Catalyst News and Research

RSS

New organocatalyst now available for drug development industry

A new "organocatalyst" developed at Oregon State University is now available for commercial use. Produced by an Albany, Ore., pharmaceutical company, it should make new drug development around the world less costly, more efficient and more environmentally friendly.

12 May 2011

Women's Health Issues' new supplement highlights abortion, reproductive health research

The Editors of Women's Health Issues, the peer-reviewed journal of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, are pleased to announce the publication of a new Supplement entitled, Abortion, Reproductive Rights and Health: Highlights from the Charlotte Ellertson Social Science Postdoctoral Fellowship 2003-2010.

10 May 2011

Centric Health to acquire LifeMark Health

Centric Health Corporation, Canada's leading diversified healthcare company, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire, amongst other things, all of the common units of LifeMark Health Limited Partnership.

7 May 2011

COIN hosts nanobiotechnology event on nanomedicines and the regulatory path

The Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology (COIN) today announced the upcoming NanoBio Executive Roundtable event to be hosted at RTP Foundation in Durham, NC on May 17, 2011. This Roundtable will tackle regulatory issues surrounding nanomedicine commercialization. The “Nanomedicines and the Regulatory Path” Roundtable will kick off with a presentation from Katherine Tyner, Ph.D., a Chemist in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

5 May 2011

Almac launches six enzyme screening kits

As anticipated, Almac's biocatalysis business has expanded from its 2009 launch with the sale of six enzyme screening kits, to the current supply of 100s of kgs of chiral intermediates for drug substance manufacture, regular enzyme supply to specialty chemical companies and continued growth of its screening kits offering. Biocatalysis is increasingly recognised as an alternative solution for solving complex chemistry problems due to its rapid implementation, economic benefits and 'green' reputation.

4 May 2011

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announces 88 new winners under Grand Challenges Exploration program

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced 88 new winners of US$100,000 each to support innovative research that has the potential to dramatically improve lives in some of the world's poorest countries. The funding, made possible through the Grand Challenges Exploration (GCE) program, will enable researchers worldwide to test unorthodox ideas that address persistent health and development challenges.

30 Apr 2011

PAM to launch national pregnancy awareness campaign for women

Pregnancy Awareness Month, is proud to announce PAM's annual "Motherhood Begins Now" event, to launch a month-long national campaign of education and social connection for women across the country.

30 Apr 2011

Spectrum receives FDA approval for FUSILEV to treat colorectal cancer

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in oncology, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on April 29, 2011, for the use of FUSILEV in combination with 5-fluorouracil in the palliative treatment of patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer.

30 Apr 2011

Scientists weaken long-term memory

Could veterans of war, rape victims and other people who have seen horrific crimes someday have the traumatic memories that haunt them weakened in their brains? In a new study, UCLA life scientists report a discovery that may make the reduction of such memories a reality.

28 Apr 2011

JumpStart Ventures invests $250,000 in SPR Therapeutics

JumpStart Ventures, a nonprofit that invests in and partners with innovative, early-stage companies in Northeast Ohio, announced an investment commitment of $250,000 in SPR Therapeutics.

27 Apr 2011

BCBSMA develops goals to support four Massachusetts community areas

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, a locally-based, community-focused health plan, today announced its goals for advancing the company's four community focus areas - developed to support those living and working in Massachusetts.

26 Apr 2011

Africa's football leaders earn UAM recognition for combating malaria

Today on World Malaria Day, the United Against Malaria campaign, under the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, recognized leaders from Africa's football and corporate spheres for their role in bringing malaria control messages to more than two billion 2010 World Cup spectators through public service announcements and media, and to 10 million employees through "Malaria Safe" corporate initiatives.

25 Apr 2011

Saint Vincent Hospital to build new cancer center in downtown Worcester

Saint Vincent Hospital today announced it has signed a purchase and sale agreement with the CitySquare II Development Co. LLC , to build a medical office building that will house a new comprehensive cancer center in Worcester's CitySquare development. The new center, which represents a $21 million capital investment by Saint Vincent Hospital, is expected to open in January 2013.

22 Apr 2011

Springer to publish new journal of Society of Behavioral Medicine

Starting in 2011, Springer will publish Translational Behavioral Medicine: Practice, Policy, Research (TBM), a journal of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. The journal will debut with a special section, "Information Technology and Evidence Implementation."

20 Apr 2011

TCI forecasts cancer vaccine market to approach $3 billion in 2015

Technology Catalysts International (TCI), leading global consultants to the pharmaceutical industry, announced that research on cancer trends and development has identified cancer vaccines as a viable treatment option for a variety of cancers that currently have ineffective treatments. The potential of the cancer vaccine market is forecast to approach $3 billion in 2015.

20 Apr 2011

Study: 73% of hospital executives do not have formal definition for patient experience

New research conducted by The Beryl Institute shows that while patient experience is a top priority for hospital executives, it is still largely undefined. This landmark study of more than 790 hospital executives examined the state of the patient experience in the nation's hospitals and identified the greatest roadblocks to implementing change.

19 Apr 2011

Researchers report injectable gel can help treat arthritis

Some 25 million people in the United States alone suffer from rheumatoid arthritis or its cousin osteoarthritis, diseases characterized by often debilitating pain in the joints. Now researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital report an injectable gel that could spell the future for treating these diseases and others.

15 Apr 2011

Medicinal applications of fullerenes, filled with radioactive material

Fullerenes have attracted considerable attention in different fields of science since their discovery in 1985. Investigations of physical, chemical and biological properties of fullerenes have yielded promising information. It is inferred that size, hydrophobicity, three-dimensionality and electronic configurations make them an appealing subject in medicinal chemistry. Their unique carbon cage structure coupled with immense scope for derivatization make them a potential therapeutic agent.

13 Apr 2011

Scientists develop new method for enzyme immobilization

Virtually all processes in the human body rely on a unique class of proteins known as enzymes. To study them, scientists want to attach these molecules to surfaces and hold them fast, but this can often be a tricky undertaking.

12 Apr 2011

Louisville Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine earns APS' Walter B. Cannon Award

Heart failure affects roughly six million Americans, yet treatment consists of either a heart transplant or the insertion of mechanical devices that assist the heart. This is unacceptable to Roberto Bolli, MD, Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky., which is why he is on a mission to make cardiac stem cell treatment an option for all who must cope with the limitations of a failing heart.

11 Apr 2011