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BioTechCircle News®

November 2011

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Issue 101

See all previous issues at our archives; follow us on Twitter.

For a sneak preview of site updates and analysis of the latest research reports,
(Articles and gene-related Patents, Patent Applications), subscribe to our
newsletter at the bottom of our home page.

In this Articles section: links to 95 free Web articles in 13 major categories.
Click on the category list below to go immediately to that section.

The major categories below are further subdivided to make it easy for you to locate
news and technology developments, the business and the markets in the life sciences
of particular interest to you. The brief synopses will help you decide which articles you'd
like to read. Simply click on the article's title to go directly to the original article.

Due to an oversight, there aren't any articles in the "BTC'S News You Can Use" category. It'll return in next month's report. 

Here are this month's major categories:

Agri-Biotech (12 articles)
Biobusiness Management (9 articles)
Diagnostic Tools (4 articles)
Industry (19 articles)
Investments/Government Support (1 article)
Medical Devices (1 article)
Novel Applications (2 articles)
Personalized Medicine (1 article)
Platform Technologies (16 articles)
Research Advancements (19 articles)
Research Tools (5 articles)
Strategic Relationships (3 articles)

For a brief explanation of how we categorize the articles, please see "Express Guide
to Monthly Web Articles."

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	AGRI-BIOTECH

	Subcategory: Animal

	Scientists Reach the Heights with Gecko-inspired Tank Robot
	          Institute of Physics (01-Nov-11)
	Drawing inspiration from the gecko, researchers have been able to create 
	adhesives that carefully mimic the toe pads of the lizard that give it the 
	amazing ability to climb smooth vertical surfaces and shuffle across ceilings.
	
	Subcategory: Crops

	Livestock Farmers: Ethanol Using Up Too Much Corn
	          Michael J. Crumb Manufacturing.net	(23-Nov-11)
	Livestock farmers are demanding a change in the nation's ethanol policy, 
	claiming current rules could lead to spikes in meat prices and even shortages at
	 supermarkets if corn growers have a bad year.
	
	Subcategory: Disease Prevention

	Turning over a New Lettuce Leaf
	          Krystal Gabert Chem.Info (01-Nov-11)
	Despite "helpful" tips, Listeria can’t always be prevented at the consumer 
	level. Scientists, food manufacturers and regulators can work together to make 
	sure that auditors and consumers aren’t left holding the bag on food safety, 
	Gabert writes.
	
	Subcategory: Environment

	ArborGen Celebrates Major Milestone with Planting of its 10 Billionth Seedling
	          ArborGen (15-Nov-11)
	The planting of 10 billion seedlings is the equivalent of offsetting pollution of 
	all the cars in Los Angeles for 20 years, or planting 20 million acres of trees.
	
	Caffeine Level Better Indicator of Sewage Pollution
	          Laboratory Equipment (23-Nov-11)
	Study shows a strong correlation between the levels of caffeine in water and 
	the level of bacteria;  chemists can therefore use caffeine levels as an indicator 
	of human-source pollution in sewerage systems.

	Subcategory: Food

	On the Menu: Stinkbugs and Mealworms
	          Caroline Winter	Business Week (17-Nov-11)
	Insects produce far less greenhouse gas per gram of meat than livestock. 
	Rearing species that live in close quarters is easy. World Entomophagy is one 
	of a growing number of insect suppliers that promote bugs as food for 
	humans.
	
	Lab Grown, $345,000 Petri Dish Hamburger is Coming to a Table Near You
	          Brit Liggett	Inhabitat (14-Nov-11)
	Studies show that lab-made meat could reduce emissions from the current 
	meat production industry by as much as 96%. The meat is created using stem 
	cells from discarded animal parts at livestock processing facilities.
	
	Pizza: Not a Veggie, Not the Worst Thing Served in Schools
	          Laboratory Equipment (23-Nov-11)
	The current 1/8 cup serving of pizza sauce is likely to be the only vegetable 
	on the pizza and is higher in sodium than a typical serving of vegetables 4 
	times as large. At almost 400 calories, the pizza is nearly 6 times that of 
	broccoli.

	Subcategory: Materials

	Researchers Create Transistors from Natural Cotton Fibers
	          Farhan Nuruzzaman Cornell University (26-Oct-11)
	Transistors from cotton fibers could allow fabrics to sense body temperature, 
	automatically heat up or cool down, or track heart rate or blood pressure in 
	high-risk patients, as well as to monitor physical effort of high-performance 
	athletes.

