SXSW: Biden details Moonshot program to battle cancer

Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke Sunday at SXSW about the White House Cancer Moonshot program’s progress in the fight against cancer, and called for innovators in the audience to use their ingenuity to engineer solutions. The Cancer Moonshot program was established in early 2016 to accelerate innovation in the field of cancer research.

Area students earn Dean’s List honors

A number of local students were recently named to the Clemson University Dean’s List for the fall 2016 semester. From Elgin: Eric Charles Bell, architecture; Margaret Wells Chase, communication; Alexa M. Cox, biochemistry; Meisha C. Draper, electrical engineering; Katherine Moira Hoskins, sociology; Keenan K. Hunt, communication; Margaret Mary Laporte, health science; Mallory Grace Mullen, secondary education; Devin Thomas Reeder, architecture; Kelsey Renee Stuhn, environmental engineering; Linda S. Thomas, bioengineering; Zachary Stuart Vandenberg, English; Megan P. Vandiver, nursing; Rose Marie Werden, general engineering; and Blakeley E. Yandle, parks, recreation and tourism management.

Heat Biologics acquires Texas-based immune therapy firm

Durham-based Heat Biologics has inked a deal to acquire an 80 percent controlling interest in Pelican Therapeutics Inc., an immuno-oncology company based in Austin, Texas. The deal pays up to $500,000 up front to Pelican shareholders, which also includes stock, milestones, sublicensing, income payments and loans.

Kindergartner practices ‘Operation’ skills at Middlesettlements Elementary

Christy Boone shows Billy Shallcross, Ruth Shallcross and fourth-grader Sierra Shallcross how a 3D printer works during presentations Friday at Middlesettlements Elementary School featuring science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Brody Webb, a first grade student at Middlesettlements Elementary, tries to levitate a ping-pong ball by blowing through a straw during Friday’s STEAM Night.

Prevention of PTSD following trauma

A 2013 review compared the efficacy, effectiveness, and adverse effects of interventions aimed at preventing PTSD in adults. 13 studies on efficacy included diverse populations including victims of sexual assault, accidents, terrorist attacks and others.

Heston Blumenthal on his over-active mind

Heston Blumenthal’s head-spinningly exotic dishes have made him the nutty professor of British gastronomy. Now the inventor of snail porridge tells Event how his over-active mind has driven him to boiling point Heston Blumenthal just can’t sit still.

Astronauts’ Brains Change Shape During Spaceflight

MRIs before and after space missions reveal that astronauts’ brains compress and expand during spaceflight, according to a University of Michigan study. Image above: Blue shows areas of gray matter volume decrease, likely reflecting shifting of cerebrospinal fluid.

The Top State for Robotics Innovation? Florida Will Surprise You

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Invivoscribe Expands Ion PGM(TM) NGS Platform Menu: Releases…

Invivoscribe Technologies Inc., a global company with more than 20 years of experience providing clonality and biomarker test solutions for the fields of oncology, personalized molecular diagnostics and personalized molecular medicine , today released three additional CE-marked next-generation sequencing assay kits for in vitro diagnostic use to assist in the diagnosis of B-cell malignancies. Invivoscribe has now commercialized more than 40 CE-IVD assays and bioinformatics packages for capillary electrophoresis and NGS platforms and has recently announced a long-term agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific to bring regulated IVD assays through the FDA on the Ion PGM Dx System.

Smokers say graphic warnings on cigaret…

Sung Jong-tae, 35, a heavy smoker for the past 15 years, has tried almost everything there is to quit smoking, but his efforts have been in vain. “I am well aware, more than anybody else, of the detrimental effects of smoking, having a 3-year-old daughter at home.

20 years after Dolly

Everything you always wanted to know about the Dolly the cloned sheep and what came next, from a biomedical researcher and cloning expert. It’s been 20 years since scientists in Scotland told the world about Dolly the sheep , the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult body cell .

Billions at stake in battle over gene-editing patents

Much like a surgical scalpel, the technique allows the genome to be edited by clipping out a specific area of DNA and in some cases replacing it with new instructions The first skirmish was fought last week in what could be a long war over a revolutionary patent on gene-editing technology, with colossal amounts of money at stake. Facing off are the top international experts in the fast-growing field of gene-editing – pitting American scientist Feng Zhang, against the French-American duo of Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna.

Xenex Secures $38 Million In Funding Led By & Company??’s…

February 24, 2017 – Xenex Disinfection Services, the manufacturer of LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robotsa , today announced the investment of $38 million in a funding round led by Essex Woodlands , one of the country’s leading healthcare private equity firms. The financing, which includes new participation from Piper Jaffray Merchant Banking and continued investment from existing investors Malin Corporation and Tectonic Ventures, will be used for growing its sales force, product development, scientific research and international expansion.

Research institute retains gene editing patent rights

The Broad Institute, a biological and genomic research centre affiliated with MIT and Harvard, will keep valuable patents on a revolutionary gene-editing technology known as CRISPR, a U.S. patent agency ruled recently.a The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board in Alexandria, Virginia, rejected a claim by a rival team, associated with the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Vienna in Austria, that it invented the technology first.a The patent rights could be worth billions of dollars because the technology could revolutionize treatment of genetic diseases and the genetic modification of crops.a Intellia Therapeutics Inc., which has a licensing deal with the University of California, said it would work on legal strategy with the University of California but that it was too early to comment on next steps.a The … (more)

VISIOMED’s BewellConnect Launches Presence in Boston

Recognizing the rising demand of self-monitoring alongside the desire for instant and affordable healthcare without walls, Visiomed has launched BewellConnect, the most ground-breaking ecosystem of high-level devices developed with healthcare professionals that is empowering the lives of patients. “BewellConnect is at the forefront of the telemedicine industry and we are excited to produce significant advances in the healthcare industry,” says , General Manager of Visiomed Group and CEO of BewellConnect Corp. “By creating alliances with the industry, establishing our presence in the region, we hope to change how people monitor their healthcare and improve their quality of life.”

Stem cell transplants may help some with multiple sclerosis

Stem cell transplants may halt the progression of aggressive multiple sclerosis in nearly half of those with the debilitating disease, but picking the right patients for the treatment is key, a new study suggests. Specifically, younger patients with a relapsing form of MS who were not severely disabled and who hadn’t found relief with other treatments fared better than others over five years, the international team of researchers found.

Announcing Health Canada approval of the New HiResa Ultra Cochlear Implant

Built on proven HiResolution electronics technology, the new HiRes Ultra implant features the thinnest implant profile from AB and includes the HiFocus Mid-Scala electrode, designed to protect the delicate structures of the cochlea. Developed with leading cochlear implant surgeons, the HiRes Ultra with the HiFocus Mid-Scala electrode offers several high-performance features designed to suit individual patient anatomy and surgical preferences for the best possible hearing outcomes.

Genome-editing patents belong to Broad Institute, board says

The US patent office ruled Wednesday that hotly disputed patents on a revolutionary genome-editing technology belong to the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. The US patent office ruled Wednesday that hotly disputed patents on a revolutionary genome-editing technology belong to the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, dealing a blow to the University of California’s efforts to overturn those patents.