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March 2012

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Promethera Biosciences raises €23.6m series-B financing
Among the new investors are the venture arms of pharmaceutical industry leaders Boehringer Ingelheim and Shire, Japanese investment fund Mitsui Global Investment, US company ATMI and Belgian venture capital fund Sambrinvest. 28 Mar 2012

Enterome raises €5m series A funding
This funding follows a previous seed round that raised €1.5 million from Seventure Partners (Natixis) and INRA Transfert. It will allow further development of biomarkers for abnormal flora of the human intestine. 28 Mar 2012

Eucomed launches European medtech conference vetting system
The independent Compliance Panel of Eucomed has launched the system to review third-party educational conferences for compliance with ethical practices. 28 Mar 2012

Printing technique can form 3D shapes from gel sheets
A new method for manufacturing three-dimensional shapes from gel sheets easily and cheaply, has applications in biomedicine, robotics and tunable micro-optics. 26 Mar 2012

New blood test predicts heart attack risk
A new blood test to detect misshapen blood vessel cells may be useful in helping doctors predict who is at risk of an imminent heart attack. 26 Mar 2012

Stevenage BioScience Catalyst and Kurma Life Sciences Partners collaborate to boost investment in UK bioscience
The parties will work together and independently on sourcing investments based on innovative science, from both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. 26 Mar 2012

Linoleic acid is novel therapy for Crohn's disease
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a naturally occurring compound found in meat and dairy products, can improve symptoms of Crohn's disease when given as a supplement, according to a new study. 23 Mar 2012

Domain Therapeutics wins €933,000 grant for schizophrenia drug project
Domain Therapeutics has announced that the ATHOS project has been selected for French government funding. 22 Mar 2012

Michelson Diagnostics secures £600k investment for further growth
Michelson Diagnostics has announced a further investment of £607k by shareholders Octopus Investments, Catapult Venture Managers and London Business Angels. 22 Mar 2012

Self-healing gel could seal wounds and deliver drugs
A self-healing gel that binds in seconds, as easily as Velcro, and forms a bond strong enough to withstand repeated stretching, has been developed by bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego. 22 Mar 2012

New gel could repair damaged heart after heart attack
An injectable gel containing freeze-dried powdered heart cells could be an effective and safe treatment to repair heart tissue damage caused by heart attacks. 18 Mar 2012

First image of two atoms bonding to form a molecule
The world's first image of two atoms bonding together to form a molecule has been captured by a team at Ohio University using ultrafast laser pulses to knock electrons out of orbit as the atoms bonded. 15 Mar 2012

111 organisations call for more controls over use of synthetic biology
The coalition has released a report, The Principles for the Oversight of Synthetic Biology, to highlight the risks to public health and the environment from synthetic biology. 14 Mar 2012

BioCity Scotland honours Sir James Black with naming of building
Sir James Black was a Lanarkshire-born pharmacologist who spent his career as an industrial researcher and an academic, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine. 14 Mar 2012

Nanoparticles in food and drugs have adverse effect on nutrient absorption
Nanoparticles even in low doses can have a big impact on long-term health. They are used widely in consumer products, from cosmetics and clothes, to soda, snacks and toothpaste. 14 Mar 2012

New method for making nanoparticles and depositing on 3D surfaces
A new method of making nanoparticles and nanofilms could be used to develop better electronic devices, biosensors and certain types of high-powered and highly specific microscopes used for scientific research. 14 Mar 2012

Cell mechanism causing inflammatory disease unlocked
The discovery could lead to advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and numerous other chronic diseases that affect tens of millions of people. 14 Mar 2012

Diabetes may start with fault in intestines
Diabetes may originate with a fault in producing a crucial enzyme that results in chronic inflammation of the intestines, according to research conducted at at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 14 Mar 2012

Accutronics develops credit card-sized lithium batteries for medical devices
The batteries have been developed in response to OEM demand for a short lead time, compact and rechargeable lithium ion battery solution for portable devices. 13 Mar 2012

Cambridge Consultants unveils Bluetooth iPhone apps for mobile health
Cambridge Consultants demonstrated new Bluetooth low energy (BLE) iPhone 4S applications using CSR’s BLE devices at this year’s Mobile World Congress at the end of February. 13 Mar 2012

Philips introduces HeartStart XL+ defibrillator/ monitor
Philips has launched worldwide the HeartStart XL+, a crash cart defibrillator/ monitor for use in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. 13 Mar 2012

