Scientists at Michigan State University have described a new type of stem cell following laboratory experiments with mice. They say this could lead to new tools for studying birth defects and other reproductive problems.
The Swedish government announced on 3 March that it is asking a nominating committee to propose new board members for the Karolinska Institutet – the latest twist in a long-running investigation into the research and clinical activities of the visiting professor and surgeon Paolo Macchiarini.
Ever since the collapse of British Biotech more than a decade ago, the UK life science sector has been in the doldrums. However, the mood has shifted in the past 18 months as money has started to flow back into the sector.
After discovering a way to produce insulin-producing beta cells from stem cells, US scientists have now shown that they can encapsulate these cells in an alginate and safely transplant them into mice. Moreover, the transplanted cells were shown to produce insulin and maintain blood glucose levels in the mice for 174 days.
Two new studies relating to ovarian cancer have yielded information about the genetic background to the disease, as well as evidence that improving a test linked to ultrasound diagnosis can produce a better classification of ovarian tumours. The studies appeared in separate journals on 19 January.
Two scientists from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia have reported that targeting a signalling protein called HheX stopped the progression of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in mice.
Inivata Ltd, which is developing a blood test for detecting cancer from circulating tumour DNA, has raised £31.5 million in a Series A funding round supported by the investment group Imperial Innovations Group Plc.
A new £40 million fund that will help bring promising UK academic research into commercial development has been set up by AstraZeneca Plc, GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Johnson & Johnson Inc and universities in London and Cambridge.
University College London in the UK has obtained financing for a £50 million in-house venture fund that will invest in spinouts and early stage projects originated by its academic staff in the life sciences, engineering and information technology.
Kymab Ltd of Cambridge, UK is taking its antibody technology to Texas in order to work with scientists at the MD Anderson Cancer Center to discover and develop new monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and biomarkers to identify responder populations.