	Researchers Reveal Eucalypt’s Nano Properties
	          Jo Manning	 Murdoch University	(31-Oct-11)
	Silvery leaves of an Australian eucalyptus plant are covered in a wax which 
	produces nano-sized bumps and pillars. Water forms droplets that roll over 
	the surface of the leaves. Inspired a range of self-cleaning and anti-bacterial 
	technologies.
	
	Plant with “Eggbeater" Texture Inspires Waterproof Coating
	          Pam Frost Gorder Ohio State University (10-Nov-11)
	A floating weed that clogs waterways around the world inspires a high-tech 
	waterproof coating intended for boats and submarines. Also see this article.
	
	Subcategory: Microorganisms

	Berkeley Lab Researchers Create First of Its Kind Gene Map of Sulfate-reducing
	Bacterium
	          Lynn Yaris Berkeley News(09-Nov-11)
	Desulfovibrio vulgaris is an anaerobic sulfate-eating microbe that can also 
	consume toxic and radioactive waste, making it a prime candidate for 
	bioremediation of contaminated environments.
	

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	BIOBUSINESS MANAGEMENT

	Subcategory: Disease Prevention

	Incorporating Worksite Wellness into Your Company
	          Debra Wein	 Frost & Sullivan	(01-Nov-11)
	Cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, pulmonary conditions 
	and mental illness cost employers $1.1 trillion annually in lost productivity. 
	Many of these diseases can be reduced through a well-designed worksite 
	wellness program.
	
	Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel

	Hybrid Power Plants Can Help Industry Go Green
	          American Friends of Tel Aviv (03-Nov-11)
	New technology combines the use of conventional fuel with the lower 
	pressures and temperatures of steam produced by solar power, allowing 
	plants to be hybrid, replacing 25% to 50% of their fuel use with green energy.
	
	Subcategory: Environment

	Green Group Accuses China of Climate Blackmail
	          Jonathan Watts	The Guardian (09-Nov-11)
	An environmental group has accused China of climate blackmail after threats 
	to vent powerful greenhouse gases if Europe cuts off carbon credits in 2012.
	
	Subcategory: Financial Management (not funding)

	Exposing the Cost of Health Care
	          Deborah Erickson Technology Review (23-Nov-11)
	People typically don't find out how much any given medical procedure costs 
	until well after they receive treatment. Lack of transparency has contributed 
	to huge disparities in the cost of procedures. Describes startup service that 
	reveals actual costs.
	
	Subcategory: Geographic focus

	2011 Quality of Living Worldwide City Rankings – Mercer Survey
	          Mercer	(29-Nov-11)
	European cities dominate worldwide quality of living rankings, with Vienna 
	ranked #1. List covers 221 cities, ranked against New York as the base city. 
	Regional data for Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. 
	Link to global city ranks.
	
	Subcategory: Misc. Medical Devices

	Improve Medical Device Time-To-Market
	          Kenneth E. Breeding Jr. and Gopal R. Saraiya Manufacturing.net (21-Nov-11)
	On average, it takes about 18-to-24 months to bring a new medical product to 
	market. Typical product development lasts 12-to-18 months, with an 
	additional 3-6 months for regulatory approval. Discusses materials, molding, 
	processing, other.
	
	Subcategory: Miscellaneous

	Editorial Team Announced for eLife, New Open Access Journal
	          Howard Hughes Medical Institute (07-Nov-11)
	Ambition is to make a unique journal that will serve as a catalyst for broader 
	reinvention of research communication. eLife will cover the full range of life 
	and biomedical sciences. List of senior editorial team.
	
	Feature: Tax and Quacks - The Role of Tax in the Development of Modern 
	Medicine
	          Penny Bailey Wellcome Trust	 (29-Nov-11)
	Describes exploring the interaction of tax and medicine over the last three 
	centuries - and the ways in which they have shaped each other.
	
	Subcategory: Personnel Issues

	Assessing the State of Innovation
	          Dave Matheson	Frost & Sullivan	(01-Nov-11)
	Excerpt and link to full white paper on the 4 key areas of innovation practice. 
	Lesson: If you begin only with strategy, you probably will not hit your 
	innovation growth objectives.

