the reduction
of metal scrap in stamping processes, to improved parts packaging for ease of
recycling, to the minimization of paper and plastic waste from cafeterias.
Subcategory: Government/ Approvals
Tobacco Companies Aren't Afraid Of Grisly Labels
Michael Felberbaum Manufacturing.net (08-Jul-11)
"Gradually, the warnings could impact the smoking population…but in the
near term, it won't have much of an impact,." according to some experts.
Impact expected to be less than 1% of U.S. tobacco revenues in 2013.
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Subcategory: Cardiology/ Vascular Diseases
Uncommon Heart Disease May Sneak Up on Women
Laboratory Equipment (05-Jul-11)
Women tend to have different heart attack symptoms (such as shortness of
breath, nausea and pain in the back or jaw) than men do and are more likely
to die in the year after a first heart attack.
Subcategory: Databases
A Glimpse of Future Health Care Apps and Devices
Salvatore Salamone Smarter Technology (11-Jul-11)
The world’s aging and increasingly overweight population is likely to want
new health care apps and devices to help monitor and control serious
conditions that are not life threatening, according to study. Link to 20-page
Executive Report.
Subcategory: Electronic Health Records
Personal Health Records to Thrive Despite the Demise of Google Health: Report
Brian T. Horowitz eWeek (07-Jul-11)
Increasing use of EHRs (electronic health records) by providers and payers
along with continued development of mobile health tools could lead to growth
in PHRs (physician-managed EHRs). PHRs could evolve to be as ordinary a
tool as online banking.
Subcategory: Food
Delicious and Plant-based – Ice Cream with Lupin Proteins
Karin Agulla Fraunhofer (08-Jul-11)
New ice cream is a plant-based product, containing valuable proteins from the
seeds of the indigenous (Germany) blue sweet lupin and completely free of
lactose, gluten, cholesterol and animal proteins and fats.
Diet Foods That Appeal To Your Inner Glutton
Michele Kayal Manufacturing.net (26-Jul-11)
Health advocates and dietitians remain committed to the idea that portion
sizes must come down. But they say water-rich, calorie-light food products
could offer baby steps to people struggling to control their weight.
Subcategory: Geriatrics
Common Drugs Linked to Cognitive Impairment and Possibly to Increased Risk
Indiana University School of Medicine (24-Jun-11)
Medications with anticholinergic activity, which include many drugs
frequently taken by older adults, cause cognitive impairment. Possible link
between these drugs (including sleep aids and incontinence treatments) and
risk of death.
Subcategory: Metabolism: Obesity, Diabetes
Weight Loss Maintenance Different from Losing Weight
Laboratory Equipment (05-Jul-11)
Practices that help people to lose weight and the practices that help them
keep it off do not overlap much. Fourteen practices were associated with
either successful loss or successful weight loss maintenance, but not both.
To Fight Obesity, Even Babies Should Exercise
Maria Cheng The Washington Times (11-Jul-11)
Physical activity should be encouraged from birth, according to new British
guidelines, including infants playing on their stomachs or having swimming
sessions with their parents. Children’s individual physical and mental abilities
should be considered.
Subcategory: Mobile, phones/others
An App that Looks for Signs of Sickness
Emily Singer Technology Review (21-Jun-11)
There is a growing effort to use the sophistication of smart phones and other
wireless devices to track behavior as it pertains to health. One creates a
baseline model of a user's mobile-phone activity and then searches for
deviations from that pattern.
Subcategory: Oncology
Childhood Cancer Survivors Are at High Risk for Multiple Tumors as They Age
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (27-Jun-11)
“Too often, survivors [of childhood cancer] still are not getting these
important cancer screening tests beginning as early or as often as
recommended.” Risks are also associated with benign tumors.
Subcategory: Ophthalmology
R & D Magazine (01-Jul-11)
A simple device clips onto an ordinary smartphone (or smart device such as
an iPod) and provide a diagnosis of cataracts within a few minutes. Provides
much more information and is cheaper than traditional $5,000 slit lamp.
Subcategory: Self-test Systems
A Wristwatch that Monitors Blood Pressure
Emily Singer Technology Review (30-Jun-11)
A wireless device looks like a wristwatch, tracks vital signs around the clock.
May help patients better control their blood pressure. Data is transmitted
from the device to the user's cell phone, and then to the cloud, where clinicians
can review it.
