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FDA Approves Sale of High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Systems

(Genome.gov)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday cleared for marketing high-throughput sequencing systems by Illumina Inc. in San Diego to analyze a person’s DNA. In a commentary on this approval in New England Journal of Medicine, FDA director Margaret Hamburg and National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins say, “Access to these . . . → Read More: FDA Approves Sale of High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Systems

Gene Therapy Shows Long-Term Benefit for Heart Failure

(brykmantra/Flickr)

A therapy using genes to induce production of an enzyme for heart cells to restore their use of calcium was found to help heart failure patients in a clinical trial reduce their incidents of cardiac problems over a three-year period. Researchers at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, with colleagues from the . . . → Read More: Gene Therapy Shows Long-Term Benefit for Heart Failure

Nutritional Labeling Leads to Healthier Restaurant Choices

(DigitalVision/NIEHS.gov)

A study in Philadelphia shows consumers who read nutritional labels on restaurant menus purchase items lower in calories, sodium, and saturated fats than patrons of that restaurant chain overall. The results of the study by researchers at Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia’s public health department appear online in yesterday’s advance . . . → Read More: Nutritional Labeling Leads to Healthier Restaurant Choices

Pressure-Cooked Nanoparticles Improve Lithium-Ion Batteries

David Kisailus, left, and lead author Jianxin Zhu (UC-Riverside)

Engineers at University of California in Riverside discovered a process for improving cathodes in lithium-ion batteries found in today’s electric cars and most electronic devices, and thus their performance. The team from the lab of Riverside’s David Kisailus published their findings in this month’s . . . → Read More: Pressure-Cooked Nanoparticles Improve Lithium-Ion Batteries

Virtual Reality Helps Stroke Patients Improve Hand Function

(Dominic Alves/Flickr)

A system developed by a University of Minnesota medical student helps rehabilitating stroke patients gain more use of their hands and arms by visualizing their thoughts through virtual reality. Alexander Doud, who developed the system while a masters degree student in the lab of Minnesota biomedical engineering professor Bin He, is . . . → Read More: Virtual Reality Helps Stroke Patients Improve Hand Function

Challenge Seeks Endothelial Progenitor Cell Culture Process

(National Institutes of Health)

A new challenge on InnoCentive is seeking a technique for storing and growing endothelial progenitor cells captured from blood samples and vital for research on and testing for various disorders. The competition has a purse of $25,000 and a deadline of 5 January 2014 for submissions.

InnoCentive in Waltham, . . . → Read More: Challenge Seeks Endothelial Progenitor Cell Culture Process

Inflammation Drug Biotech Lands $32.4M in Venture Funding

(borman818/Flickr)

Catabasis Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, completed its second venture funding round, securing $32.4 million. The round was led by new investor Lightstone Ventures, with participation by the company’s current investors: SV Life Sciences, Clarus Ventures, MedImmune Ventures, and Advanced Technology Ventures.

Catabasis Pharmaceuticals develops medications to treat . . . → Read More: Inflammation Drug Biotech Lands $32.4M in Venture Funding

New Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging System Developed

Prototype wireless power transfer device (Richard Ebersohl, North Carolina State University)

Engineers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh developed a new, more dynamic, approach for wirelessly charging moving electric vehicles and built a small-scale prototype to prove the concept. The team led by electrical engineering professor Srdjan Lukic published its findings online . . . → Read More: New Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging System Developed

Roche, Biotech Ink Cancer Vaccine/Immunotherapy Deal

Lymphocyte (National Cancer Institute)

The company immatics biotechnologies GmbH in Tuebingen, Germany and the global pharmaceutical maker Roche will collaborate on discovery and development of cancer vaccines and therapies that harness the human immune system. The deal will provide immatics (spelled in all lower case) an immediate payment of $17 million, but future . . . → Read More: Roche, Biotech Ink Cancer Vaccine/Immunotherapy Deal

Engineered Tomato Helps Cut Contributor to Clogged Arteries

(Agricultural Research Service/USDA)

Researchers at University of California in Los Angeles found feeding a bio-engineered tomato to lab animals cuts their production of a fatty acid believed to contribute to high cholesterol levels. The team led by Alan Fogelman, director of the atherosclerosis research unit at UCLA’s medical school published their findings in . . . → Read More: Engineered Tomato Helps Cut Contributor to Clogged Arteries