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	DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS

	Subcategory: Metabolism: Obesity, Diabetes

	New Biosensor Benefits from Melding of Carbon Nanotubes, DNA
	          Keith Robinson	Purdue News (14-Nov-11)
	Method for stacking synthetic DNA and carbon nanotubes onto a biosensor 
	electrode may lead to more accurate measurements for research related to 
	diabetes and other diseases.
	
	Subcategory: Miscellaneous

	Sleep Sensor Hides Beneath the Mattress
	          Tom Simonite Technology Review (09-Nov-11)
	Thin, self-inflating mattress pad device tracks heart rate, breathing, and 
	movement without requiring the user to wear anything. Data is transmitted by
	 wireless to a box connected to the Internet, which then relays the data to 
	cloud servers.
	
	Subcategory: Oncology

	Fluorescent Spray Could Help Surgeons Identify Cancer Quickly
	          Erica Westly Technology Review	(29-Nov-11)
	Cancer surgeons strive to remove cancerous cells while preserving as much 
	healthy tissue as possible. Cancer cells are notoriously difficult to identify 
	visually; spray makes cancer cells glow within a minute of application.
	
	Subcategory: Tissue Engineering

	Disease in a Dish
	          Emily Singer Technology Review	(01-Nov-11)
	Generating cells (using stem cells created from human skin cells) from patients
	suffering from such disorders as  Down syndrome, schizophrenia, and ALS 
	lets scientist study these diseases in the lab and test new drugs.

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	INDUSTRY

	Subcategory: Academia/ Laboratories

	Student Organization Launched to Encourage Medical Students to Pursue 
	Careers in Research
	          Jen Middleton Wellcome Trust (15-Nov-11)
	The National Student Association of Medical Research in the U.K. aims to 
	tackle the worrying decline in the number of doctors pursuing careers in 
	academic research.	

	Subcategory: Bio Pharma

	The 2011 Biotech Graveyard
	          Maureen Martino Fierce Biotech	(31-Oct-11)
	List and links to analysis of the 8 biotech companies that went out of 
	business in 2011. A common theme among many of this year's graveyard 
	companies: most of their problems started in 2009, a difficult year for the 
	industry.
	
	Volatility Rattles Biotechnology Sector
	          Eugene Rozelman Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (01-Nov-11)
	Current market dynamics make it more difficult for biotechnology companies 
	to raise capital, consummate strategic deals, and ultimately make progress 
	toward bringing their therapeutic products to market. Looks at alternative 
	financing.
	
	Subcategory: Computing Systems

	Spammers Using Own URL-Shortening Services for Pharmacy Spam
	          Fahmida Y. Rashid eWeek (27-Oct-11)
	Shortened URLs pose a security risk since users can't tell if the link they are 
	clicking on would direct them to a legitimate site or a malicious one. Many 
	companies have launched their own URL shorteners, making it a challenge for 
	users.
	
	Subcategory: Education

	Initial Teacher Training Can Fail to Equip Science Teachers with Sufficient 
	Subject Knowledge to Teach, Study Finds
	          Jen Middleton	Wellcome Trust	(29-Nov-11)
	Study finds that in the U.K. most trainees ending up teaching outside their 
	main degree specialism. Outlines 4 practical solutions to improve science 
	teaching and student performance.
	
	Subcategory: Employment/Jobs

	Rebuilding American Manufacturing
	          Peter Dizikes MIT News	(30-Nov-11)
	The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) program seeks to identify 
	and support new areas of manufacturing activity in the U.S.  In areas such as 
	biotechnology, energy, robotics, nanotechnology and advanced materials.
	
	Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel

	Siemens Boosts Its Stake in Tidal Power
	          Peter Fairley Technology Review	(14-Nov-11)
	Unlike solar and wind power, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun that 
	controls tidal cycles provides a sure means of anticipating the output from 
	tidal generating stations, allowing calculations for power output for centuries 
	in advance.
	
	Subcategory: Environment

	Biodegradable Plastics Standard to Bust Landfill Waste
	          Ann R. Thryft Design News (14-Nov-11)
	The Plastics Environmental Council (PEC) is sponsoring research to produce 
	the first standard specification for landfill biodegradation of petroleum- and 
	natural gas-derived plastics treated with additives to speed up anaerobic 
	biodegradation.
	