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Subcategory: Cardiology/ Vascular Diseases
Heart Monitors Pose Miniaturization Challenge
Charles Murray DesignNews (29-Jul-11)
Biomedical engineers may be on the verge of giving a big boost to the human
heart, as they transform the venerable electrocardiogram (ECG) from a
complicated jumble of wires to a tiny electronic patch about the size of a bar
of soap.
Subcategory: Microorganisms
Bioluminescent Tester Finds Ground Pollution Fast
R & D Magazine (07-Jul-11)
The portable SST (Safe Soil Tester) can easily be taken to a testing site and
provides test results in minutes. If a soil sample is toxic, the bioluminescent
microorganism, vibrio fischeri, dies and the instrument detects the change of
luminescence.
Subcategory: Miscellaneous
Tools for Quantifying Yourself
Emily Singer Technology Review (01-Jul-11)
Singer reviews 9 devices, from the Basis "Super Watch" (which detects heart
rate from the wrist using near infrared spectroscopy, and tracks movement
among other measures) to the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach (tracks sleep cycles).
Subcategory: Self-test Systems
Katherine Gammon Technology Review (24-Jun-11)
A set of tools for building cell-phone apps that collect health-related
information aims to change the way health information is stored, shared, and
used. Can include information entered by users, smart-phone GPS- and
accelerometer-tracking information.
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Subcategory: Big Pharma
Donald W. Ligh, Rebecca Warburton GENetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (01-Jul-11)
Cost data to bring drugs to market is found to be so subject to internal and
external sources of variability that no one should trust any estimate based on
it. We’re largely getting a proliferation of harmful side effects for little benefit,
authors say.
Subcategory: Collaboration
Leading Research Organizations Announce Top-Tier, Open Access Journal for
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (27-Jun-11)
New journal hopes to attract and define the very best research publications
from across biomedical and life sciences research. All research published will
make highly significant contributions that extend the boundaries of scientific
knowledge.
Subcategory: Environment
Wetropolis: A Floating City that Survives the Ebb and Flow of Shifting Tides
Lori Zimmer Inhabitat (25-Jul-11)
The city of Bangkok is rapidly sinking as it is eroded each year by floods of
seawater that invade the city. Architectural firm proposes that a
self-sustaining floating city can live with the natural flooding rather than
resisting it.
Do You Live In A 'Toxic 20' State?
Manufacturing.net (25-Jul-11)
Nearly half of all the toxic air pollution reported from industrial sources in the
United States comes from coal- and oil-fired power plants, according to study
of publicly-available EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) data.
Subcategory: Immunology/ Infectious Diseases
Fixing the Crisis in Antibiotics
Ted Agres Drug Discovery & Development (01-Jun-11)
“Unless sweeping actions are taken now, the future could resemble the days
before these miracle drugs were developed,” experts warn, due to microbial
resistance. Agres reviews initiatives in the U.S. and Europe to spur antibiotic
R&D.
Subcategory: Miscellaneous
Big Science: The 10 Most Ambitious Experiments in the Universe Today
Gregory Mone, Brooke Borel, Katherine Bagley and Jennifer Abbasi Popsci (19-Jul-11)
Popular Science describes the core concept of it's top 10 picks, explains the
scientific utility and "What's in it for you," e.g. using the Spallation Neutron
Source to study protein structure, the International Space Station for vaccines
against staph.
Study: US Seventh Most Innovative Country In The World
Graham Webster TPM Idea Lab (08-Jul-11)
Sound tax policies, a healthy environment for small businesses, innovations in
science and technology and their successful commercialization is crucial to
driving economic growth. Rank: Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Finland, Denmark, U.S.
Subcategory: Patent/Intellectual Property Issues
House Approves Patent System Overhaul
Glenn Hess Chemical & Engineering News (24-Jun-11)
Legislators approved the first major overhaul of U.S. patent law in nearly 60
years, designed to make the patent approval process swifter and give the U.S.
Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) the resources to reduce a huge backlog of
applications.
Subcategory: Privacy/ Records Management
Samuel Greengard Baseline (16-Jun-11)
Health care reform, pressure to maximize productivity and profits are
prompting health care providers to adopt an array of technologies, with 90%
of hospitals requiring new investments or upgrades. Privacy is key, especially
for home, offsite access.
