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Early Trial Shows Parkinson’s Vaccine Creates Antibodies

Alpha-synuclein illustration (Michael J. Fox Foundation)

31 July 2014. An early-stage clinical trial testing the safety of an experimental vaccine to treat Parkinson’s disease, shows the vaccine generates antibodies that fight the build-up of proteins in the brain associated with the disorder. The vaccine is made by the biotechnology company Affiris AG, which . . . → Read More: Early Trial Shows Parkinson’s Vaccine Creates Antibodies

Pfizer Acquires Baxter Vaccines Business

(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

31 July 2014. Baxter International in Deerfield, Illinois sold its vaccines operations to Pfizer Inc. in New York for $635 million. The deal covers two current Baxter vaccines and part of a plant in Orth, Austria where the vaccines are produced.

One of the vaccines acquired by Pfizer, . . . → Read More: Pfizer Acquires Baxter Vaccines Business

Biochemical Signaling Chip Design Techniques Devised

William Bentley (University of Maryland)

30 July 2014. Engineers at University of Maryland in College Park developed techniques for designing a chip device that controls biological functions of cells with electronic and biochemical signals. The team led by bioengineering professor William Bentley published its findings earlier this week in the journal Nature Nanotechnology (paid . . . → Read More: Biochemical Signaling Chip Design Techniques Devised

U.S. Patent Awarded for Prodrug Cancer Imaging, Treatment

(USPTO.gov)

30 July 2014. A new patent was awarded for a technology that detects and treats solid tumor cancers with a prodrug, a precursor compound activated inside the body — made by GenSpera Inc., a biotechnology company in San Antonio. U.S. patent number 8,772,226 was awarded on 8 July to inventors Samuel Denmeade . . . → Read More: U.S. Patent Awarded for Prodrug Cancer Imaging, Treatment

Genome Institute Grant Funds 23andMe Database Upgrades

(NIST.gov)

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 . . . → Read More: Genome Institute Grant Funds 23andMe Database Upgrades

Trial Testing Amniotic, Umbilical Grafts to Heal Wounds

(CDC.gov)

29 July 2014. A new clinical trial is testing skin grafts from amniotic and umbilical cord tissue as a treatment for chronic wounds, in this case diabetic foot ulcers. The skin grafts are made by Amniox Medical Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia, adapted from a technology developed by Tissue Tech Inc. in Miami.

. . . → Read More: Trial Testing Amniotic, Umbilical Grafts to Heal Wounds

Cancer Screening Blood Test Proposed, New Company Formed

(National Institutes of Health)

28 July 2014. A team from University of Bradford in the U.K. developed a simple blood test, which in early tests suggests it could screen patients for common types of cancer. The researchers led by medical sciences professor Diana Anderson published their findings last Friday in FASEB Journal, published . . . → Read More: Cancer Screening Blood Test Proposed, New Company Formed

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

Lung-on-a-chip device (Wyss Institute, Harvard University)

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 . . . → Read More: Organ Chip Start-Up Gains $12 Million in Early Funds

Trial Shows Drug Not Extending Breast Cancer Survival Time

(National Cancer Institute)

25 July 2014. A late-stage clinical trial of the cancer drug sorafenib shows the drug, combined with the chemotherapy drug capecitabine, does not extend the amount of progression-free survival time of advanced breast cancer patients, compared to capecitabine alone. Sorafenib, marketed under the brand name Nexavar, is made by Onyx . . . → Read More: Trial Shows Drug Not Extending Breast Cancer Survival Time

Fox Foundation Funding Parkinson Drug Discovery Research

Ana Maria Cuervo (Yeshiva University)

25 July 2014. Researchers from Albert Einstein School of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York are testing compounds for drugs that take on underlying causes of Parkinson’s disease. A $165,000 grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research is funding the one year project led . . . → Read More: Fox Foundation Funding Parkinson Drug Discovery Research