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Survey finds prevalence of diabetic retinopathy high among U.S. adults

Nearly 30 percent of U.S. adults with diabetes over the age of 40 are estimated to have diabetic retinopathy, with about 4 percent of this population having vision-threatening retinopathy, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Aug 2010

Molina Healthcare prices common stock public offering at $27.00 per share

Molina Healthcare, Inc. announced today the pricing of its previously announced underwritten public offering of 4,000,000 shares of common stock by the Company at a public offering price of $27.00 per share. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to reduce its borrowings under its $200 million senior secured credit facility, which credit facility had an outstanding balance of $105.0 million as of July 30, 2010.

11 Aug 2010

Immunomedics receives additional patent for CD74 target

Immunomedics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and other serious diseases, today announced that additional claims for the patent family "Internalizing anti-CD74 antibodies and methods of use," were issued as U.S. Patent No. 7,772,373. The new patent, which will expire in March 2023, covers any humanized antibodies that compete for binding to CD74 with milatuzumab, or bind to the same epitope as milatuzumab.

11 Aug 2010

First complete sample-to-result, point-of-care DNA testing system for personalized medicine

Spartan Bioscience Inc., a privately held molecular diagnostics company that develops, manufactures, and markets DNA testing systems for on-demand applications, today announced the availability of the Spartan RX, the first complete sample-to-result, point-of-care DNA testing system for personalized medicine. The non-invasive and easy-to-use system provides automated results in one hour, enabling physicians to tailor treatments based on a patient's genotype faster than ever before.

11 Aug 2010

Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute implants two Heartware ventricular assist devices

The Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital recently implanted a patient with two of the smallest experimental ventricular assist devices (VADs) currently available for study in humans. VADs are designed to assist either the right (RVAD) or left (LVAD) ventricle, or both (BiVAD) at once. This is the first time that two Heartware VADs have been implanted in the left and right ventricles anywhere in North America—a "game changer" in the realm of heart assist devices according to Patrick M. McCarthy, MD, chief of the hospital's division of cardiac surgery and director of the hospital's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute.

11 Aug 2010

Protagen granted Notice of Allowance in Japan for key method patent for identifying and selecting clones

Protagen AG, a specialist for in-vitro diagnostics and GMP-compliant protein analysis, announced today that it received a Notice of Allowance by the Japanese Patent Office stating a favourable decision for the patent application 2000-547262 developed at the Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany. This patent claims broadly a method for identifying and selecting clones relating to the basic UNIclone® technology and is already granted in Europe with the publication number EP1073770 B1.

11 Aug 2010

OptiMedica to sell retina and glaucoma assets to Topcon

Global ophthalmic device company OptiMedica Corp. has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its retina and glaucoma assets to Topcon Corp., a strategic move that positions OptiMedica to focus exclusively on the continued development and commercialization of advanced technologies for the treatment of cataract.

11 Aug 2010

Two NJIT biomedical researchers receive Coulter Foundation Translational Awards for patent application

Two NJIT biomedical researchers have received the prestigious Coulter Foundation Translational Awards for promising patent applications that may some day extend peoples' lives.The Coulter program provides funding for professors in established biomedical engineering departments within the U.S. Initial funding for each professor will be at least $200,000 over a two-year period.

11 Aug 2010

Microfluidics reports $143,000 net income for second-quarter 2010 vs. $177,000 loss in second-quarter 2009

Microfluidics International Corporation, today reported unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

11 Aug 2010

Ancient immunoglobulin study explains evolution of human intestinal immune responses

A study at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has identified the function of one of the earliest antibodies in the animal kingdom, an ancient immunoglobulin that helps explain the evolution of human intestinal immune responses. It was discovered to play a predominant role in the guts of fish and paves the way for a better understanding of human gut immunity as well as for safer, healthier approaches to keeping fish from pathogen infections. The findings appear in the online version of Nature Immunology and will be featured on the cover of the September issue.

11 Aug 2010

Elan to offer $200 million in aggregate principal amount of 8.75% senior notes due 2016

Elan Corporation, plc today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Elan Finance public limited company and Elan Finance Corp., intend to offer, subject to market conditions, US$200 million in aggregate principal amount of 8.75% senior notes due 2016.

11 Aug 2010

Motion tracking technology provides interactive feedback while patients exercise

Exercise is an important part of recovering from an injury, illness or surgery, but many older adults lack the knowledge and guidance needed to properly perform exercises. University of Missouri researchers from the Sinclair School of Nursing and the College of Engineering have developed technology to track motions while people exercise. The technology provides feedback to patients as they recover from injuries or illnesses in order to reduce the chances of future injuries and re-hospitalization.

