Researchers from the Institute of Materials Science in Juazeiro, Brazil have reported on the antibacterial properties of usnic acid, a strong lichen metabolite, encapsulated in electrospun fibers. The team’s work was published in Recent Patents on Nanotechnology. Usnic acid has been used in commercial products, such as creams, toothpastes and sunscreen, due to their antiviral, animicrobial […]
Contract Manufacturing
Lab-grown bone shows 100% success rate in small, early study
Israel’s Bonus Biogroup (TLV:BONS) said today that it successfully injected its lab-grown, semi-liquid bone graft into the jaws of 11 people in an early stage clinical trial evaluating bone loss repair. The company is presenting its results at the International Conference on Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in Spain today. The material is grown in a lab from […]
West expands CMO facilities in Ireland
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) said today that it finished a 60,000 square foot expansion of its contract manufacturing facility near Mulhuddart, County Dublin in Ireland. The expansion is a response to customer demand for medical device manufacturing, especially in the area of diabetes, the company reported. West anticipates 100 new jobs will be added to […]
Supersonic spray produces nanomaterials for wearable electronics
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Korea University have developed an ultrathin, highly conductive nanomaterial produced by a supersonic spray, according to the study published in Advanced Functional Materials. The bendable, stretchable film could be used to develop wearable electronics. The film is composed of fused silver nanowires, made by spraying nanowire particles through […]
Final FDA rules clarify adverse event reporting for contract manufacturers
The FDA last week issued final guidance for medical device companies on the requirements for reporting adverse events that walked back much of the burden for contract manufacturers. The federal safety watchdog’s draft guidance for “Medical Device Reporting for Manufacturers,” issued in July 2013, put both the contract manufacturer and its customer on the hook for reporting adverse […]
Sofregen buys Allergan’s Seri surgical scaffold
Sofregen Medical said today that it bought the Seri surgical scaffold from Allergan (NYSE:AGN) for an undisclosed amount. Polaris Partners and other investors provided financing for the acquisition, according to the Medford, Mass.-based company. Seri, which is approved by the FDA for use as soft tissue support in plastic and reconstructive surgical procedures, is the only approved […]
Swiss researchers develop material that goes highly flexible to rigid
Researchers from Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a composite material made from silicone and copper alloy that can morph from being highly flexible to rigid as its temperature varies. The team says the tube’s flexibility could be useful in endoscopic procedures, where anatomy presents a challenge for rigid devices to maneuver within the […]
Harvard touts 1st 3D-printed organ-on-a-chip with integrated sensing
Researchers from Harvard University developed what they tout as the 1st entirely 3D-printed organ-on-a-chip with integrated sensing. The heart-on-a-chip was quickly manufactured by a fully automated, digital procedure and allows researchers to collect data for short-term and long-term studies. The team, who published their work in Nature Materials, hope that one day this approach may allow researchers to […]
Engineered “building blocks” could form complex nano-structures
A team of researchers from the University of Melbourne have developed a method to turn particles into “building blocks” for complex nano-structures, according to a study published in Nature Nanotechnology. “Nano-objects are difficult to manipulate, as they’re too tiny to see directly by eye, far too small to hold, and often have incompatible surfaces for assembling […]
United Nations pledges to fight drug-resistant superbugs
(Reuters) – United Nations member countries pledged for the first time on Wednesday to take steps to tackle the threat posed by drug-resistant superbugs in a coordinated effort to curb the spread of infections by pathogens that defy antimicrobial medicines. The pledge during the annual U.N. General Assembly in New York followed years of warnings […]
Skyline Medical shareholders approve reverse split
Skyline Medical said today that stockholders approved a set of proposals including a reverse stock split and doubling the number of authorized shares of common stock. The reverse stock split will be not-less than 1 for 2 shares and not more than 1 for 25 shares. Minneapolis-based Skyline has not yet decided on the exact details […]