Inside Secure launches enhanced product security chip for counterfeit prevention
Inside Secure has introduced the VaultIC 160, a programmable identification chip for embedding into high-end consumer or industrial products that are often targeted by counterfeiters and cloners. 13 Mar 2012

Aberdeen University to host natural products drug discovery symposium
Groundbreaking research into the development of new medicines from the earth’s natural resources will be the focus of a symposium on 21 March 2012. 13 Mar 2012

Mobius Life Sciences Fund invests in XenoGesis Limited
XenoGesis Limited is a contract research organisation (CRO) set up by ex-AstraZeneca researchers. The financing is part of a £135,000 investment round. 13 Mar 2012

BioCity Nottingham appoints life sciences industry leader Dr John Brown to board
Dr Brown's arrival closely follows the launch of BioCity Scotland, and marks another step-change in the growth ambitions of the company. 13 Mar 2012

New drug testing method could reduce need for animal testing
Scientists from the University of Southampton are to develop a laboratory-based system to accurately predict immune responses to drugs based on bio-active proteins. 12 Mar 2012

NanoKTN announces success of Plessey EPIC sensor resulting from TSB funding
Through support offered by the NanoKTN and JEMI UK, Plessey Semiconductors has been able to promote its product to potential end-users, vital in the early stages of the product’s marketing. 12 Mar 2012

New design techniques enable extremely reliable chips for medical devices
The EU project DeSyRe is aiming to build extremely reliable components for implantable medical devices, incorporating extreme reliability, small size, and long longevity. 12 Mar 2012

TLT's optoelectronic blood pressure sensor featured on the BBC
Tarilian Laser Technologies, which has developed a revolutionary optoelectronic sensor for measuring blood pressure, was featured on BBC Radio 2's Simon Mayo Drivetime show on 2 March (see video). 9 Mar 2012

Call for evidence-based systems to reduce unnecessary diagnostic imaging
Large variations in the use of CT scans have been found, leading to calls to find a better evidence base for its use to keep the rapidly rising costs of healthcare down. 9 Mar 2012

Helios BioSciences becomes 27th company to move into Biocitech technology park
Biocitech, the Paris life sciences technology park, has announced the arrival of Helios BioSciences, a provider of bioinformatics services in support of the drug discovery process. 9 Mar 2012

Boston Scientific to acquire Cameron Health for initial US$300m
California-based Cameron Healthhas developed a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator — the S-ICD System. 8 Mar 2012

Induced hypothermia protects the brain following stroke
Inducing mild hypothermia can reduce the side effects of treatment for blood clot in the brain following a stroke. 8 Mar 2012

Bill Gates visit Zaragoza TB vaccine development team
The University of Zaragoza team working on the development of MTBVAC, a new vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) was visited by Bill Gates and his wife on 21 February. 8 Mar 2012

Revolutionary DNA sequencing technique improves diagnosis of muscular dystrophy
Scientists at The University of Nottingham have used massively parallel DNA sequencing to correctly identify muscle-wasting diseases. 7 Mar 2012

Management of glaucoma improved by measurement of eye pressure at home
A study by Duke Eye Center has found that it is feasible to measure intraocular pressure of children with glaucoma at home using a tonometer. 7 Mar 2012

EU project develops paper thin electronic sensors for testing cholesterol levels
Paper-thin sensors that use the latest technology in miniaturisation and printing could revolutionise the way point-of-care testing is carried out for cholesterol. 2 March 2012

UK nanomedicine projects awarded £6.5m funding
Grant funding totalling over £6.5 million has been awarded for seven business-led projects that will focus on developing therapeutic agents and diagnostics where nanoscale technologies are at the heart of the innovation.

Philips showcases the power of Imaging 2.0 at ECR 2012
Philips is showcasing evidence gathered from more than 60 scientific studies worldwide and expert opinion from top thought leaders across Europe at ECR 2012 in Vienna 2-5 March. 2 March 2012

Boston Scientific launches Promus Element coronary stent system in Japan
The stent incorporates a platinum chromium alloy with an innovative stent design and an advanced catheter delivery system. 2 Mar 2012

US, Canadian and Mexican medtech market experts coming to Birmingham
UK medical device and diagnostics companies will be able to gain a commercial insight into these markets at a specialist roadshow in Birmingham on 8 March. 2 Mar 2012

