Chemistry and Industry back issues from June 2008:
Upping the biofuel ante.(Leader)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Biofuels are a hot topic, but not for the reasons that boosted their popularity in 2006/7. 'What a difference a year makes,' said Jacques Beaudry-Losique, program manager in the US Department of Energy's Office of Biomass. Commenting at the recent World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology ...
Vaccines: one step forward....(Litigation)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Vaccines, one of the few growth areas left for big pharma, got a major boost last month with the regulatory approval of the first bird flu vaccine. But this good news threatens to be overshadowed by the outcome of a high profile case in the US, concerning the alleged link between vaccine ...
Chemicals prices surge, fuelling inflation fears.(Raw material prices)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Following further volatility in raw materials prices as oil prices hit new highs each week, several chemical companies have announced prices increases. The chemical industry is now signalling that it is increasingly unwilling to act as a buffer, absorbing the rising cost of raw materials ...
Personalised medicine boosts global biotec.(Ernst & Young report)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Despite the impending credit crunch, the global biotechnology industry is in rude health, with record financing and deal making in 2007. The demise of the blockbuster and rise in personalised medicine continue to shift the balance of power away from big pharma to innovative biotech ...
All change for pharmaceuticals.(IMS trends)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Last year's approval by the US Food & Drink Administration (FDA) of the AIDS drug nevirapine, made by a Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer, was a significant milestone for the global healthcare industry. It marked the first time that a Chinese company was granted permission to export ...
Jail time for REACH offenders.(Legislation)
Jun 09, 2008; ... The 1 June start date has come and gone and the clock is ticking. Anyone manufacturing or importing chemicals above 1t/year in the EU now has until November 30 to pre-register these chemicals under REACH legislation. And ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse. 'This is an ...
More coordinated EU approach to Russia needed says UK report.(International relations)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With an EU-Russia summit fast approaching, one UK government report has recommended that the EU pursues a strategy of energy liberalisation with Russia in order to secure future energy resources. The report, The European Union and Russia, covers ...
The French government has passed a bill that paves the way for the safe cultivation of GM crops in France, according to FoodNavigator.com.(Genetically modified crops)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... The French government has passed a bill that paves the way for the safe cultivation of GM crops in France, according to FoodNavigator.com. Under the bill, defining such things as the distance between GM and conventional crops, a national register of GM crop sites will be created; those ...
US drug giant Merck has agreed to pay $58m to settle claims in 29 states that its television ads for the company's painkiller Vioxx were misleading and played down the health risks.
Jun 09, 2008 ... US drug giant Merck has agreed to pay $58m to settle claims in 29 states that its television ads for the company's painkiller Vioxx were misleading and played down the health risks. As part of the civil settlement, Merck will have to run future ads past the US Food and Drug Administration ...
Cancer 'crack teams'.(head hunting at CRUK)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Cancer Research Technology (CRT) is putting together 'crack teams' of scientists that have been hand-picked to translate basic science into new treatments and looking for industrial partners to come in on the deal. CRT, the development and commercialisation arm of Cancer ...
Project management as career choice.(Research support)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Researchers from Imperial College London and Bristol University are to study the development of research management as a profession in the UK. At present, there is no formal training in research management, and management staff are recruited from a variety of different back ...
In the US, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and cancer biotech concern Anjin have begun a three-year collaboration to accelerate the development of a fusion toxin protein for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML).(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... In the US, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and cancer biotech concern Anjin have begun a three-year collaboration to accelerate the development of a fusion ...
US pharma major Pfizer has been granted a worldwide licence for a cancer vaccine candidate CDX-110, which is currently in Phase II development for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, by Celldex Therapeutics, which in Q1 2008 became a subsidiary of US vaccine developer Avant Immunotherapeutics.
Jun 09, 2008 ... US pharma major Pfizer has been granted a worldwide licence for a cancer vaccine candidate CDX-110, which is currently in Phase II development for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, by Celldex Therapeutics, which in Q1 2008 became a subsidiary of US vaccine ...
Australian biotech firm Cytopia has signed an anti-cancer drug discovery and development collaboration with Cancer Therapeutics CRC, a collaboration between a number of Australian research institutions and commercial organisations focused on cancer drug discovery and development.(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Australian biotech firm Cytopia has signed an anti-cancer drug discovery and development collaboration with Cancer Therapeutics CRC, a collaboration between a number of Australian research institutions and commercial organisations focused on ...
Body's pH used to catch cancer.(Diagnostics)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Baking soda could soon prove to be a vital tool for detecting turnouts and monitoring how they respond to drugs. The new technique would make use of bicarbonate tagged with [sup.13]C to create the first maps of pH differences throughout the body. The imaging system was developed ...
