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Freescale adds Kinetis K50 family of MCUs for medical, industrial applications

Freescale Semiconductor today announced the newest addition to its growing Kinetis 32-bit microcontroller (MCU) line - the Kinetis K50 family. This new family, targeted for medical and industrial applications, further expands the industry's most extensive and scalable portfolio built on the ARM® Cortex™-M4 core.

1 Mar 2011

Agilent Technologies acquires Lab901

Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced it has acquired Lab901, a leading electrophoresis equipment and consumables company based in Edinburgh, U.K. The company's automated electrophoresis products are used for DNA, RNA and protein analysis. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

28 Feb 2011

Versatile ultra-low power biomedical signal processor

At today’s International Solid-State Circuit Conference (ISSCC2011), imec, Holst Centre and NXP present a versatile ultra-low power biomedical signal processor, CoolBioTM, meeting the requirements of future wearable biomedical sensor systems. The biomedical signal processor consumes only 13pJ/cycle when running a complex ECG (electrocardiogram) algorithm at 1MHz and 0.4V operating voltage. This C-programmable chip is voltage and performance scalable supporting a frequency range of 1MHz up to 100MHz with an operating voltage from 0.4 to 1.2V.

23 Feb 2011

Macrogen announces formation of Axeq Technologies in the US, Europe and Asia

Macrogen, Inc announces the formation of Axeq Technologies, a US-based division with operations and offices in the US, Europe and Asia. "Axeq" is a premium brand representing a whole new experience and industry-leading standards in DNA sequencing service.

22 Feb 2011

State roundup: Gov't workers face benefit changes; worry over social service cuts

For many states, 2011 is the most trying budget year of a fiscal crisis now in its fourth year. Revenues generally remain lower than what they used to be; widespread joblessness is putting unprecedented strains on safety-net programs like Medicaid; and all this is happening as federal stimulus money runs out.

18 Feb 2011

STMicroelectronics to produce iChip microprocessor for LifeNexus Personal Health Card

STMicroelectronics, a world leader in semiconductor solutions, and LifeNexus, the developer of the iChip™ and Personal Health Card, today announced that STMicroelectronics will produce the iChip microprocessor for the LifeNexus Personal Health Card.

17 Feb 2011

WaferGen offers SNP Genotyping screening with new SmartChip PCR System

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc. a leading developer of state-of-the-art genomic analysis systems, today announced that it is offering an early access program for high-throughput Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Genotyping through its new SmartChip Real-Time PCR System.

16 Feb 2011

AMT 2010 total net income increases to EUR 1.4 million

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, today reported its results for the year to December 31, 2010.

16 Feb 2011

First smartphone to natively communicate with ULP ANT+ network of health and fitness devices

ANT Wireless, a division of Dynastream Innovations Inc., and Texas Instruments Incorporated today showcase the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ arc, the first commercially available smartphone to natively communicate with the ultra-low power (ULP) ANT+ network of health and fitness devices.

14 Feb 2011

West Virginia families can now pay premiums online through WV CHIP website

Families eligible for the premium part of the West Virginia Children's Health Insurance Program can now pay premiums online through the WV CHIP website at www.chip.wv.gov. The Premium Plan Payment System is free and allows users to make payments securely using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club or electronic check.

14 Feb 2011

Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation awards $3M to Cleveland physicians for AIDS research

A three-year, $3 million gift from the Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation will fund research by a pair of Cleveland physicians into HIV and the body's response in autoimmune diseases.

11 Feb 2011

New resources made available to increase awareness of PCIP

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today made new resources available to the media, consumer groups, states, health care providers, and others to increase awareness of the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, a health plan for uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions created by the Affordable Care Act.

11 Feb 2011

Seaweed microsponges may help diagnose many diseases quickly, at far lower cost

Microsponges derived from seaweed may help diagnose heart disease, cancers, HIV and other diseases quickly and at far lower cost than current clinical methods. The microsponges are an essential component of Rice University's Programmable Bio-Nano-Chip (PBNC) and the focus of a new paper in the journal Small.

9 Feb 2011

PBNC technology may help detect cardiac disease, reduce diagnostic costs

Heart disease is a silent killer, but new microchip technology from Rice University is expected to advance the art of diagnosis.

9 Feb 2011

Rapid detection of transiently folded single-molecule structures from 'intrinsically disordered proteins'

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have developed a novel technique to observe previously unknown details of how folded structures are formed from an intrinsically disordered protein. The insights could help scientists to better understand the mechanism of plaque formation in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

9 Feb 2011

Scientists develop novel technique to detect disordered protein folding

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel technique to observe previously unknown details of how folded structures are formed from an intrinsically disordered protein.

9 Feb 2011

Bruker launches new fully automated and fast toxin identification system

Bruker today announces the North American launch of its compact, fully automated and fast toxin identification system, called pTD™ (portable Toxin Detector), at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Bio-Defense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting in Washington, DC. The novel, benchtop, push-button pTD system is intended for smaller, field and mobile laboratories for use by non-expert operators in homeland security applications.

7 Feb 2011

Virginia asks high court to expedite review of health law challenge

Virginia's attorney general has hopes to bypass an initial appellate court review and take his state's case against the health overhaul directly to the Supreme Court. The federal Department of Justice has made clear it will oppose this request. Meanwhile, the lawsuits against the health law are just one of many paths being followed by activists who hope to undo the measure.

5 Feb 2011

Research roundup: Comparing profit and nonprofit hospice care; Hospital mortality and spending; High-deductible insurance plans

Association Of Hospice Agency Profit Status With Patient Diagnosis, Location of Care, and Length of Stay - "The current Medicare Hospice Benefit reimburses hospices at a fixed per diem rate that does not consider the patient's diagnosis, location of care, or hospice LOS [length-of-stay]," and as such, "profit can be maximized by caring for patients with certain diagnoses that require fewer skilled services, patients residing in nursing homes, or patients with longer hospice stays."

4 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 4, 2011

Today's headlines include reports that Virginia's attorney general is asking the Supreme Court to expedite its review of the state's challenge to the health law. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is doling out advice to governors about how to handle Medicaid.

4 Feb 2011