February 2012

BioCity Scotland signs up first business partner
BioCity Scotland, the newly-opened life sciences cluster in Newhouse, Lanarkshire, has signed a three-year agreement with leading patent attorneys HGF making them the first corporate partner to join the BioCity team. 29 Feb 2012

Cellnovo launches mobile-connected  diabetes management system
The system comprises an insulin pump that connects wirelessly to an intuitive 'app-based' touch-screen handset with integral blood glucose monitor, an activity monitor and a mobile (GSM) data connection to a web-based clinical management system. 29 Feb 2012

Automated blood culture systems deployed to NATO field hospital in Afghanistan
The UK Ministry of Defence has purchased three bioMérieux BacT/ALERT 3D 60 automated blood culture systems for the Camp Bastion Field Hospital in Afghanistan. 29 Feb 2012

Clinical studies show Boston Scientific WallFlex enteral stents safe and effective 
Boston Scientific Corporation has announced that it welcomes positive results from three studies of its WallFlex enteral stent systems, a family of self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) used to alleviate obstructive symptoms caused by cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. 29 Feb 2012

Integromics partners with FPGMX to develop low-cost methods for clinical genomics
Integromics has entered into a partnership with the Galician Foundation of Genomic Medicine for the development of inexpensive solutions for clinical genomics. 29 Feb 2012

Wireless self-propelled chip swims through blood vessels
A tiny, wirelessly powered, self-propelled medical device capable of controlled motion through blood vessels has been developed by electrical engineers at Stanford University. 28 Feb 2012

Commonly prescribed sleeping pills linked to fourfold increased risk of death
A study of over 30,000 patients has found that a number of commonly prescribed sleeping pills are associated with a more than fourfold increased risk of death even at low doses. 28 Feb 2012

First implantable wireless programmable microchip for controlling drug delivery
MicroCHIPS, Inc. has published the results of the first successful human clinical trial with an implantable, wirelessly controlled and programmable microchip-based drug delivery device. 24 Feb 2012

Boston Scientific launches endoscopic ultrasound aspiration needle worldwide
The Expect 19 Flex endoscopic ultrasound aspiration needle is used for acquiring tissue samples under endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guidance for cancer diagnosis in organs adjacent to the gastrointestinal tract. 24 Feb 2012

Laser-heated carbon nanotubes kill breast cancer stem cells
Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in the US have shown that injecting multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into tumours and heating them with a 30-second laser treatment can kill them. 24 Feb 2012

Endomagnetics wins ACES award for most successful university spinout
Endomagnetics is developing advanced magnetic sensing technology for use in breast cancer staging, based on technology developed between University College London and at the University of Houston. 23 Feb 2012

Southampton and Oxford chemists to develop cheaper DNA building system
The scientists hope that their research could enable the production of useful DNA and RNA molecular structures more efficiently and on a larger scale than is possible using current enzyme-based technologies. 23 Feb 2012

Light against Cancer raises awareness of photodynamic therapy to treat tumours
The German organisation Light against Cancer is raising awareness of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) as a new therapeutic approach for treating cancer without the side effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. 23 Feb 2012

LGC Standards announces ATCC SDO release of ground-breaking standards for human cell lines
The ATCC Standards Development Organization, has published its second voluntary consensus standard, ASN-0002: Authentication of Human Cell Lines: Standardization of STR Profiling. 23 Feb 2012

New thyroid uptake system from Southern Scientific
The Capintec Captus 700t has a new colour touchscreen that simplifies and speeds-up thyroid uptake, wipe, bio-assay, blood volume and RBC survival tests. 23 Feb 2012

UCB and Cyclofluidic announce success for new drug discovery platform
Scientists at Cyclofluidic are currently developing a technology platform called the Cyclofluidic Integrated Discovery Platform (CIDP) and have used this proprietary technology to design, make and screen potential drug molecules against selected targets. 22 Feb 2012

Expert panel highlights dangers of unregulated use of nanomaterials in consumer products
The panel, convened by the National Research Council (NRC), published a report that concluded that despite the surge of nanomaterials in the marketplace, not enough is known about their potential health and environmental risks. 22 Feb 2012

EOS Imagine raises over €38m on NYSE
NBGI Ventures has announced that its portfolio company EOS Imagine, has raised over €38 million in a successful public offering of shares on the NYSE Euronext. 20 Feb 2012

PneumaScan installed in Hospital Kuala Lumpur
Cambridge company PneumaCare Limited has installed its innovative PneumaScan respiratory assessment device in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. 20 Feb 2012