	Irreversible Climate Change Will Occur in 5 Years if Major Infrastructure is 
	Not Changed
	          Brit Liggett	Inhabitat (13-Nov-11)
	The International Energy Agency (IEA), an autonomous organization that 
	provides comprehensive statistics and recommendations for world leaders on 
        energy, just released their 2011 World Energy Outlook, an analysis of world  
        energy infrastructure.  
	
	Giant Mound of Tires Visible from Space
	          Meg Kinnard Product Design & Development (23-Nov-11)
	A rural South Carolina clearing of more than 50 acres has been found to have 
	about 250,000 dumped tires. No one knows how all those tires got there, or 
	when. The tires will have oil and steel extracted or shredded to make 
	tire-derived fuel.
	
	Subcategory: Geographic focus

	Emerging Countries Becoming More Competitive as Prime Locations for Life 
	Science Operations
	          Area Development (17-Nov-11)
	Research shows that emerging market governments in Asia and Latin America 
	are making significant capital investments, improving political policies to 
	become more competitive in high-tech aspects of the industry and be in 
	contention for CRO opportunities.
	
	Graphic: Life Sciences Study Reveals Emerging Markets Becoming More 
	Competitive as Prime Locations for Operations
	          Jones Lang LaSalle (01-Nov-11)
	Table listis and ranks 16 U.S. city bioclusters, based on high tech 
	employment, science & engineering graduate students, NIH and venture 
	funding, R&D spend as % of GDP, physical area of academic & research 
	facilities. Boston: #1.

	America Is Still the Most Innovative Country in the World
	          Frederick Hess The Atlantic (14-Nov-11)
	America boasts the most racially and culturally diverse society in history. 
	"Americans need to identify our comparative advantages--social, cultural, 
	political and economic-- and exploit them, instead of worrying about copying 
	the competition."
	
	Subcategory: Government Entities

	Health Sites Rank High in Federal Government Web Traffic: comScore
	          Brian T. Horowitz eWeek	 (03-Nov-11)
	The 3 health sites NIH.gov (National Institutes of Health), CDC.gov (Centers
	 for Disease Control and Prevention) and USDA.gov (Department of 
	Agriculture) were among the top 10 federal government sites.
	
	Subcategory:	Miscellaneous

	Social Media, Data Privacy Issues to Dominate Health Care in 2012: PwC
	          Brian T. Horowitz eWeek (21-Nov-11)
	Social media continues growth; more people with chronic diseases use social 
	media channels to be informed about care options to connect with health care 
	organizations; "feedback loops," motivate Internet users to track their health 
	conditions.
	
	Tech Trends that Vow to Last Longer than Kim Kardashian's Marriage
	           Tammy Wolf MTMCnet	(02-Nov-11)
	Describes trends in education technology, cloud computing, the smart grid and
	 others.
	
	Subcategory: Oncology

	The Cancer Drug Dark Ages Are Coming to an End
	          Luke Timmerman Xconomy (31-Oct-11)
	In August 2011 the FDA granted 3 approvals ahead of its usual legal deadlines
	so it could get these life-saving therapies to patients sooner. The drugs are 
	going after well-defined patient populations, not broad-brush, organ-based 
	classifications.
	
	Subcategory: Personalized Medicine

	The Case for Personalized Medicine
	          Personalized Medicine (01-Nov-11)
	Third edition of white paper on tailored therapeutics addresses many issues, 
	including  "one size does not fit all" as evidenced by effectiveness of a 
	particular drug on patients with asthma, diebetes, arthritis, cancer and other 
	conditions.
	
	Subcategory: Research Labs

	Scientific Productivity Increases with Age
	Kellogg School of Management (10-Nov-11)
	Significant breakthroughs in chemistry, physics and medicine historically were
	 made by scientists under the age of 40. “Today, the average age at which 
	physicists do their Nobel Prize winning work is 48." Length of time studying 
	may be a factor.

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	INVESTMENTS/ GOV. SUPPORT

	Subcategory: Education

	Science Media Studentships: Call for Applications Open
	          Wellcome Trust	(14-Nov-11)
	Financial support for 2 practicing biomedical scientists for a postgraduate 
	qualification in Science Media Production at Imperial College London, 
	followed by a 6-month position in the broadcast industry. Feb 24 2012 
	deadline.

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	MEDICAL DEVICES

	Subcategory: Miscellaneous

	The Itsy, Bitsy Spider
	          Meaghan Ziemba Product Design and Development (09-Nov-11)
	Small, flexible surgical instruments that can move freely within the human 
	body are becoming a reality within the medical industry as part of 
	non-invasive, surgical procedures. Patients experience quicker recovery times.