New repellents go beyond DEET.(Insect repellents)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Scientists have identified compounds that repel mosquitoes for three times longer than DEET, the gold standard mosquito repellent for 50 years. Mosquitoes continue to transmit malaria, despite well-established insect repellents like DEET. The potential market for an improved ...
Finnish Chemicals in decline.(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... The Finnish Chemical Industry Federation (CIF) says the sector is facing tough times in 2008. Weak demand for paper in Europe and North America, high wood prices, and the US recession have all hit hard. The sector grew 4.5% in 2007, but reduced capacity in the paper and pulp ...
Chemical sticking plasters for aircraft.(New materials)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... UK scientists have come up with a technique that should allow damaged aircraft to self heal, even during flight. The technique involves embedding the reinforced polymer structure of the aircraft with vessels filled with an epoxy resin. In the event of a breach, the epoxy resin bleeds out, ...
Spray-on explosive detection.(Chemosensors)
Jun 09, 2008; ... A range of sensitive spray-on polymers capable of detecting explosives down to a trillionth of a gram has been developed by US scientists. William Trogler and Jason Sanchez at the University of California in San Diego developed a series of silafluorene-fluorene copolymers that ...
Norway plans to double production of bioenergy from wood and forest and farm waste by 2010, according to oil and energy minister Aaslaug Haga.(Bioproducts in brief)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Norway plans to double production of bioenergy from wood and forest and farm waste by 2010, according to oil and energy minister Aaslaug Haga. 'This is alchemy at its best,' she told ...
US automanufacturer General Motors has taken a stake in another cellulosic biofuel developer, Mascoma, based in Boston, Massachusetts, which is investigating the use of plant and agricultural waste, wood chips and grasses as feedstock.(Bioproducts in brief)
Jun 09, 2008 ... US automanufacturer General Motors has taken a stake in another cellulosic biofuel developer, Mascoma, based in Boston, Massachusetts, which is investigating the use of plant and agricultural waste, wood chips ...
German chemical major Bayer has developed a new process to produce rigid polyurethane foams for insulation applications using biopolyols.(Bioproducts in brief)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... German chemical major Bayer has developed a new process to produce rigid polyurethane foams for insulation applications using biopolyols. 'This new process uses an ingenious method to merge two different chemical reactions [alkoxylation and ...
Lisbon treaty debate.(News Feature)
Jun 09, 2008; ... [] Yes [] No A provision in its constitution means that Ireland is the only EU member state to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, in addition to a parliamentary vote. But the outcome of the 12 June referendum affects us all, because a 'no' vote means that the ...
Biovail.(Movers & Shakers)(appointment of William Wells)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Speciality pharmaceutical business Biovail has appointed William Wells as the company's new ceo. Wells has been on Biovail's board of directors for three years and has been lead director since June 2007 ....
Bac2.(Movers & Shakers)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Fuel cell materials company, Bac2, has ...
Innate Pharma's US.(Movers & Shakers)(appointment of Hemanshu Shah)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Hemanshu Shah has been appointed as executive vice president and chief business officer of Innate Pharma's US ...
Angus Chemical Company.(Movers & Shakers)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Per Westin has been named regional commercial manager for Europe ...
UK Chemical Business Association.(Movers & Shakers)(appointment of Francis Osborn )(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... The UK Chemical Business Association has appointed Francis Osborn as chairman and Neville Prior as vice chairman. Osborn is managing ...
Sandvik Materials Technology UK.(Movers & Shakers)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Sandvik Materials Technology UK has named ...
Univar Europe.(Movers & Shakers)(resignation of John Phillpotts)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... John Phillpotts, president of Univar Europe, has stepped down after 40 years at the ...
Paul Berg and Walter Gilbert have been awarded the American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal for their services to chemistry.(Movers & Shakers)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Paul Berg and Walter Gilbert have been awarded the American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal for their services to ...
Medical Research Council.(Movers & Shakers)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Vivienne Parry has been appointed to the ...
Green Biologics.(Movers & Shakers)(appointment of Sutcliffe Wadrop and Kristan Wadrop)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Green Biologics has appointed Sutcliffe and Kristan Wadrop as chief executive and chief ...
Environment Agency.(Movers & Shakers)(appointment of Chris Smith)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chris Smith has been named as the new chair of the UK's Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is responsible for controlling ...
Haldor Topsoe has been given the Winthrop-Sears Medal by the Chemists' Club of New York.(Movers & Shakers)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Haldor Topsoe has been given the Winthrop-Sears Medal by the Chemists' Club of New ...
ChemAxon.(Movers & Shakers)
Jun 09, 2008 ... ChemAxon, a software business that provides programs ...
PregLem.(Movers & Shakers)
Jun 09, 2008 ... Swiss biopharmaceutical PregLem has named Sven Zimmerman as its new chief ...
