Cures for what ails ya. How R&D is paying off.
"Scientists are peeping toms at the keyhole of eternity." -- Arthur Koestler
Today’s itinerary:
AGENTS OF CHANGE
On the trail of an antibiotic that can cure dementia Photo courtesy Needpix
Scientists at the University of Kentucky might be on the cusp of a cure for early-onset dementia. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a devastating disease, in which people begin to show loss of cognitive function as early as age 40. According to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, affects 50,000 to 60,000 Americans.
The UK researchers believe a class of antibiotics called aminoglycosides could eventually cure these patients.
Duke researchers try to figure out the flu
You’d think a society that can put the internet in every pocket and create robots that deliver pizzas could stop the flu. But influenza is a sneaky predator, constantly shape-shifting to evade scientists’ best efforts at a universal solution.
Here’s a tidbit that might make your own job seem a little less icky: The Duke researchers analyzed influenza B genomic data from thousands of hospital swabs containing flu virus and used computational analyses to learn how the viruses spread to different cities and countries. The holy grail is to develop a universal vaccine that doesn’t need to be updated every year.
Peri app helps you follow doctor's orders Here’s an app that could be a godsend for doctors and patients who struggle to communicate with one another about a particular procedure or treatment: Peri. And the health platform just got a big leg up when its company, Raleigh-based MobileSmith, became part of AT&T’s Edge-to-Edge digital hospital solutions.
How much do you tip a robot? Photo courtesy Refraction AI
Ann Arbor startup Refraction AI has launched a new food delivery service. But not just any service. The company is piloting the REV-1, an autonomous robot that will bring your lunch to you within a 2.5-mile radius delivery zone.
The three-wheeled REV-1, which costs $4,000 to build, is five feet tall and is billed as lightweight (100 pounds), nimble, and speedy enough to operate in bike lanes and on the road—although its maximum speed is 15 MPH, which seems a bit pokey. But hey, it’s a robot. It’s autonomous. And it’s bringing lunch from your favorite restaurant.
The vehicle was created by Refraction founders Matt Johnson-Roberson and Ram Vasudevan, who are both engineering professors at the University of Michigan. You can check out video of the REV-1 here.
Johnson-Roberson says the REV-1 offers the benefits of lowered emissions and fewer traffic issues.
He told M Live, “We’re hoping this will be transformative for the way that we move goods around dense urban areas. We like to reduce congestion. A large amount of traffic is from deliveries … or ride hailing drivers. We want to figure out a way of addressing that to make cities more sustainable and more effective.”
Participating restaurants say the service offers significantly lower fees over conventional food delivery companies, which typically charge as much as 30%. Refraction charges 15%.
MORE R&D
Boragen lands R&D deal for animal health
Boragen, a Durham-based chemical startup, has raised $2 million in financing from 14 investors. The company has the unusual mission of improving human and animal health through boron, a naturally occurring chemical element. Five chemists from Penn State started the company, which has attracted investments from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Bayer, among others.
Boron is commonly used to make fiberglass, bleach, cleaners, and many other products, but the company has big plans for new offerings, including fungicide and root protection for crops, the means of fighting parasites and dermatitis in animals, and innovations in human health. Boragen has also inked a deal with an undisclosed “global leading animal health company” to develop a treatment for canine atopic dermatitis, the second most common skin disease in dogs.
Biotech spinout provides manufacturing support for gene therapy Columbus, OH-based Nationwide Children’s Hospital has launched a new company, Andelyn Biosciences, that will focus on manufacturing gene therapies for inherited diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Gene therapy research has made tremendous strides in recent years, but keeping up with the rapid pace of development and scaling up to meet commercial needs has been a challenge. Andelyn plans to take advantage of Nationwide’s history of successful gene therapy research and provide manufacturing support, from clinical testing to therapy approval.
"Part of the reason we feel we can do this is because of our track record of success in doing it at the scale we've been doing it for several years," said Dennis Durbin, chief scientific officer of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at the hospital. "We don't feel we're starting out from scratch here." Andelyn will operate as a for-profit subsidiary of Nationwide Children's Hospital.
FINAL APPROACH
St. Louis launches Opportunity Zone website 2017’s tax overhaul bill brought with it the Opportunity Act, which allows for the creation of Opportunity Zones to help low-income communities across the country. The program provides tax incentives to spur long-term investments in new businesses in those communities and to boost economic development and job creation. St. Louis has 27 Opportunity Zones.
Now, St. Louis Development Corporation has launched a dedicated website to share information and help potential investors identify opportunities. In addition, it has partnered with a national project called The Opportunity Exchange, whose mission is to “help communities connect impactful Opportunity Zone projects with the right investors.”
Projects in St. Louis that are taking advantage of the Opportunity Zones program include the mixed-use redevelopment of the historic National Guard Armory, as well as construction of apartment buildings, hotels, office and retail space, and entertainment venues.
IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Useless information that is strangely fascinating.
While you’re still recovering from pro football’s biggest day, we thought we’d see if you can identify the notable football legend with the city in which he was born.
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