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	NOVEL APPLICATIONS

	Subcategory: Environment

	American Picker
	          Chris Fox Product Design & Development	(27-Oct-11)
	The repurposing of industry materials can even lead to better materials for 
	other industries. One example: a hose no longer rated for 2,500 psi use after 6 
	months can be used for a lifetime for farming irrigation.
	
	Subcategory: Materials

	Milk Does a Body Good — Even When Worn
	          Melissa Eddy Product Design & Development (15-Nov-11)
	Award-winning new textile is made entirely from milk that's environmentally 
	friendly as well as soothing to people with skin allergies. Called "Qmilch," it 
	drapes and folds like silk, but can be washed and dried like cotton.

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	ORGANIZATIONS

	Subcategory: Disease Prevention

	4 Innovative Projects Making Water More Accessible in the Developing World
	          Zachary Sniderman	Mashable (09-Nov-11)
	Solving a basic need like water access allows developing communities to tackle
	 and devote resources to more complex issues. Reviews Dollars to Projects — 
	charity: water; This Shirt Helps; Daraja; SteriPen.
	
	Subcategory: Food

	Getting Innovation Down to a Science
	          Lindsey Coblentz Chem.Info (16-Nov-11)
	The Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) is the only location in the 
	U.S. where an entire FDA division works onsite. IFSH plans to play an 
	important role in promoting national food safety.
	
	Frito-Lay Plant Reduces Waste to Near Zero
	          Allan Gerlat Waste 360 (07-Oct-11)
	Company reached its “near net zero” goal of running primarily on renewable 
	energy sources, including the production of nearly zero landfill waste. Intends 
	to apply "off the grid" lessons learned to other facilities where appropriate.

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	PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

	Subcategory:	Patent/Intellectual Property Issues

	Prometheus, Myriad & Classen Decisions Clarify Eligibility Requirements
	          William L. Warren, Lei Fang Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (01-Nov-11)
	Warren reviews 3 important cases pertaining to patent-eligible subject matter 
	for personalized medicine diagnostic tools, therapeutic treatments, and DNA 
	sequences.

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	PLATFORM TECHNOLOGIES

	Subcategory: Cell Therapy

	Novel Surface Triples Stem-cell Growth in Culture
	          Nicole Giese Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (07-Nov-11)
	By irradiating typical polystyrene lab plates with ultraviolet (UV) waves, 
	scientists have created a surface capable of tripling the number of human 
	embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that can be 
	grown in culture.
	
	Subcategory: Cloning Techniques

	How Fertilized Oocytes Eliminate Paternal Mitochondria
	          CNRS International	(26-Oct-11)
	During fertilization, the entire spermatozoon enters the oocyte. However, 
	most of its organelles, including mitochondria, are not transmitted to the 
	offspring. Findings could improve cloning and medically-assisted reproductive
	technology.

	Subcategory: Disease Prevention

	Using Ionized Plasmas as Cheap Sterilizers for Developing World
	          Robert Sanders	UC Berkeley News (14-Nov-11)
	ionized plasmas like those in neon lights and plasma TVs not only can 
	sterilize water, but make it antimicrobial for as long as a week after treatment. 
	Could be life-savers in developing countries, disaster areas or on the 
	battlefield.
	
	Subcategory: Electronic Health Records

	How E-Health Records Improve Healthcare: a Cancer Patient's Story
	          Lucas Mearian CIO (01-Nov-11)
	Facilities that use electronic health records (EHRs) and prove their meaningful
	 use can receive tens of thousands of dollars in reimbursement money under 
	the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Some physicians feel like data 
	entry clerks.
	
	Subcategory: Genomics

	How Zelda Kick-Starts the Fly Embryo’s Genome
	Howard Hughes Medical Institute	20-Oct-11
	The protein Zelda works as a genomic "on" switch at the transition, known as
	 the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT), when a fruit fly embryo breaks 
	free of its mother's influence.
	
	Subcategory: Materials

	Batteries Get a Quick Charge with New Anode Technology
	          Jared Sagoff Argonne National Laboratory (02-Nov-11)
	Titanium dioxide nanotubes can switch their phase as a battery is cycled, 
	gradually boosting their operational capacity. New batteries produced with 
	this material could be recharged up to half of their original capacity in less 
        than 30 seconds.
	
