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New biomaterial for repairing damaged human tissue doesn't wrinkle up when stretched

A new biomaterial designed for repairing damaged human tissue doesn't wrinkle up when it is stretched. The invention from nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego marks a significant breakthrough in tissue engineering because it more closely mimics the properties of native human tissue.

27 May 2011

Research could pave way toward new anti-bacterial treatments

A group of proteins that act as the body's built-in line of defense against invading bacteria use a molecular trick to induce bacteria to destroy themselves, researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have determined. The research could point the way toward new anti-bacterial treatments that could take on bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.

24 May 2011

PolyPid announces new drug delivery system and an innovative biodegradable bone void filler

PolyPid, a developer of innovative drug carriers, announced today the company’s flagship platform – PolyPid. PolyPid is a new, innovative family of drug carriers, based on a fusion between two known drug delivery systems: polymers and lipid-based systems. The new drug carriers enable long-lasting and controlled release of therapeutic drugs. The revolutionary, patented carrier can be tailored to almost any drug – small molecules, peptides, protein and nucleic acids-based drugs. The formulations can be pre-planned in order to achieve the desired release rate of the drug/s and the optimal duration, which can last up to several months.

23 May 2011

USPTO awards Serina patent for polymer drug delivery technology

Serina Therapeutics, Inc., a pharmaceutical research and development company, announced that the company was awarded a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering its polymer technology.

21 May 2011

Five out of 13 plastic products intended for children are toxic

Many plastic products contain hazardous chemicals that can leach to the surroundings. In studies conducted at the University of Gothenburg, a third of the tested plastic products released toxic substances, including 5 out of 13 products intended for children.

17 May 2011

Techulon receives U.S. patent protection for Glycofect Discovery and Therapeutic Delivery Platform

Techulon, Inc. announced today that its Glycofect Discovery and Therapeutic Delivery Platform has been awarded United States patent protection. The patented invention provides a new class of non-viral transfection vectors based on synthetic carbohydrate containing polyamides that can be used for both in vivo and in vitro applications.

16 May 2011

Chemical engineer builds working models of human tissues for disease research

Shelly Peyton, a chemical engineer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is building working models of human bone, breast, liver and artery tissues to see how cells behave when they are affected by a disease such as cancer.

12 May 2011

Bayer MaterialScience LLC’s polycarbonate gives innovative sinus therapy device strength and striking color

Anyone suffering from colds, flu, sinusitis, allergies, croup and chronic dryness knows the soothing power of warm vapor. Vapore, Inc. has brought a new dimension to this relief with its innovative, over-the-counter (OTC) sinus therapy device, MyPurMist™.

5 May 2011

Medical-grade polycarbonate exhibits excellent retention of mechanical properties after gamma irradiation

Consistent resin performance and the retention of physical and mechanical properties over a wide range of conditions are critical to plastic medical devices. Bayer MaterialScience LLC scientists have studied newly introduced medical grades of its Makrolon® polycarbonate resin to demonstrate how these grades maintain stiffness, toughness and other key properties after gamma sterilization.

5 May 2011

Celanese EVA Performance Polymers, PSI partner to develop drug-eluting devices

Particle Sciences Inc., a leading pharmaceutical CRO, and Celanese EVA Performance Polymers, a leading supplier of ethylene vinyl acetate into pharmaceutical applications, are working together to streamline the development of drug-eluting devices.

29 Apr 2011

Pharmatek purchases spray dryer for drug formulation and manufacturing

Pharmatek Laboratories, Inc., a premier contract development and manufacturing organization supporting the pharmaceutical industry, announced that it has added spray drying to its drug formulation and manufacturing capabilities. The company has purchased a Buchi B-290 Mini Spray Dryer for formulation feasibility studies and small-scale clinical manufacture. This technology can be used for both oral and parenteral dosage forms.

25 Apr 2011

Scientists create hollow nanofiber spheres for tissue repair

For the first time, scientists have made star-shaped, biodegradable polymers that can self-assemble into hollow, nanofiber spheres, and when the spheres are injected with cells into wounds, these spheres biodegrade, but the cells live on to form new tissue.

18 Apr 2011

Zacharon, Pfizer enter research collaboration to develop drugs for orphan diseases

Zacharon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the company has entered into a strategic research collaboration with Pfizer Inc. to develop drugs for orphan diseases, including lysosomal storage disorders. The potential value of the collaboration to Zacharon is approximately USD $210 million. The collaboration includes the potential development of compounds that may be discovered using Zacharon's innovative platform for developing small molecule drugs targeting specific carbohydrate polymers or glycans.

7 Apr 2011

New ‘nanotech’ weapon against drug-resistant superbugs

Scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and IBM Research – Almaden have developed the first biodegradable polymer nanoparticles to combat drug-resistant superbugs, such as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These nanoparticles can selectively kill the bacteria without destroying healthy red blood cells, and being biodegradable, have great potential to treat infectious diseases in the body. This was reported today in the leading scientific journal, Nature Chemistry [(2011) DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1012].

3 Apr 2011

Accelrys announces Modeling and Simulation Suite for optimizing R&D value chain

Accelrys, Inc., a leading scientific enterprise R&D software and services company, today announced the Accelrys Modeling and Simulation Suite, a pillar of the new Accelrys Enterprise R&D Architecture.

30 Mar 2011

Ohio engineers invent new fluorescent nano-particle to tag molecules in biomedical tests

Engineers at Ohio State University have invented a new kind of nano-particle that shines in different colors to tag molecules in biomedical tests.

29 Mar 2011

BioCer to showcase plant-based hemostasis and coated hernia repair technologies to China.

BioCer Entwicklungs GmbH, a Bayreuth, Germany based medical device manufacturer, has announced their attendance at the China Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF) Shenzhen, China 15th-19th April 2011. HaemoCer™ an Absorbable Polysaccharide Hemostat (APH) and Ti0²Mesh™ Hernia repair system will be on exhibit at the BioCer booth.

24 Mar 2011

Contrast agent for tumor diagnostics

X-rays are not the only way: visible and especially infrared light can also be used to image human tissue. The effectiveness of optical imaging processes can be significantly improved with suitable dyes used as contrast agents. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a team led by Wenbin Lin at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, USA) has now introduced a novel contrast agent that marks tumor cells in vitro. The dye is a phosphorescent ruthenium complex incorporated into nanoparticles of a metal–organic coordination polymer, which allows an extraordinarily high level of dye loading.

23 Mar 2011

Scientists discover enzyme family that plays a crucial role in regulating cell motility

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered that members of an enzyme family found in humans and throughout the plant and animal kingdoms play a crucial role in regulating cell motility. Their findings suggest an entirely new strategy for treating conditions ranging from diabetic ulcers to metastatic cancer.

19 Mar 2011

NovaSterilis awarded NIH funding for supercritical CO2 sterilization of advanced biomaterials and absorbable sutures

NovaSterilis today received a $100,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for developing a supercritical CO2 process to sterilize absorbable sutures and advanced biomaterials. The grant funds a collaboration with Chih-Chang Chu Ph.D, a pioneer in absorbable polymer development at Cornell University.

18 Mar 2011