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Subcategory: Databases
Scientists to Assemble 'Knowledgebase' on Plants, Microbes, to Aid US Biofuel,
Brookhaven National Laboratory (18-Jul-11)
Funding recweived to create out of many separate streams of biological
information a single, integrated cyber-"knowledgebase" (called Kbase, for
short) focused specifically on plants and microbes, 2 important forms of life.
Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel
Senators Want End To Ethanol Credit
Mary Clare Jalonick Manufacturing.net (08-Jul-11)
Legislators proposed diverting $1.3 billion of the money remaining for the tax
break this year to pay for debt reduction. Provides a roadmap for the
American biofuels industry to navigate their own future expansion.
Subcategory: Food
Has the U.S. Turned Against Consumers?
Ed Wallace Business Week (06-Jul-11)
Creeping control of the market is occurring in food commodities as well as oil.
"… these markets have driven up prices to the speculators’ profits and to the
punishment of the public," as food and energy are not discretionary
purchases. A must read.
Subcategory: State
Maryland's Biotech Tax Credits Draw Rush of Applicants
Jamie Smith Hopkins The Baltimore Sun (07-Jul-11)
Tax credits drew more than 180 applications within 3 minutes of the opening
for $8 million available this fiscal year. Refundable to reduce risk: investors
get cash back if the amount is larger than their taxes due ( if any) to Maryland.
Subcategory: Venture
10 Key Steps to Successfully Raising Life Sciences Venture Capital
Merrill DataSite (01-Jul-11)
White paper provides a step-by-step guide through 10 key Life Sciences
fundraising components that help to assure a well-run fundraising process and
ability to obtain the very best deals possible. Free registration required.
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Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel
VIDEO: 3D Map Shines Light On New York Solar Potential
IMPO (14-Jul-11)
A new, 3-D map with a bird's eye view of New York City is showing
residents the solar energy potential of their city, the largest in the United
States. The map's creators have set out to demonstrate that solar power is
more than just an abstract idea.
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Subcategory: Big Pharma
Going Green In The Black Forest
Mike Auerbach Manufacturing.net (07-Jul-11)
Pfizer’s Freiburg, Germany plant cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by
making renovations and improvements to an existing facility. Result of 5
major and 200+ smaller projects, e.g. geothermal heating, cooling; biomass,
photovoltaic technologies.
Subcategory: Microorganisms
Your Wild Life (01-Jun-11)
Each person’s microbial jungle is so rich, colorful, and dynamic that in all
likelihood your body hosts species that no scientist has ever studied. Your
navel may well be one of the last biological frontiers. It is time then, to
explore.
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Subcategory: Bioethics
Reports Detail A Massive Case Of Fraud
William G. Schulz Chemical & Engineering News (11-Jul-11)
Describes massive and sustained effort over 10+ years to dope experiments,
manipulate and falsify NMR and elemental analysis research data, and create
fictitious people and organizations to vouch for the reproducibility of her
results.
Subcategory: Miscellaneous
75th Stories: Helen and Kate Storey - Science and Art Engaging the Public
Marek Kohn Wellcome Trust (19-Jul-11)
Kate and Helen Storey's 'Primitive Streak' arose from Kate's work as a
developmental biologist and Helen's experience as a fashion designer. The
sisters produced a fashion collection of 27 garments chronicling human
embryonic development.
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Subcategory: Cell Therapy
MicroRNAs Transform Adult Cells into Neurons
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (13-Jul-11)
MicroRNAs can cause a connective tissue cell from human skin to transform
into a nerve cell. Discovery introduces a new method of converting adult cells
of one type into cells of another, without first dialing them back to the
embryonic stage.
"Unnatural" Chemical Allows Salk Researchers to Watch Protein Action in
Salk Institute (06-Jul-11)
New technique may help scientists probe the mysteries of many different
kinds of stem cells in humans as well as the cells they produce. Could help
speed development of stem cell-based regenerative medicine.
Landmark Transplant Uses Stemcell-coated Artificial Windpipe at Swedish
The Swedish Wire (11-Jul-11)
Transplantations of tissue engineered windpipes with synthetic scaffolds in
combination with the patient's own stem cells as a standard procedure means
that patients will not have to wait for a suitable donor organ, especially
beneficial to children.
“Pure” Human Blood Stem-cell Discovery Opens Door to Expanding Cells for
University Health Network (07-Jul-11)
Scientists have isolated a human blood stem cell in its purest form, as a single
stem cell capable of regenerating the entire blood system. Potential to treat
cancer and other debilitating diseases more effectively.