	Explosive Composite Based on Nanoparticles and DNA Could Be an Energy 
	Source for Embedded Microsystems
	          CNRS International	(26-Oct-11)
	The high energy density of composite makes it an ideal fuel for nanosatellites, 
	which weigh just several kilograms. Other applications: ignitors for gas in 
	internal combustion engines or for fuel in aircraft and rocket nozzles, pollution
	detectors.
	
	In New Quantum-dot LED Design, Researchers Turn Troublesome Molecules to 
	Their Advantage
	          Caroline Perry Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (15-Nov-11)
	Researchers use atomic layer deposition (ALD), a technique that involves jets 
	of water. ALD takes advantage of the water-resistant ligands on the quantum 
	dots, allowing current to transport through the dots and thus producing a 
	bright glow.
	
	Multidisciplinary Team of Researchers Develop World’s Lightest Material
	          Product Design & Development (18-Nov-11)
	New material redefines the limits of lightweight materials because of its unique
	 “micro-lattice” cellular architecture. With a density of 0.9 mg/cc, it is about 
	100 times lighter than Styrofoam.
	
	Subcategory: Microorganisms

	Using a Phone to Fly a Drone
	          David L. Chandler MIT News	(08-Nov-11)
	New iPhone system could easily replace the control systems not only for 
	military drones, but for UAVs used by emergency personnel: for example, to 
	track the progress of a forest fire in a remote area from a safe distance.
	
	Cells’ Life and Death Decisions: Lessons from a Social Amoeba
	          Michael Regnier	 Wellcome Trust	(22-Nov-11)
	Cells are constantly making decisions about what to do, where to go or when 
	to divide. Scientists are studying a simple life form to uncover the basis of cells' 
        choices. Image and film on slime mold.
	
	Subcategory:	Miscellaneous

	Living Cells Say: Can You Hear Me Now?
	          David L. Chandler MIT News	(17-Nov-11)
	Researchers find that cells’ chemical signaling includes a way to tell whether 
	signals are being received or not and then adjust the volume of their messages 
	as needed.
	
	Subcategory: Mobile Medicine

	Mobile Health App Market to Surpass $400 Million by 2016: ABI
	          Brian T. Horowitz eWeek	 (23-Nov-11)
	Wearable devices and the ability to leverage online applications to collect and 
	share fitness data within corporate health programs will provide significant 
	boost to adoption of mobile health apps.
	
	Subcategory: Nanotechnology

	A Nano Car with Molecular 4-wheel Drive
	          EMPA (10-Nov-11)
	Researchers demonstrate that individual molecules can absorb external 
	electrical energy and transform it into targeted motion. Chemists could design 
	molecular transport machines which could carry out specific tasks on the nano
	 scale.
	
	Subcategory: Proteomics

	Creation of the Largest Human-designed Protein Boosts Protein Engineering 
	          David Salisbury 	Vanderbilt University (15-Nov-11)
	Researchers have designed and successfully synthesized a variant of a protein 
	that nature uses to manufacture the essential amino acid histidine. It is more 
	than twice the size of the previous record.
	efforts
	
	Subcategory: Tissue Engineering

	Researchers Create a Pituitary Gland from Scratch
	          Erica Westly Technology Review (09-Nov-11)
	With a 3-D culture, researchers grow pituitary and hypothalmus tissue 
	together, allowing the stem cells to self-assemble into a mouse 
	pituitary.Mimics early mouse development, since the embryo develops in 
	3-D in vivo.

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	RESEARCH ADVANCEMENTS

	Subcategory: Cell Therapy

	Relief for Stem Cell Transplant Patients
	          Rob Levy Harvard University Gazette (30-Nov-11)
	Scientists use -- counterintuitivel -- an immune system stimulant as an 
	immune system suppressor to treat a common, often debilitating side effect of
	 donor stem cell transplantation in cancer patients.
	
	Subcategory: Food

	Hunger and Hormones Determine Food’s Appeal
	          Jeffrey M. Friedman	Howard Hughes Medical Institute (13-Nov-11)
	By activating regions of the brain linked to food-related pleasure, scientists 
	discover how the brain mediates the link between food preferences and 
	hunger.
	