UCL spinout takes nano-enabled pain therapy to international markets
Support by the UK NanoKTN has helped UCL School of Pharmacy spin-out Nanomerics to take its patented nano-enabled therapeutic technology to international markets. 20 Feb 2012

NHS interest in financing techniques to purchase medical equipment soars
New research from Siemens Financial Services (SFS) has revealed steeply rising interest in leasing in the NHS. The research tracked the number and the value of leasing tenders issued by the NHS. 20 Feb 2012

Discovery of peptides in flu virus opens door to universal flu vaccine
The discovery of a series of peptides, on the internal structures of influenza viruses could lead to the development of a universal vaccine for all strains of influenza. 20 Feb 2012

Lack of evidence of safety of cold water baths in sport
Top athletes and sports people commonly use cold water baths after exercise to reduce muscle soreness, but it is unclear whether there are harmful side effects or that this is better than other methods. 15 Feb 2012

Phosphate additives in food cause artery damage and premature aging
There is increasing evidence that an elevated level of phosphate in the blood not only promotes calcification of blood vessels and bodily organs but also upsets a complex hormonal system involved in regulation of phosphate in the body. 15 Feb 2012

European neurodegenerative disease research strategy launched
The EU Joint Programme in Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) is the first of the European Joint Programming initiatives which are designed to address the ‘grand challenges’ facing EU society. 9 Feb 2012

Boston Scientific launches crossing device to treat blockages in peripheral arteries
Boston Scientific has launched in the USA the TruePath CTO Device, designed to facilitate the crossing of chronic total occlusions within the peripheral vasculature.  9 Feb 2012

Sanofi: 2011 Results Benefit from Genzyme Acquisition.  8 Feb 2012

Syngenta CEO Announces Record Free Cashflow at Full-Year Results.  8 Feb 2012

Gerresheimer Achieves High Growth in the 2011 Financial Year.  8 Feb 2012

Siemens Forms New Companion Diagnostics Partnerships with ViiV Healthcare and Tocagen.  8 Feb 2012

Pepscan Therapeutics Achieves Milestones in Research Collaboration With Janssen R&D Ireland. 8 Feb 2012

Maquet launches 3D HD surgical camera
Maquet has launched Orchide 3D, a medical grade 3D high definition video camera. This camera sets a new standard of image quality in surgery, with the ability to distinguish depth in the screen as well as in a body cavity. 6 Feb 2012

Southern Scientific moves to Henfield
The move follows the purchase of Southern Scientific in September 2011 by LabLogic Systems. 6 Feb 2012

GE healthymagination Fund invests in Check-Cap's ingestible imaging capsule
GE Financial Services has announced that it has invested in Israeli company Check-Cap Ltd, a developer of an ingestible X-ray imaging capsule that may help detect intestinal polyps and colorectal cancer. 6 Feb 2012

Targeted nanoparticles deliver diabetes drugs directly to pancreas
Lab studies have shown that nanoparticles containing protein molecules that bind to pancreas cells can effectively deliver diabetes drugs directly to the pancreas, the organ that produces insulin and is at most risk during onset of diabetes.

World's first designer jaw built from titanium using additive manufacturing
Belgian company LayerWise has built a total lower jaw implant from titanium using its additive manufacturing (AM) system. The jaw was built to treat a senior patient’s progressive osteomyelitis of almost the entire lower jawbone. 3 Feb 2012

AstraZeneca announces 2,200 R&D job cuts worldwide
AstraZeneca has announced a set of new restructuring initiatives along with its full-year 2011 results today. The programme is expected to lead to 7,300 job losses in total, with 2,200 of those R&D and save $1.6bn annually. 2 Feb 2012

Influenza virus diagnosed in record time with new genetic test
The test, developed by researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center  can detect influenza virus infection in 40 minutes and with one hundred times the sensitivity of conventional methods. 2 Feb 2012

Liverpool universities and hospitals to build 2 million sq ft BioInnovation Centre
The Liverpool BioInnovation Centre is a 2 million square foot project that aims to create up to 5000 high tech jobs and make Liverpool a world class centre of innovation in the life sciences. 2 Feb 2012

BD Max benchtop rapid MRSA assay test launched in Europe
BD MAX is a bench-top molecular system designed to perform a broad range of molecular testing. 2 Feb 2012

January 2012 >>

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