Tag Archive for 'Understanding Genomics and Global Health Impacts'

Obama Steps Up Defense of Health-Care Overhaul Law

President Barack Obama said politicians who want to repeal this year’s health-care overhaul should have to explain to people who need insurance that they won’t be able to buy it. “I want them to look you in the eye and say sorry,” he said, “you can’t buy health insurance.”  “I don’t think that’s what this [...]

Alzheimer’s and Eyesight: An Important Connection

A University of Michigan study finds a link between vision and Alzheimer’s.  The study was based on medical information and surveys from 625 people compiled from 1992-2005. None of these individuals had dementia at the beginning of the study.  Using a scale ranking vision from excellent (one) to totally blind (six), researchers found that the [...]

Merck Buys Vax Unit from Bankrupt Hawaii Biotech

Merck (NYSE: MRK) has agreed to purchase bankrupt Hawaii Biotech’s dengue fever vaccine unit for an undisclosed sum. It’s a critical move for Hawaii, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year and will deplete a $2 million credit line by the end of this month. The sale leaves Hawaii with a West Nile virus vaccine [...]

Biomedical Devices Powered by Miniature Energy Harvesting Technology

The journal NanoLetters recently published an article highlighting the fascinating nanogenerators developed by Dr. Yong Shi, a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Stevens Institute of Technology.  Dr. Shi’s work focuses on miniature energy harvesting technologies that could potentially power wireless electronics, portable devices, stretchable electronics, and implantable biosensors. The concept involves piezoelectric nanowire- [...]

Milestones Mitigate Risk in Biotech Deals

Milestone payments are becoming an increasingly familiar aspect of many biotech deals, as buyers try to mitigate the risks inherent with big purchases. Take Celgene’s $2.9 billion buyout of Abraxis; the biotech giant set aside $650 million in milestone payments if Abraxis’ key drug Abraxane hit certain goals. “These structures are a great way for [...]

Utah Doctor Sentenced to Three Years for Illegal Online Pharmacy

A Utah doctor is being sent to jail for his connection to an illegal online pharmacy that sold more than eight million weight-loss pills manufactured in Mexico. Dr James A Brinton was sentenced to three years in a federal penitentiary after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute phentermine and conspiracy to commit international money [...]

Specially Engineered Immune Cells Ward off AIDS

A group of scientists have demonstrated that specially engineered stem cells could be used to fights off AIDS, successfully testing the approach in mice engineered to develop immune systems similar to humans. The investigators started with the observation that a small group of people who are virtually immune to HIV have disabled CCR5 receptors on [...]

J&J Recalls More Tylenol, over-the-counter drugs

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) recalled more Tylenol and other over-the-counter drugs on Thursday after they were linked to a musty or moldy odor, expanding a recall the company started in January. J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit said the latest recall involved 21 lots of medications, including Tylenol for children and adults, several forms of Benadryl [...]

Antiviral Stem Cell Squad Dispatched to Fight Deadly HIV

Building on research work undertaken in Germany, City of Hope investigators near LA have used modified stem cells loaded with gene sequences to fight off HIV. And the scientists in the study say that the work points to a possible cure for the dread virus, which has killed millions of people around the world.

Importance of Human Genome Sequencing Still Debated – 10 Years Later

Craig Venter has never been reluctant to credit himself for a lead role in sequencing the human genome. And he’s certainly not the least bit shy about placing a high value on the overall significance of the work. “I think it’s far more important than walking on the Moon; not much has happened since walking [...]