The chancellor’s office of Texas A&M University (TAMU) recently funded a $5 million initiative to support mass spectrometry research. As part of this initiative a $1 million grant from the Texas A&M University Research Development Fund will be used to develop a shared mass spectrometry core facility and buy two new mass spectrometers for the College Station campus. One will be a gas chromatography combustion/pyrolysis isotope ratio mass spectrometer and the other will be a high resolution isotope ratio mass spectrometer for clumped isotopes.
Read MoreTags: TAMU, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, Texas A&M Research, Texas A&M Life Science Funding, biotech vendor show, Texas A&M, Research equipment
Researchers at Texas Medical Center’s (TCM) Houston Methodist Hospital have invented a way to overcome chemotherapy drug resistance and destroy the deadliest type of brain tumors without destroying the surrounding tissue. This targeted approach combines a “smart drug” with chemotherapy. In animal models of human brain cancer, this smart drug prolonged life by over six fold.
Read MoreTags: cancer research, Texas Medical Center, Cancer, tmc, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, cancer therapy, Bioresearch Grant, Biotechnology trade show
Currently, doctors have two options when a patient needs a facial bone replaced due to injury or illness, such as cancer. They can take a bone from another part of the body and graft it into place. However, implant morbidity and complications caused by the trauma of multiple surgeries make this option less than ideal. The second option is to graft synthetic materials to the site. However, from time of injury to delivery of the custom implant takes about three to four weeks, which reduces the chances of the patient healing properly. But now a new technology being developed by researchers at Texas A&M’s College of Dentistry may revolutionize the treatment process.
Read MoreTags: Biomedical Equipment, Texas A&M University, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, Texas A&M Research, Texas A&M Life Science Funding, Texas A&M, biomedical researh, 3D printing, Biotechnology trade show
The University of South Florida announced the creation of a Department of Medical Engineering. This trans-disciplinary department consists of physicians and engineers specializing in chemical and mechanical engineering, biomedicine and nanotechnology. It was established through the collaborative efforts of USF’s College of Engineering and USF’s Health Morsani College of Medicine. The goal is to combine related aspects of engineering and medicine while providing access to real-world health care environments for education and research.
Read MoreTags: Biotech Event, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, University of South Florida, USF, bioengineering, biomedical researh, Biotechnology trade show, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
Despite recent advances in neuroimaging, the medical community still lacks a comprehensive map of the brain and how it changes with age. Such maps would make it possible for doctors to distinguish between what is normal aging and what is atypical, which would make it possible to link atypical changes to neurological diseases and various mental health issues. Thanks to a $34 million NIH grant, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will lead a project to make such maps of the brain a reality.
Read MoreTags: Washington University St. Louis, WUSTL, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, Research Funding, NIH grant, laboratory equipment sales, research grants
Researchers at Texas Medical Center’s Rice University recently discovered that Huntington’s Disease might be triggered by a repeating nucleotide sequence in the gene for a mutant protein. The research team conducted this study by analyzing proteins that were suspected to misfold and form plaques in the brains of patients with neurological diseases.
Read MoreTags: Texas Medical Center, Texas, Biotech Еvent, tmc, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, Southwest Region, Huntington's Disease
The University of Georgia, Athens has been awarded a four-year $1.3 million research grant from the National Institute of Health to create a method of analyzing the large amount of biological data generated by current biotechnology. The funding will be used to develop better statistical tools for crunching big data numbers in order to clarify the causes of several serious illnesses including cancer and heart disease.
Read MoreTags: University of Georgia Athens, University of Georgia, UGA, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, Research Funding
UC Davis Medical Center researchers have recently been awarded several grants to investigate promising treatments for Angleman Syndrome. Dr. David Segal, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, has received over $1.2 million from the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST) to develop a potential treatment. Joe Anderson, PhD, assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, received $500,000 from the same organization to pursue a different approach to developing a treatment for the genetic disorder. The university also received a $1.1 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in July, which brings the total for Angelman Syndrome grant funding to nearly $3 million. This puts UC Davis at the forefront of research into the disorder.
(Image of UBE3A Protien courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Read MoreTags: Biotechnology vendor show, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, UC Davis - Medical Center, research grants, UC Davis, Bioresearch Grant, angelman syndrome
Researchers at Texas Medical Center’s McGovern School of Medicine piloted a revolutionary way of treating spina bifida patients in utero. The new method utilizes a patch made from human umbilical cord and the regenerative tissue does not cause scarring, which often leads to complications. Recent clinical trials preformed at TMC’s Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital showed improved outcomes for babies inflicted with the birth defect.
Read More
Tags: biomedical research, Texas Medical Center, tmc, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, laboratory equipment sales, spinal cord injury, McGovern Medical School, Huston, Texas, spina bifida
A study by University of Arizona ecologists explored how global warming could jeopardize our food supply. In their report, Alice Cang and John Wiens, professor at UA’s Department of Evolutionary Biology, conclude that grasses across the globe may be unable to keep pace with climate change. This will put some of the world's most critical food sources such as wheat, corn, and rice in danger.
Read MoreTags: University of Arizona, Arizona, Biotechnology Vendor Fair, Ecology, biotech vendor show, Southwest Region, UA, Global Warming, Climate Change