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Chemists adopt new approach to optimise enzyme for practical applications

Engineers are unlikely to tinker with the cooling system if they want to increase the size of an engine. Yet chemists at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research have adopted an approach similar to this in their efforts to optimise an enzyme for practical applications. They

16 Feb 2010

FDA extends CombinatoRx' Exalgo tablets NDA PDUFA review date

CombinatoRx, Incorporated today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date for review of the Exalgo™ (hydromorphone HCl) extended-release tablets New Drug Application (NDA) from Monday, February 22, 2010 to Monday, March 1, 2010 due to federal government closings.

16 Feb 2010

New hands-free texting application can prevent vehicular accidents

Gilbert's team developed an application, called VoiceTEXT, that allows drivers to speak text messages and keep their eyes on the road at the same time. Drivers using VoiceTEXT put their cell phones in Bluetooth mode and connect it to their car.

16 Feb 2010

Cancer Research UK, immatics Biotechnologies sign collaboration agreement to trial IMA950 vaccine for GMB

CANCER RESEARCH UK and Cancer Research Technology - the charity's development and commercialisation arm - have reached a collaboration agreement with immatics Biotechnologies to trial their new treatment vaccine, IMA950, for glioblastoma multiforme (GMB), one of the most common forms of brain cancer.

16 Feb 2010

Obama administration announces $1 billion in new health IT grants

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis Friday announced the release of $1 billion in stimulus funds to expand the use of electronic records and to train health care workers.

16 Feb 2010

Solos Endoscopy announces new polymer dilator for MammoView Breast Endoscopy System

Solos Endoscopy, Inc. is pleased to announce the Company has designed and is set to develop a new polymer dilator for the MammoView™ Breast Endoscopy System. The MammoView™ System currently offers a dilator set with a metal housing. The newly redesigned dilator utilizes a polymer housing, which is significantly softer while still offering comparable durability to the metal dilator. The new polymer dilator will be offered in addition to the more commonly used metal dilator. The two versions of the dilator offer physicians options based on individual patient's requirements.

16 Feb 2010

Researchers use model organism to test new therapies for retinal degeneration

Research by Johns Hopkins sensory biologists studying fruit flies, has revealed a critical step in fly vision. Humans with problems in this same step suffer retinal dystrophies, which manifest as visual defects ranging from mild visual impairments to complete blindness.

16 Feb 2010

Budget cuts hit health care services in Minnesota, Oklahoma and California

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposal to cut a net of $347 million from programs for sick, aged, disabled and jobless people is akin to the advice an ailing George Washington got from his doctors 210 years ago, one critic said Monday: Bleed him, in hope of a cure. Pawlenty would eliminate the General Assistance program in which about 20,000 disabled and very-low-income people receive an average of $175 a month.

16 Feb 2010

Biota Holdings reports total revenue of $61.7M for half-year of 2009

Biota Holdings Limited today announced a half year net profit after tax of $33.5 million, (1H F09: $7.2m). Profit before tax was $41.4 million (1H F09: $10.1m) benefiting significantly from an increase in Relenza royalties.

16 Feb 2010

Eat 'heart-healthy' oats to prevent atherosclerosis

Nutritionist Mohsen Meydani, director of the Vascular Biology Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Mass., led the research on the oat compounds, called avenanthramides. Meydani previously has shown that phenolic antioxidants in oats obstruct the ability of blood cells to stick to artery walls.

16 Feb 2010

IRS helping thousands pay for health insurance

The IRS is helping more than 40,000 residents of Michigan buy health insurance "after they lost their jobs to foreign competition or had their pension plans terminated," The Detroit News reports.

16 Feb 2010

Teva Novopharm announces name change to Teva Canada Limited

Teva Novopharm announced today it is implementing a name change to Teva Canada Limited, which reinforces the company's relationship with its parent, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the world's largest generic pharmaceutical manufacturer.

16 Feb 2010

Healthcare Trust of America completes 13 acquisitions

Healthcare Trust of America, Inc. ("HTA"), a self-managed, non-traded, real estate investment trust, announced that in 2009, HTA completed 13 acquisitions comprised of 54 medical office buildings totaling 2,257,634 square feet and one real estate-related asset. The total purchase price of these acquisitions was approximately $494,259,000.

16 Feb 2010

Positive topline data from Alkermes' phase 1 clinical study of ALKS 37 announced

Alkermes, Inc. today announced positive topline data from a phase 1 clinical study of ALKS 37, an orally active, peripherally-restricted opioid antagonist with potential to block the effects of opioid agonists on gastrointestinal motility, commonly referred to as opioid-induced constipation (OIC).

16 Feb 2010

Will health care savings be used to reduce the deficit?

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey writes: "In their effort to overhaul the health system, President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats pressed hospitals, drug makers and other providers to accept billions of dollars in government payment cuts and new fees to help finance the legislation.

16 Feb 2010

Adding rosemary extracts in ground beef can reduce cancer-causing agents

The addition of rosemary extract to ground beef actually reduces cancer-causing agents that can form upon cooking, according to a recent study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.

16 Feb 2010

AB SCIEX acquires liquid chromatography business of Eksigent Technologies

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, today announced that it has acquired the liquid chromatography business of Eksigent Technologies. This acquisition significantly strengthens AB SCIEX’s position in liquid chromatography, which is a key technology used frequently in a broad range of life science applications such as protein biomarker research, drug discovery and basic research.

16 Feb 2010

Advice on decoding and correcting medical bills

The Los Angeles Times offers advice to consumers on how to understand and correct medical bills.

16 Feb 2010

New program launched for HIV-positive men

The nation's largest surrogacy agency announced today that the number of babies born to HIV-positive clients is expected to more than double in 2010 as its program for HIV-positive men using their own sperm to create embryos continues to expand in the U.S. and abroad.

16 Feb 2010

Fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 results announced by Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of clinical-stage products for central nervous system disorders, today announced financial and operational results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2009.

16 Feb 2010