Stem Cell Breakthrough heralds New Era of Therapy Development
University of Glasgow (18-Jul-11)
A new method for growing sufficient adult stem cells for therapeutic use could
help the progress of developments in stem cell therapies for conditions such
as arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
Subcategory: Drug Discovery
Mediator Gives Up a Few Secrets
Stu Borman Chemical & Engineering News (11-Jul-11)
The crystal structure of a large part of the yeast Mediator protein complex
has been determined. Found in eukaryotes from yeast to humans, Mediator
plays a role in the expression of genes and their transcription into mRNA.
Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel
Argonne Electrifies Energy Storage Research
Angela Hardin Argonne National Laboratory (29-Jun-11)
Battery program aims to cover a broad array of advanced energy storage
research from basic materials and cell engineering and design to testing and
validation to aid the growth of an emerging U.S. battery manufacturing
industry.
Metal Particle Generates New Hope for H2 Energy
The University of Adelaide (28-Jun-11)
Scientists use metal "clusters" of about one-quarter of a nanometer in size as
super-efficient catalysts. Aim is to produce cheap, efficient and clean
hydrogen energy. Solar radiation is used to split water into hydrogen and
oxygen.
Subcategory: Gene Therapy
Genome Editing Improves Blood Clotting in Mice with Hemophilia B
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (26-Jun-11)
By linking zinc fingers, DNA-binding molecules, to DNA-snipping enzymes
called nucleases, scientists have created molecular scissors that can be targeted
to specific parts of the genome. Approach is more precise than conventional
gene therapy.
Subcategory: Genomics
Scientists Unveil Tools for Rewriting the Code of Life
MIT News (15-Jul-11)
Technologies that could be used to rewrite the genetic code of a living cell
could enable scientists to design cells that build proteins not found in nature,
or engineer bacteria that are resistant to any type of viral infection.
Subcategory: Materials
Stephen K. Ritter Chemical & Engineering News (13-Jul-11)
New concept in electrochemistry: a circuit in which the 2 electrodes, one
doped with an organic dye, are made of the same metal. Inserted into a
lemon (the electrolyte solution) the electrodes have enough current flow
to power a light-emitting diode.
New Breed of Lithium Batteries
Charles Murray Design News (20-Jul-11)
Lithium for lightweight, thin and flexible batteries is finding a big niche in the
medical industry, where cart-based instruments are giving way to handheld
monitors.
Researchers Map the Physics of Tibetan Singing Bowls
IOP Institute of Physics (01-Jul-11)
A Tibetan bowl is a type of standing bell played by striking or rubbing its rim
with a wooden or leather-wrapped mallet. This excitation causes the sides
and rim of the bowl to vibrate, producing a rich sound.
While You’re up, Print Me a Solar Cell
David L. Chandler MIT News (11-Jul-11)
Almost as cheaply and easily as printing a photo on an inkjet, you can create
a solar cell on a flimsy sheet, formed from special “inks” deposited on the
paper. Fold it up, then unfold it and watch it generating electricity again in the
sunlight.
Graphite + Water = the Future of Energy Storage
Monash University (15-Jul-11)
Keeping graphene moist, in gel form, provides repulsive forces between thin
graphene sheets and prevents re-stacking, making it ready for real-world
application including water purification membranes, biomedical devices and
sensors.
Flexible, Printable Sensors Detect Underwater Hazards
Doug Ramsey UC San Diego (07-Jul-11)
Circuits can be made so flexible that they can be pulled, pushed and contorted,
even under water, and still keep functioning properly. Neoprene wetsuit
provides visual indication, alert if levels of harmful contaminants exceed
a pre-defined threshold.
New UGA Technology Makes Textiles Permanently Germ-free; Targets
Healthcare-associated Infections
Terry Marie Hastings University of Georgia (06-Jul-11)
Simple, inexpensive anti-microbial technology works on natural and synthetic
materials. TCan be applied during the manufacturing process or at home, and
it doesn’t come out in the wash. Repeated applications are unnecessary to
maintain effectiveness.
Scientists a Step Closer to Understanding 'Natural Antifreeze' Molecules
University of Leeds (22-Jun-11)
Certain species of fish, reptiles and amphibians can survive for months below
freezing due to osmolytes, small molecules that act like antifreeze. Valuable
for preventing loss for drugs, food and tissues stored at subzero temperatures.
