Posts

January 30, 2013

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2:00 PM | Alzheimer’s cure moves one step closer

A Canadian team of researchers has made a major step forward in finding a potential cure for Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzhemier’s Association, the disease affects approximately 5.4 million Americans and is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. There is currently no treatment to prevent, cure, or even slow the disease. [...]The post Alzheimer’s cure moves one step closer appeared first on Oxbridge Biotech.

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2:00 PM | Chimp research headed for retirement

A report delivered by a U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) working group on January 22nd, 2013 clearly outlined a roadmap for severely restricting the use of chimpanzees as an animal research model in all NIH-supported research. The report builds on some guidelines that were identified by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine’s [...]The post Chimp research headed for retirement appeared first on Oxbridge Biotech.

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8:00 AM | A morning-after pill for bad memories: Are we there yet?

For a decade now scientists have explored the targeted deletion of specific aspects of memories in the hopes of finding new treatments for disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug addiction, which are fuelled by memories that can’t be forgotten. The market already offers several treatments, such as the beta-blocker propranolol, the antidepressant [...]The post A morning-after pill for bad memories: Are we there yet? appeared first on Oxbridge Biotech.

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7:00 AM | Medical Device Innovation Consortium: Overhauling Regulatory Science

Regulatory approval is mandated for all patient-targeted products, from pharmaceuticals to biomedical devices. The regulatory review process that is overseen by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is rightfully rigorous, thus ensuring the safety and quality of new products prior to their marketing and distribution. This process, however, has become a thorn in [...]The post Medical Device Innovation Consortium: Overhauling Regulatory Science appeared first on Oxbridge Biotech.

January 28, 2013

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10:31 AM | What are your values?

Following on from my blog on Friday regarding work life balance I thought it may be worth exploring something related - your values. Values are what is important to us and they provide direction and motivation and often subconsiously determine how we spend our time. They also influence how we evaluate our experiences, underpinning our beliefs and behaviours. A value is defined in a single word or two. Anything longer is classed as an 'expression' which is more likely to be a belief. I […]

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8:00 AM | Free Generics: selling Lipitor like razors

The introduction of Meijer’s offering of free atorvastatin, generic Lipitor, last September highlighted an ever-growing phenomenon infiltrating the drug market: “free generics,” the generic versions of drugs that businesses give away. Meijer is just one example, closely following Wegman’s announcement to offer atorvastatin free of charge last August. Drug giveaways might seem the inevitable outcome [...]The post Free Generics: selling Lipitor like razors appeared first on Oxbridge […]

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7:42 AM | News of the Week – Jan. 28th, 2013

SCIENCE Dogs May Have Evolved From Carb-Loving Wolves Dogs evolved from wolves more than 10,000 years ago, likely from hanging around human settlements and scavenging food scraps. A new study has identified crucial differences between the wolf and dog genomes based on the frequency of single polymorphic nucleotides (SNPs) in certain regions. Aside from differences [...]The post News of the Week – Jan. 28th, 2013 appeared first on Oxbridge Biotech.

January 25, 2013

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4:33 PM | From the archives—a surplus of PhDs

Okay, a couple of topics to cover today, and they are related. First, if you haven’t done so already, you should check out The Watch Glass, a Tumblr which contains excerpts from the C&EN Archives. This endeavor is curated by recent JAEP guest poster, Deirdre Lockwood. Although The Watch Glass is only a couple of weeks old, there [...]

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8:05 AM | Achieving and maintaining your work life balance

I love my job, I even check CVs and give advice (usually when asked) outside of work. Sometimes I don't even consider it to be a job, more of a hobby. The danger is of course that my work life balance can become, well, unbalanced. What is work life balance I hear you cry? It's personal...it's about being in control; the more 'out of control' you feel, the more 'imbalanced' your life will feel. They key to regaining your balance, so to speak, is to recognise the […]

January 24, 2013

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5:00 AM | OBR-LA: Reimagining Los Angeles as a Biotech Hub

Los Angeles owes its position as a global city to its history of innovation. From the DC-3 aircraft to the Mars Explorer Rovers, the T-Shirt to Mickey Mouse, the Los Angeles metro area has a phenomenal legacy of creating iconic technologies and innovations that have helped shape the world we live in today. LA’s research [...]

January 23, 2013

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2:50 PM | Changing your perspective

As I look out of the window the snow is coming back down, albeit lightly at the moment. It changes the landscape so much, creating a black and white canvas. When the sun shines down it sparkles, when it is cloudy it looks like all the colour has been sucked away, depending on your perspective of course. It is so easy to get trapped by one way of thinking...sometimes it's good to change your perspective and I have 10 things to help you do that...some more practical than others! Posted by […]

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2:00 PM | Vulnerability of genome sequence data exposed

A team of scientists at MIT’s Whitehead Institute has revealed for the first time a serious breach in the security of “private” genome sequence data of individuals who participated in the 1000 Genomes Project. The team, headed by Dr. Yaniv Ehrlich, was able to retrieve the identity of 50 participants using solely publicly available data [...]