	Subcategory: Geriatrics

	Fruit Fly Intestine May Hold Secret to the Fountain of Youth
	          Salk Institute (02-Nov-11)
	By boosting the activity of the fruit fly equivalent of the PGC-1 gene, 
	scientists find greater numbers of mitochondria and more energy-production in
	 flies, the same result seen in organisms on calorie restricted diets.
	
	Subcategory: Hematology

	Reversing Sickle Cell Anemia by Turning On Fetal Hemoglobin
	          Howard Hughes Medical Institute (13-Oct-11)
	Researchers find that silencing a protein known as BCL11A can reactivate 
	fetal hemoglobin production in adult mice and effectively reverses sickle cell 
	disease. Animations describing sickle cell anemia.
	
	Tiny Magnets Could Clear Diseases from the Blood
	          Adam Marcus Technology Review (28-Nov-11)
	Nanomagnets coated with carbon and antibodies could someday strip 
	potentially harmful substances from the blood. The technology might be used 
	to treat people suffering from drug intoxication, bloodstream infections, and 
	certain cancers.
	
	Subcategory: Immunology/ Infectious Diseases

	Alleviating Radiation Sickness
	          Robert Levy Harvard University Gazette (23-Nov-11)
	A combination of 2 drugs may alleviate radiation sickness in people who have 
	been exposed to high levels of radiation, even when the therapy is given a day 
	after the exposure occurred. Therapy is more practical for mass public health 
	threats.
	
	New Study Finds that Even the Cleanest Wastewater Contains 'Super Bacteria'
	          Rhonda Zurn, Preston Smith University of Minnesota (14-Nov-11)
	Release of municipal wastewater, even treated with highest-quality 
	technology, can have a significant effect on the quantities of 
	antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as “superbacteria,” in surface waters.
	
	Fighting Fire With Fire: 'Vampire' Bacteria Has Potential as Living Antibiotic
	Fariss Samarrai	University of Virginia	31-Oct-11
	The bacterium Micavibrio aeruginosavorus attaches itself to another 
	bacterium's cell wall (such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a cause of lung 
	
	Subcategory: Metabolism: Obesity, Diabetes

	Scripps Research Scientists Uncover New Role for Gene in Maintaining Steady 
	Weight
	          Eric Sauter	Scripps Research Institute (23-Nov-11)
	Actions of the melanocortin-3  receptor expressed outside the brain appear to 
	be equally important to that inside the brain. May help scientists better 
	understand the keys to fighting obesity and related disorders such as diabetes.
	
	3PM Slump? Why a Sugar Rush may not Be the Answer
	          University of Cambridge (17-Nov-11)
	New study finds that protein and not sugar activates the cells responsible for 
	keeping us awake and burning calories. May explain why protein meals can 
	make people feel less calm and more alert than carbohydrate meals.
	
	Subcategory: Miscellaneous

	Overall Physicality Affects Sleep
	          Laboratory Equipment (23-Nov-11)
	People sleep significantly better and feel more alert during the day if they get 
	at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, new study finds. May positively 
	influence an individual's productivity at work or a student's at school.
	
	Subcategory: Musculoskeletal

	Tweaking a Gene Makes Muscles Twice as Strong
	          Salk Institute (18-Nov-11)
	New avenue found for treating muscle degeneration in people who are unable 
	to exercise due to obesity or other health complications, such as diabetes, 
	immobility and frailty.
	
	Subcategory: Neurology

	Two Causes of Autism Found to Be Cellular Opposites
	          Mark F. Bear Howard Hughes Medical Institute (23-Nov-11)
	Fragile X syndrome and tuberous sclerosis both cause autism and intellectual 
	disabilities in most affected patients. An increase in synaptic protein 
	synthesis is linked with fragile X syndrome, while the dampened pathway 
	leads to tuberous sclerosis.
	
	NIH Study Finds Stroke Risk Factors may Lead to Cognitive Problems
	          National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (08-Nov-11)
	High blood pressure and other known risk factors for stroke also increase the 
	risk of developing cognitive problems, even among people who have never had
	 a stroke. Results emphasize the importance of early intervention.
	
	Subcategory: Oncology

	Seeing Cancer in Three Dimensions
	          Anne Trafton MIT News	(21-Nov-11)
	The three-dimensional structure of the cell’s genetic material, or genome, 
	plays a large role in determining which sections of DNA are most likely to be 
	altered in cancerous cells, helping them become more malignant.
	