Subcategory: Proteomics
Plutonium Tricks Cells by "Pretending" to Be Iron
Jared Sagoff Argonne National Laboratory (08-Jul-11)
To get into cells, plutonium acts like a "Trojan horse," duping a special
membrane protein that is typically responsible for taking up iron. May help
enhance the safety of workers who deal with plutonium, new way for
separating radioactive elements.
Emily Singer Technology Review (23-Jun-11)
Using a protein from the human retina, researchers develop a method to
control the expression of target genes with light. Near term, can boost
production of biological drugs, such as those for cancer, by enabling precise
control over protein production.
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Subcategory: Cell Therapy
Treating Acute Radiation Sickness with Mesenchymal Stromal Stem Cells
William R. Prather Drug Discovery & Development (22-Jun-11)
Mesenchymal stromal stem cells have been shown to be immune-privileged
without the need for HLA matching even after repeat injections and have been
documented to home specifically to radiation-injured tissues.
Subcategory: Disease Prevention
Air Pollution Linked to Memory Problems
Laboratory Equipment (05-Jul-11)
Study results suggest prolonged exposure to polluted air can have visible,
negative effects on the brain, which can lead to a variety of health problems.
Implications for people who live and work in polluted urban areas around the
world.
Making Blood-Sucking Deadly for Mosquitoes
University of Arizona (15-Jul-11)
Mosquitoes die soon after a blood meal if certain protein components are
experimentally disrupted. Approach could be used as an additional strategy in
the worldwide effort to curb mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever,
yellow fever and malaria.
Subcategory: Geriatrics
Overlooked Peptide Reveals Clues to Causes of Alzheimer's Disease
Riken (04-Jul-11)
Highly aggregative and neurotoxic amyloid peptide Aß43 is more abundant,
more neurotoxic, and exhibits a higher propensity to aggregate than
amyloidogenic agents studied in earlier research, suggesting potential new
approaches for prevention.
Scientists Sequence DNA of Cancer-resistant Rodent
University of Liverpool (05-Jul-11)
The naked mole-rat, native to the deserts of East Africa, has unique physical
traits that allow it to survive in harsh environments, protects against aging. Its
low metabolic rate allows it to live underground with limited oxygen supply.
Subcategory: Immunology/ Infectious Diseases
New Contrast Agents Detect Bacterial Infections with High Sensitivity and
Abby Vogel Robinson Georgia Tech (18-Jul-11)
Maltodextrin-based imaging probes are contrast agents that sneak into bacteria
disguised as glucose food and can detect bacterial infections in animals with
high sensitivity and specificity.
Tumor Suppressor Protein Is a Key Regulator of Immune Response and Balance
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (18-Jul-11)
The protein Tsc1 is pivotal for maintaining a balanced immune system and
combating infections. Tsc1 works by inhibiting the pathway that launches
production of the specialized white blood cells known as effector T cells.
Subcategory: Metabolism: Obesity, Diabetes
Erika Gebel Chemical & Engineering News (14-Jul-11)
After a good meal, our bodies burn carbohydrates; fasting triggers using stored
fats for energy. Defects in this tightly regulated system may underlie diseases
such as diabetes. Scientists think acetyl coenzyme A may trigger these
changes.
Subcategory: Musculoskeletal
Is the Fastest Human Ever Already Alive?
Chuck Klosterman Grantland (12-Jul-11)
Is there an irrefutable dead end to the 100-meter dash? Is there a speed at
which a human body would just break down and disintegrate, no different
than a machine pushed beyond the capacity of its individual components?
Subcategory: Neurology
Alzheimer's Detected 20 Years before Symptoms Show
Emily Singer Technology Review (20-Jul-11)
People with rare, inherited forms of the neurological disease have mutations in
3 different genes, all of which are linked to the production or processing of
amyloid. Treatment focus is on drugs designed to dampen amyloid production
or deposition.
Subcategory: Oncology
Ovarian Cancer Genome Mapped, Opens Door to Personalized Medicine
Dan Krotz Berkeley News (29-Jun-11)
Scientists have developed the first comprehensive catalog of the genetic
aberrations responsible for an aggressive type of ovarian cancer that accounts
for 70% of all ovarian cancer deaths. Hope is to detect, target mutated genes.