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2:00 PM | Flu epidemic hits hard and early

This past holiday season, the annual wave of flu has affected thousands of people across Europe and the United States. Despite recommendations from doctors and health agencies to get vaccinated and stay indoors in case of contraction of the virus, over 383 people have been reported to be hospitalized in Europe, with a total of [...]

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11:01 AM | The Current Funding Environment in the UK Biotechnology Sector

The UK biotech sector is the leader in the European biotech industry but is overshadowed by the US, and faces increasing competition from emerging countries such as Germany and Japan. A major obstacle to sustained growth for UK Biotech is limited funding. The past decade has witnessed many events affecting funding to the UK Biotech [...]

January 22, 2013

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8:48 AM | National Chemical Database

Although this isn't a specific post relating to your career, I wanted to blog on something that might be useful to you as part of your career development - think CPD.... The National Chemical Database Service hosted by the RSC is now live it launched on the 2nd January this year. Who is it for? This first release will provide access to a series of databases and services commonly utilized by the UK academic community. The previous service offered hosted access to a set of […]

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1:34 AM | News of the Week – Jan. 21st, 2013

SCIENCE Genetic Basis for Complex Burrowing Behavior in Mice Isolated Linking complex behaviors to gene expression has long been elusive. A Harvard team has shed light on the genetic mechanisms behind the burrowing behavior of the oldfield mouse. Whereas oldfield mice build long underground tunnels, complete with secondary escape tunnels, their close relatives, deer mice, [...]

January 21, 2013

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8:15 AM | News of the Week – Jan. 21st, 2013

SCIENCE Genetic Basis Found for Complex Burrowing Behavior in Mice Linking complex behaviors to gene expression has long been elusive. A Harvard team has shed light on the genetic mechanisms ...

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4:56 AM | IP Clinic London

Got a question about your Intellectual Property (IP) and not sure where to find the answer? We’ve solved your problem. OBR-London is hosting an IP clinic with Dr Anton Hutter from our preferred IP firm, Venner Shipley LLP. Anton is a Chartered & European patent attorney, and is a Partner in the Chemical & Life Sciences [...]

January 18, 2013

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6:17 PM | Web roundup: Nontraditional careers—they’re not just for chemists anymore

There are many reasons for a person to seek out a career that’s seen as nontraditional within their particular field of study. With the current state of the job market within chemistry, a lack of employment prospects has been one reason focused upon here. Another motivator may simply be choice, based on a change in [...]

January 17, 2013

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8:00 AM | Biology Basics: What’s the deal with Epigenetics?

Why do we care? With few exceptions, namely functionally variable regions in the immune system and in disease, all of a person’s cells have the same DNA sequences and genes. ...

January 16, 2013

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8:00 AM | Drug launch failures: a rising trend?

A recent Nature Biotechnology editorial has denounced a troubling trend that plagued the launch of many new drugs in the last few years. Among the long list of failed drugs, ...

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2:17 AM | OneStart: The World’s Largest Life Science Idea Competition

Oxbridge Biotech Roundtable has teamed up with SR One, GlaxoSmithKline’s venture capital arm, to launch the largest idea competition in the world. SR One has a strong track record of investing ...

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1:18 AM | Procrastination

Well, so much for my New Year’s resolution to be more productive. Maybe it has […]

January 15, 2013

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11:45 AM | Protein Basics

What distinguishes you from me is encoded by our genetic make-up, or DNA. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, defines our unique physical features, such as eye color and height, and even ...

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6:00 AM | Transgenic Zebrafish: The New Toxicity Detectives for Environmental Oestrogens

We know that oestrogens are essential for the development and correct physiological function of the reproductive system in humans and most other vertebrates. However, many oestrogens in the environment act ...

January 14, 2013

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9:33 PM | Student consulting opportunities in Biotechnology

Project: Market analysis of the rapidly changing scientific publishing industry in the UK and EU We are very pleased to be able to offer PhD students and postdocs the chance ...

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2:38 AM | News of the Week – Jan. 14, 2013

SCIENCE 2012 Was Hottest Year on Record It’s official: 2012 was the hottest year ever recorded. The average temperature last year was 55.3 degrees, a full degree higher than the ...

January 13, 2013

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4:30 PM | Neuroscience-Based Lie Detection: Revolutionary or Neuro-Nonsense?

The vital interest in discerning the trustworthiness of others has motivated the use of lie detection techniques throughout history. Hucksters and charlatans have hocked methods ranging from the pseudoscientific, such ...

January 11, 2013

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4:54 PM | Professions in Intellectual Property

We frequently receive enquires relating to the different types of professions that are available in the Intellectual Property (IP) field, and below we provide a brief summary of some of ...

January 10, 2013

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2:11 AM | How to Create a Science Video with your iPhone

Scientists and students: How much time would you invest to learn how to produce an informative and effective science video, requiring only an iPhone or other Smartphone that shoots video? In this new 15 minute tutorial, you can learn how … Continue reading →