Latest Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare News from Bionity

Going live – immune cell activation in multiple sclerosis

Biological processes are generally based on events at the molecular and cellular level. To understand what happens in the course of infections, diseases or normal bodily functions, scientists would need to examine individual cells and their activity...

Unique method creates correct mirror image of molecule

Many molecules have a right and a left form, just like shoes. In pharmaceuticals, it is important that the correct form of the molecule is used. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have been able to produce the one mirror image by using crys...

Successful results in developing oral vaccin against diarrhea

The University of Gothenburg Vaccine Research Institute (GUVAX) announces successful results in a placebo controlled phase I study of an oral, inactivated Escherichia coli diarrhea vaccine. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) bacteria are the pr...

KI becomes first university in Sweden to offer open online courses for a global student audience

A new partnership with educational platform edX means that Karolinska Institutet has become the first university in Sweden to offer internet-based courses to hundreds of thousands of students around the world. “This means that we have put ourselves...

Innovative medication to shatter blood clots with light

Earthquakes, snakes, forest fires – none rob humans of life more frequently than the tiny clumps of fat, calcium and cholesterol we know as blood clots. Every fifth human dies when a blood clot, or more correctly cholesterol plaque, loosens and get...

Stratified Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre appoints chairman

The global life science entrepreneur, Dr David U’Prichard, will take on the role at the £20m Innovation Centre. The centre, developed by Health Science Scotland (HSS) and industry, brings together experts from academia, industry and the NHS to rap...

New molecular probes that shed light on biological systems

Reactive sulfur species have attracted increasing attention in biomedical research because of their involvement in a variety of physiological functions. There has been a rising interest in sulfane sulfur compounds – compounds which contain sulfur a...

Biomarkers for early malaria diagnosis

Scientists in Japan have developed a technique that could be used to diagnose malaria using a blood plasma sample just one day after infection. It is vital to diagnose malaria as soon as possible to maximise the effectiveness of treatment. Currently,...

Superglue for cells

Scientists in Canada have developed a super-strong membrane adhesive that can stick red blood cells together. The polymer, which is based on the phospholipid head group phosphatidyl choline, could be used to secure cells in particular positions for t...

EMBO announces new members for 2013

EMBO announced that 52 outstanding researchers in the life sciences were newly elected to its membership. Forty-three of the researchers reside in Europe and neighboring countries and are accompanied by the election of nine Associate Members from Can...

A new European Consortium to boost our understanding of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease characterization by a multi-modal integrated biomarker study (IBD-Character) Consortium is a collaborative effort to advance our understanding of the inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease an...

Carl Zeiss Meditec improves its results in first six months of financial year 2012/2013

In the first six months of financial year 2012/2013 medical technology company Carl Zeiss Meditec increased its revenue by 2.6% compared with the same period of the previous year, to € 443 million. Earnings before interest and tax improved to € 6...

Evonik selects OPX Biotechnologies for joint development of bio-based chemicals

 OPX Biotechnologies, Inc. (OPXBIO) and Evonik Industries AG announced the two companies have entered into an agreement to jointly develop certain bio-based specialty chemicals. The joint-development agreement signed May 3rd 2013 calls for OPXBIO to...

Frost & Sullivan commends Merck Serono for its excellence in product differentiation

Merck Serono announced that based on its recent analysis of the human growth hormones (HGH) market, Frost & Sullivan recognises Merck Serono with the 2013 Europe Product Differentiation Excellence Award. “Merck Serono is lauded for its cutting-edge...

Future hospitalization may be linked to insomnia

Having trouble falling or staying asleep? According to a new study led by a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, insomnia may be an important indicator of future hospitalization among middle-aged and older adult...

Emphasis on X-ray quality spurs adoption of radiography, finds Frost & Sullivan

The need to improve the efficiency and quality of X-ray examinations will drive healthcare facilities across Europe to install computed radiography (CR) and digital radiography (DR) systems. The emergence of retrofit systems based on flat panel techn...

ZEISS presents half-year financial figures

During the first six months of fiscal year 2012/13 the business trend in the ZEISS Group was marked by the difficult conditions experienced in some markets. Nevertheless, the Group concluded the first half of the year (ended 31 March) with revenue to...

Evogene reports first quarter 2013 financial results

Evogene Ltd. (EVGN) announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013. Revenues for the first quarter of 2013 grew to $4.6 million, compared to $4.2 million for the same period in 2012. Evogene’s current revenues consist pr...

Group of Bradford Co, Pa. residents concerned about health effects of hydrofracking

Residents living in areas near natural gas operations, also known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are concerned their illnesses may be a result of nearby drilling operations. Twenty-two percent of the participants in a small pilot study surmise...

Analytik Jena to develop products for sepsis diagnostics

Analytik Jena has acquired all of the assets of the insolvent company SIRS-Lab GmbH as part of an asset deal. SIRS-Lab, a company that develops molecular diagnostics methods and testing systems for life-threatening infections like sepsis, had filed f...

Plate reader for drug discovery

The trend towards automated high content assays, particularly for systems biology and drug discovery, has stimulated the development of automated fluorescence microscopy systems to image sample arrays. Today’s commercially available high content a...

European Medicines Agency reorganisation

The first details of the planned reorganisation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have been announced. Rooted firmly in the Agency’s overall public and animal health mission, the changes reflect a renewed focus on three key elements: how to be...

Disposable immunosensor for determination of leptin in serum and breast milk

Scientists in Spain have developed a disposable magnetic bead-based immunosensor to detect the hormone leptin. Leptin helps regulate food intake and is thought to play a role in obesity. This new sensor is very sensitive with a lower limit of detecti...

Characterisation of mercury-binding protein

A 2D-HPLC-UV-ICP-MS system has been developed by scientists in China for the separation and recognition of mercury-binding proteins in human plasma. Environmental mercury can come from both natural and anthropogenic sources and then be biomagnified t...

3D microfluidic liver on a chip

Researchers in South Korea have developed a three-dimensional liver model that can recreate cell signalling within the organ. The liver on a chip could cut tests on animals by providing an accurate artificial model of how the organ responds to new dr...