Bill Schaller Harvard University Gazette (15-Jul-11)
In testing melanoma skin cancer, researchers found t abnormal genes that are
both cancer-causing and metastasis-promoting. One of those genes, ACP5, can
be used to predict whether human melanoma tumors are likely to spread.
Half-Matched Transplants Widen Donor Pool
Laboratory Euipment (08-Jul-11)
Clinical trials show transplant results with half-matched bone marrow or
umbilical cord blood are comparable to fully matched tissue, thanks in large
part to the availability of effective antirejection drugs and special
post-transplant chemotherapy.
Compound to Block Signaling of Cancer-Causing Protein
New York University (17-Jul-11)
Abnormal receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling is a major underlying
cause of various developmental disorders and diseases, including many forms
of cancer. Employs interactions between proteins Sos and Ras.
Subcategory: Pain Management
Itching to Know More about Itch
Lauren K. Wolf Chemical & Engineering News (04-Jul-11)
Some sensory neurons contain only pain receptors and respond only to pain.
Itch-regulating neurons have receptors for both pain and itch. If a stimulus
activates both neuron populations, pain occurs.
Sunburn Study Could Lead to New Pain Relief
King's College London (07-Jul-11)
The molecule, called CXCL5, controls sensitivity to pain from UVB
irradiation, identifying it as a new target for medicines to treat pain caused by
other common inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.
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Subcategory: Assay Systems
Tracking Cigarette Chemicals Puff By Puff
Sarah Webb Chemical & Engineering News (05-Jul-11)
Most studies look at an entire cigarette's worth of smoke. Researchers have
now demonstrated a new separation and detection technique that tracks, puff
by puff, the chemical makeup of cigarette smoke. Could be used for food
flavor components.
Subcategory: Biomarker
Celia Henry Arnaud Chemical & Engineering News (25-Jul-11)
Many studies looking for proteomics-based biomarkers suffer from bias, e.g.
sample collection, analytical assays, and data manipulation and interpretation.
“We should define the clinical intended use before we set out to discover News
Subcategory: Computing Systems
GPU Computing Brings Drug Discovery Up to Speed
Joseph J. Corkery, MD Drug Discovery & Development (07-Jul-11)
The advent of GPU (graphics processing unit) based HPC (high performance
computing) is poised to disrupt this field and other traditional applications of
computational drug discovery. Capable of screening over 2 million molecule
conformations per second.
IBM, ETH Zurich Turn to the Cloud in Battle Against Super-Bacteria
Darryl K. Taft eWeek (08-Jul-11)
The World Health Organization reports that the number of
antimicrobial-resistant pathogens is increasing dramatically. Using cloud
computing, scientists were able to identify nearly 250 potential virulence
factors and nearly 2.3 million 3-D models.
Subcategory: Drug Discovery
Drug Discovery with Computational Chemistry
Emily Singer Technology Review (19-Jul-11)
WaterMap is a new tool that predicts how water will affect the binding
reaction of a candidate drug molecule to bind to a specific spot on the target
protein.
Subcategory: Electronic Health Records
How a Broken Medical System Killed Google Health
David Talbot Technology Review (29-Jun-11)
Different health-care institutions in the U.S. use different systems to record
and store data; many doctors don't use electronic records at all, making the
task of retrieving and updating data extremely difficult for the average person.
Subcategory: Environmental
Tsunami Airglow Signature Could Lead to Early Detection System
University of Illinois (14-Jul-11)
Using a camera system based in Maui, Hawaii, scientists observed in an
airglow layer 250 kilometers above the earth’s surface an hour before the
tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011.
Subcategory: Neurology
Descriptive, Explanatory, Interpretive and Estimative Intelligence
David T. Moore SCIP Insight (01-Jul-11)
Intelligence may be defined as the skilled analysis of facts and inferences.
Results of analysis typically fall into one of 4 general categories of Intelligence:
descriptive, explanatory, interpretive and estimative. Implications for critical
thinking.
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Subcategory: Biomanufacturing
Biopolymers: Dow and Mitsui Forge Ahead on Joint Polyolefins Project in Brazil
Alex Tullo Chemical & Engineering News (25-Jul-11)
Complex in Brazil will be integrated all the way back to sugarcane cultivation.
Eventually, the companies plan to build a plant that will dehydrate the
ethanol into ethylene and a polyolefins plant.
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