11 Aug 2010

U.S. Senators introduce legislation to encourage R&D aimed at neglected pediatric diseases

"New bipartisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week which seeks to encourage innovative [research and development] R&D by drugmakers aimed at treating rare and neglected pediatric diseases," PharmaTimes reports.

11 Aug 2010

Sinobiopharma inks agreement with Lianhuan to co-develop, manufacture and commercialize Eplerenone

Sinobiopharma, Inc., an innovative biopharmaceutical products company with primary operations in China, today announced that the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Dong Ying Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., has signed an agreement with Jiangsu Lianhuan Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. to co-develop, manufacture and commercialize Eplerenone, a therapeutic agent formulated to treat high blood pressure and vascular diseases.

11 Aug 2010

Stanford Hospital & Clinics establishes Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Clinic at Salinas Valley Memorial

The partnership between Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System and Stanford Hospital & Clinics has added another facet of care, bringing world-class organ transplant care to patients on the Central Coast. Stanford's Adult Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program will begin seeing patients at Salinas Valley Memorial's Ryan Ranch facility.

11 Aug 2010

Jazz Pharmaceuticals second-quarter net product sales increase 49% to $39.5 million

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010 and updated financial guidance for 2010. The company's updated financial guidance reflects higher expected sales of XYREM® (sodium oxybate) and the effects of recent financing activities.

11 Aug 2010

New findings identify mGlu2/3 receptors as a promising treatment target for cocaine addicts

Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, which has been implicated in drug addiction. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) represent a family of G-protein coupled receptors that modulate glutamate transmission. Glutamate is an important neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory. Today, these receptors are considered to be promising targets for drug discovery, with therapeutic potential to treat various neurological and psychiatric disorders, including drug addiction.

11 Aug 2010

Cord Blood America to begin sale of DNA Predisposition testing services

Cord Blood America, Inc., the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells, a biological insurance policy, to families nationwide and internationally, today announced that within 90 days it will begin selling DNA Predisposition testing services in conjunction with The DNA Shop, LLC,Henderson, Nevada.

11 Aug 2010

Telemedicine helps care for seniors, while pediatricians increasingly care for young adults

As part of a special section on aging, The Washington Post reports on telemedicine for seniors: "Imagine a 75-year-old receiving wireless medication reminders, straight to his beeping wristband. ... Although developers and advocates have promoted telemedicine for years, Alice Borelli of Intel points to barriers -- including Medicare reimbursement policies and inadequate broadband in parts of the country -- that have kept telemedicine a mostly conceptual solution.

11 Aug 2010

Omnicell announces co-marketing partnership agreement for Sentinel RCM application

Omnicell, Inc., a leading provider of system solutions to acute healthcare facilities, today announced a partnership agreement to co-market Sentry Data Systems' Sentinel RCM™ application, which has a sophisticated 340B solution component. Sentry specializes in providing solutions to address a variety of financial challenges found within hospitals and pharmacies while Omnicell's WorkflowRx™ software offers a complete inventory management system for hospital pharmacies.

From Omnicell, Inc. 11 Aug 2010

Medical News

Survey finds prevalence of diabetic retinopathy high among U.S. adults

Molina Healthcare prices common stock public offering at $27.00 per share

Immunomedics receives additional patent for CD74 target

First complete sample-to-result, point-of-care DNA testing system for personalized medicine

Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute implants two Heartware ventricular assist devices

Protagen granted Notice of Allowance in Japan for key method patent for identifying and selecting clones

OptiMedica to sell retina and glaucoma assets to Topcon

Two NJIT biomedical researchers receive Coulter Foundation Translational Awards for patent application

Microfluidics reports $143,000 net income for second-quarter 2010 vs. $177,000 loss in second-quarter 2009

Ancient immunoglobulin study explains evolution of human intestinal immune responses

Elan to offer $200 million in aggregate principal amount of 8.75% senior notes due 2016

Motion tracking technology provides interactive feedback while patients exercise

U.S. Senators introduce legislation to encourage R&D aimed at neglected pediatric diseases

Sinobiopharma inks agreement with Lianhuan to co-develop, manufacture and commercialize Eplerenone

Stanford Hospital & Clinics establishes Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Clinic at Salinas Valley Memorial

Jazz Pharmaceuticals second-quarter net product sales increase 49% to $39.5 million

New findings identify mGlu2/3 receptors as a promising treatment target for cocaine addicts

Cord Blood America to begin sale of DNA Predisposition testing services

Telemedicine helps care for seniors, while pediatricians increasingly care for young adults

Omnicell announces co-marketing partnership agreement for Sentinel RCM application

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

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