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New microfluidic device for effective HIV diagnosis

UC Davis biomedical engineer Prof. Alexander Revzin has developed a "lab on a chip" device for HIV testing. Revzin's microfluidic device uses antibodies to "capture" white blood cells called T cells that are affected by HIV. In addition to physically binding these cells the test detects the types and levels of inflammatory proteins (cytokines) released by the cells.

17 Jul 2010

Ingen files patent to produce new drug insulin thermos product

Ingen Technologies, Inc. (Pink Sheets:IGNT), an emerging medical device manufacturer developing innovative solutions for the respiratory market, with a new patented and proprietary medical product line targeting the $8B respiratory market, announced today that the company has also filed a U.S patent and will begin the required manufacturing processes to produce the new drug insulin thermos product.

17 Jul 2010

In N.J., patients who receive free AIDS meds to face stricter income limits; some W. Va. state employees will no longer receive monthly insurance subsidies

The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record: "New Jersey will no longer provide free AIDS medications for 950 people who are HIV-positive, under a little-noticed provision of the state budget enacted this month.

14 Jul 2010

Cross-disciplinary research experts develop Responsive Epilepsy Control System

The Brain Mind Welfare Team of National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, formed by cross-disciplinary research experts from information engineering, medical information and social science, has developed a Responsive Epilepsy Control System which proved to be successful in epileptic rats.

12 Jul 2010

Research roundup: Improving hospital processes can improve care; E-mailing the doctor; Medicaid savings with generic drugs

Public Reporting On Hospital Process Improvements Is Linked To Better Patient Outcomes - This study analyzed "data from 3,476 acute care, nonfederal U.S. hospitals that publicly reported quality information on the CMS Hospital Compare Web site from 2004 through 2006" and "evaluated the hospitals' performance every six months during the study period, using the ten original measures from Hospital Compare."

9 Jul 2010

New method enhances delivery of DNA payloads into cells

Chang Lu and his chemical engineering research group at Virginia Tech have discovered how to "greatly enhance" the delivery of DNA payloads into cells. The description of their work will be featured on the cover of Lab on a Chip (issue 16), the premier journal for researchers in microfluidics.

9 Jul 2010

WaferGen Biosystems announces closing of $7.2M registered direct offering

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art genomic analysis systems, today announced the closing of a $7.2 million registered direct offering. The amount raised includes $1 million from the Chairman and CEO, Alnoor Shivji, and approximately $500,000 in the aggregate from four other members of the board of directors of WaferGen.

9 Jul 2010

Officials look to stop 'medicalization' to stem health care costs

The Florida Times-Union: Stopping the "medicalization" of good health is being targeted again by economists and policymakers as a way to stem health care costs. "If Americans would stop thinking of certain problems in a medical context, experts argue, it might chip away at the more than $2 trillion the nation spends annually on health care.

9 Jul 2010

Barriers to dental care among Californian children

Lack of dental care continues to be a significant problem for American children, who miss about 1.6 million school days each year due to dental disease.

8 Jul 2010

HQA applauds public availability of hospital quality information at Hospital Compare website

The Hospital Quality Alliance today applauded the public availability of new information on hospital quality of care at the Hospital Compare website. The HQA is a broad working group of hospitals, consumer representatives, physician and nursing organizations, employers and payers, oversight organizations and government agencies dedicated to improving health care quality and making useful and understandable information about hospital quality available to the public.

8 Jul 2010

Uptake Medical completes Series B financing led by Maverick Capital

Uptake Medical, a privately held interventional pulmonology company, announced today that it has concluded its Series B financing from an investment group led by Maverick Capital, a new investor. The company plans to use this capital to obtain the CE mark and introduce its unique proprietary Bronchoscopic Thermal Vapor Ablation (BTVA) technology outside of the U.S. The company also has begun its approval cycle with the FDA in the U.S.

7 Jul 2010

Changes in Medicare Part B therapy rates likely to reduce Kindred Healthcare's revenues by $11M per year

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. today provided its estimate of the revenue effect of proposed rate changes to Medicare Part B therapy services included in the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule. The proposed rule was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") on June 25. The proposed rule is subject to a 60-day public comment period and is scheduled to become effective January 1, 2011.

7 Jul 2010

MAXIMUS to introduce Health Insurance Exchange solutions

MAXIMUS, Inc., a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that it has launched its Health Insurance Exchange offerings to help states address the federal regulatory requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

6 Jul 2010

Malta's new upgraded ePassport system with De La Rue's EAC capability goes live

De La Rue Identity Systems, a world expert in secure government identity solutions, announced that Malta's new upgraded ePassport system with Extended Access Control (EAC) capability went live on 28th June. This new solution delivers a higher level of security and access control, in accordance with the EU regulation for all Schengen Member States, for the addition of a second biometric - two fingerprints - to the data already stored on the chip. Its delivery is a key milestone in the Government's ongoing strategic identity management plan.

6 Jul 2010

Fluidigm's IFC platform products help perform digital-PCR measurements on single gene

Utilizing Fluidigm Corporation's Dynamic Array™ and Digital Array™ integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs), Stanford University researchers to have discovered a much larger spectrum of differences between individual cells than has previously been demonstrated. Among these differences are the communication capabilities that emerge from the interactions of genetic circuitry that mediates cell-to-cell communication.

2 Jul 2010

New Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan from HHS

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today the establishment of a new Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) that will offer coverage to uninsured Americans who have been unable to obtain health coverage because of a pre-existing health condition.

2 Jul 2010

Genes can predict longevity with 77% accuracy: Study

In an analysis of genes of more than 1,000 centenarians, American researchers have come to the conclusion that genes play a large role in completing a century in life. The research team studied 1,055 Caucasians born between 1890 and 1910 and compared them with 1,267 people born later. They claim that there are signatures in the genetic makeup of these people that have a possible link with their longevity.

2 Jul 2010

Lensless cell phone microscope

Cell phones are accumulating a Swiss Army Knife-esqe assortment of capabilities; substituting as cameras, providing internet access, and soon operating as medical labs if Aydogan Ozcan's plans come to fruition. This month's cover article of the journal Lab on a Chip features the latest creation by the Ozcan group, a functioning prototype of a cell phone microscope.

1 Jul 2010

Roche, IBM announce agreement to develop nanopore-based sequencer for decoding human DNA

Roche and IBM announced today an agreement to develop a nanopore-based sequencer that will directly read and decode human DNA quickly and efficiently. Focused on advancing IBM's recently published "DNA Transistor" technology, the collaboration will take advantage of IBM's leadership in microelectronics, information technology and computational biology and Roche's expertise in medical diagnostics and genome sequencing.

1 Jul 2010

Genomatica achieves two key commercialization milestones

Genomatica announced today that it has achieved two key commercialization milestones ahead of schedule. First, the company achieved pilot-scale validation, at 3,000 liters, of the manufacturability and commercial viability of a 'green' version of 1,4-butanediol (BDO), its first commercial product. And second, the company confirmed the accelerated development time and reduced development and production costs made possible through use of its technology platform, from concept to commercialization.

30 Jun 2010