	How Cancer Cells Get by on a Starvation Diet
	          Anne Trafton MIT News	(21-Nov-11)
	When deprived of oxygen, cancer cells (and many other mammalian cells) can 
	engage an alternate metabolic pathway that allows them to use glutamine, a 
	plentiful amino acid, as the starting material for synthesizing fatty molecules 
	known as lipids.
	
	Team Discovers How a Cancer-causing Bacterium Spurs Cell Death
	          Diana Yates	University of Illinois (01-Nov-11)
	Scientists have figured out how the cancer-causing bacterium Helicobacter 
	pylori attacks a cell’s energy infrastructure, sparking a series of events in the 
	cell that ultimately lead it to self-destruct.
	
	Subcategory: Ophthalmology

	New iPhone App Keeps Eyesight from Deteriorating
	          American Friends of Tel Aviv	01-Nov-11
	Application trains the brain to translate blurry images into clear ones. In the 
	application, groups of blurry lines called Gabor patches appear at several 
	points across the screen, and the user must identify when one appears in the 
	center.
	
	Subcategory: Pulmonary/ Respiratory Diseases

	Lung Regeneration Spurred by Signals from Blood Vessels
	          Howard Hughes Medical Institute (28-Oct-11)
	By isolating the cellular source of regenerative signals, which are produced by 
	blood vessels in the lungs, scientists were able to trigger regeneration in mice 
	that had had 1 lung surgically removed. May lead to repair of damaged lung 
	tissue in humans.

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	RESEARCH TOOLS

	Subcategory: Computing Systems

	At a Crossroads
	          Jennifer Chu MIT News	(30-Nov-11)
	Researchersare able to predict, within a couple of seconds and with 85% 
	accuracy, whether a car would run a red light. Algorithm is intended to give 
	drivers a recommendation of what to do in response to a potential accident.
	
	Subcategory: Environment

	Billion Dollar U.S. Weather/Climate Disasters
	          National Climatic Data (30-Nov-11)
	Maps and graphs of major weather/climate events, preliminary report on a 
	dozen U.S. billion dollar disasters that occurred in 2011 (to date), including 
	hurricanes, wildfires, flooding and drought. Links to special reports.
	
	Univ. of Miami Study Rethinks the Ocean’s Role in Pacific Climate
	          University of Miami	(15-Nov-11)
	Atmospheric pressure, surface temperature, and precipitation were the same 
	in static and dynamic ocean models. Can help link climate patterns between 
	distant region, such as rainfall patterns in Australia and drought in the 
	Southwestern U.S.
	
	Subcategory: Health Gaming

	It Was Gnarly Helping to Smoke an Aids Virus, Man
	          Knowledge@Wharton (27-Oct-11)
	In 10 days gamers “solved a molecular puzzle that stumped scientists for 
	years, and those scientists say the accomplishment could point the way to 
	crowdsourced cures for AIDS and other diseases." Particiants are in it for the 
	fun as well as the challenge.
	
	Subcategory: Nanotechnology

	Nano-tech Makes Medicine Greener
	Professor Dimitrios Stamou	University of Copenhagen	03-Nov-11
	Researchers are now working with reactions that take place in very small 
	volumes, namely 10-19 liters, with the ability to do so in parallel for millions 
	of samples on a single chip.

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	STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS

	Subcategory: Collaboration

	Paper Uncovers Power of Foldit Gamers’ Strategies
	          Sally James	University of Washington	 (07-Nov-11)
	By studying the most effective formal recipes or algorithms that players used 
	to solve protein structure puzzles, researchers hope to formalize complex 
	strategies and apply them widely to scientific problems
	
	Subcategory: Electronic Health Records

	States, Health Care Companies Offer EHR, HIE Standards
	          Brian T. Horowitz eWeek (11-Nov-11)
	The EHR/HIE Interoperability Workgroup, a coalition of states and health 
	care IT software producers, issues specifications for sharing data among 
	multiple electronic health records (EHR) and health information exchanges 
	(HIEs).
	
	Subcategory:	Metabolism: Obesity, Diabetes

	U-M, Duke Team up to Improve Diabetes Outcomes
	          Kevin Merrill University of Michigan	(14-Nov-11)
	Geospatial mapping takes information related to disease and health care, fits it
	 to the physical map of a community,.Researchers can visualize complex 
	relationships among the locations of diabetes patients, health care patterns, 
	social resources.

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