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Medication error rates to be reduced by technology

The use of new information technology could significantly reduce the number of drug-related injuries in Australian hospitals, according to Professor Johanna Westbrook.

16 Oct 2008

Women need to be aware of changes, breast expert says

Every day, women face a barrage of headlines about breast cancer. What should they do with all of that information?

15 Oct 2008

NIH funds two new centers for imaging technology for neurodegenerative disorders and software for protein analysis

The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today it will provide up to an estimated $11 million over the next five years to create two new Biomedical Technology Research Centers (BTRCs) that will provide researchers nationwide with access to specialized research tools, training and state-of-the-art equipment.

15 Oct 2008

Artificial brain-muscle connections used to restore movement to paralyzed limbs

Researchers in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have demonstrated for the first time that a direct artificial connection from the brain to muscles can restore voluntary movement in monkeys whose arms have been temporarily anesthetized. The results may have promising implications for the quarter of a million Americans affected by spinal cord injuries and thousands of others with paralyzing neurological diseases, although clinical applications are years away.

15 Oct 2008

Surface analysis exposes counterfeit medicines

CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis has published a white paper highlighting how surface analysis can expose counterfeit medicines. It describes how technologies such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToFSIMS) are being used in novel ways to not only analyse the composition of various pharmaceuticals, but also to determine differences in the manufacturing processes involved.

15 Oct 2008

Ocimum Biosolutions awarded two U.S. patents for gene expression technology

Ocimum Biosolutions has announced issuance of United States Patent No. 7,428,554 which covers the company's proprietary system and method for determining matching patterns within gene expression data and US Patent No. 7426441, which covers methods for determining renal toxins.

15 Oct 2008

neuMirRx issued U.S. patent for "methods for enhancing solubility of compounds

neuMirRx Corp today welcomed the issuance of U.S. patent 7,345,093, entitled "Methods for Enhancing Solubility of Compounds" which covers novel formulation methods to enhance the solubility of hydrophobic compounds.

15 Oct 2008

Qld uni student diagnosed with tuberculosis

A student at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane has been diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and as a result 160 staff and students at the University are being screened for the disease.

14 Oct 2008

Shark antibodies show potential as lifesaver from cancer

Australian scientists have discovered a potentially potent weapon in the fight against cancer in antibodies taken from shark blood.

14 Oct 2008

Discovery of two novel gene locations that raise risk of type 1 diabetes

Genetics researchers have identified two novel gene locations that raise the risk of type 1 diabetes. As they continue to reveal pieces of the complicated genetic puzzle for this disease, the researchers expect to improve predictive tests and devise preventive strategies.

14 Oct 2008

The Internet stimulates and possibly improves brain function

UCLA scientists have found that for computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults, searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. The findings demonstrate that Web search activity may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function.

14 Oct 2008

GE announces battery-free RFID sensor

GE Global Research has announced a battery-free, multi-detection radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensing platform that could enable a wide range of low cost wireless sensing products in healthcare, security, food packaging, water treatment and pollution prevention. GE's unique RFID sensors are built on traditional RFID tags.

14 Oct 2008

Smart Disc successfully tests artificial spinal disc technology

Smart Disc, Inc. announced today that it has conducted a cadaver test utilizing its unique artificial spinal disc technology and that the test was deemed a success by the surgeons involved.

14 Oct 2008

Scientists image transfer of antibodies from mother's milk, to baby's gut

The transportation of antibodies from a mother to her newborn child is vital for the development of that child's nascent immune system. Those antibodies, donated by transfer across the placenta before birth or via breast milk after birth, help shape a baby's response to foreign pathogens and may influence the later occurrence of autoimmune diseases.

13 Oct 2008

Kinaxo partners with Boehringer Ingelheim

Kinaxo Biotechnologies GmbH announced today that it has entered into a two-year collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim. Under the agreement Kinaxo will apply its new platform technologies to studies on drug mode of action and target identification. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

13 Oct 2008

Vulnerable plaque may be easier to detect through optical coherence tomography

Research results indicate that optical coherence tomography (OCT), a newly evolving imaging method, may be the best tool available to detect vulnerable plaque in coronary arteries. The findings will be presented at the 20th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).

12 Oct 2008

Landmark study unlocks stem cell, DNA secrets to speed therapies

In a groundbreaking study led by an eminent molecular biologist at Florida State University, researchers have discovered that as embryonic stem cells turn into different cell types, there are dramatic corresponding changes to the order in which DNA is replicated and reorganized.

12 Oct 2008

New devices used to reduce arterial occlusions, provide cardiac support

Research results highlighting three new devices used to reduce blockages in peripheral and coronary arteries and to provide cardiac support will be presented at the 20th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).

12 Oct 2008

Georgia Tech models future pandemic flu, improves food, quarantine strategies

The 1918 flu pandemic killed more than 40 million people worldwide and affected persons of all age groups. While it is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed models to help organizations like the American Red Cross and Georgia Department of Education prepare emergency response plans.

12 Oct 2008

Kamada reports positive data with inhaled Alpha-1 Antitrypsin in cystic fibrosis

Kamada has announced today positive data from its Phase II study evaluating inhaled Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) delivered via an Investigational eFlow Nebulizer System (PARI Pharma GmbH), in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The results demonstrate the product has an excellent safety profile and shows promising signs of efficacy, as indicated by a reduction in lung inflammation.

12 Oct 2008