Diary.(Calendar)
Jun 09, 2008 ... 8-12 July, 14th International Congress on Catalysis, Tokyo, Japan. Contact: Noritaka Micro. Tel: +81 35841 7272, fax: +81 35841 7220, email: tmizuno@.mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp, web: www.shokubai.org/intern/ICC-Pre/index.html. 21-23 July, Analytical Research Forum 2008, Hull, UK A ...
Japan's research-based pharmaceutical company Takeda has acquired US Millennium Pharmaceutical for $25.00 per share, or $8.8bn.(Business Digest)(Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Japan's research-based pharmaceutical company Takeda has acquired US Millennium Pharmaceutical for ...
LyondellBasell.(Business Digest)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Dutch olefins major LyondellBasell has reached the 1 mt marker at its plant in Wesseling, Germany. Since 2004, the plant has been manufacturing ...
BASF is selling its Shreveport, Louisiana manufacturing facility to India's international pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.(Business Digest)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... BASF is selling its Shreveport, Louisiana manufacturing facility to India's international pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy's Laboratories. The 42-acre ...
Cambridge University Institute of Manufacturing.(Business Digest)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Cambridge University Institute of Manufacturing will offer 100-man days of guidance to small manufacturing companies until September 2008. In order to help smaller businesses ...
Life science and high technology company Sigma-Aldrich and former Honeywell's Riedel-De Haen have integrated their core product brands into a streamlined product range.(Business Digest)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Life science and high technology company Sigma-Aldrich and former Honeywell's Riedel-De Haen have integrated their core product brands into a ...
Harbin Tian Di Ren Medical, a subsidiary of China Sky One Medical, an over-the-counter pharmaceutical company based in China, has acquired Heilongjiang Haina Pharmaceutical.(Business Digest)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Harbin Tian Di Ren Medical, a subsidiary of China Sky One Medical, an over-the-counter pharmaceutical company based in ...
UK venture capital company Mercia Technology Seed Fund has invested in nanoTherics, a UK biomedical company founded by Keele University and the University of Florida.(Business Digest)
Jun 09, 2008; ... UK venture capital company Mercia Technology Seed Fund has invested in nanoTherics, a UK biomedical company founded by Keele ...
Switzerland's pharmaceutical and healthcare suppliers Lonza has announced that it sold its remaining stake of 3.37% (3.481.703 ordinary shares) in Polynt.(Business Digest)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Switzerland's pharmaceutical and healthcare suppliers Lonza has announced that it sold its remaining stake of ...
AzkoNobel.(Business Digest)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... AzkoNobel has agreed to transfer its London base and will move to Portland House in London. Though the ...
BASF.(Projects & Technology)(alkylethonalamines)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... To meet growing demand, German chemical company BASF is doubling its manufacturing capacity for alkylethonalamines (AEOA) at its ...
The Cancer Research Technology has opened a multi-disciplinary drug discovery laboratory near Cambridge University.(Projects & Technology)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... The Cancer Research Technology has opened a multi-disciplinary drug discovery laboratory near Cambridge University ....
Gaplast.(Projects & Technology)(DuPont Packaging Award)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... German packaging company Gaplast has received the DuPont Packaging Award 2008 for its patented Bag in Bottle technology used to create 1000ml, airless ...
To meet growing demand, German chemical company BASF is doubling its manufacturing capacity for alkylethonalamines (AEOA).(Projects & Technology)
Jun 09, 2008; ... To meet growing demand, German chemical company BASF is doubling its ...
BASF Coatings.(Projects & Technology)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... BASF Coatings has introduced an efficient and environmental sustainable masking paint known as Relius for the EADS Airbus plant in northern ...
OxyChem.(Projects & Technology)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... US corporation OxyChem converted its Taft, Louisiana plant into a cell membrane operation to produce caustic ...
Royal DSM.(Projects & Technology)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Netherlands chemical major Royal DSM has opened a market-development plant in Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands. The plant will produce ...
Global chemical company Merck has opened a lab at the University of Applied Science in Muenster, Germany.(Projects & Technology)(Merck & Company Inc.)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Global chemical company Merck has opened a lab at the University of Applied Science in Muenster, Germany. At the facility Thomas Juestel leads a LED lighting project in which five ...
BASF has received the Color Innovation Award from the Society of Dyers and Colourists for its innovative dyeable polypropylene fibre technology known as M000>.(Projects & Technology)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... BASF has received the Color Innovation Award from the Society of Dyers and Colourists for its innovative dyeable polypropylene fibre technology ...
At its Antwerp Verbund site, BASF has begun production in its new nitric acid plant built entirely with BASF's own technology.(Projects & Technology)(BASF Antwerpen N.V.)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... At its Antwerp Verbund site, BASF has begun production in its new nitric acid plant built entirely with BASF's ...
According to Centre Europeen des Slicones' published report on the future of European industries, the silicone industry is seen as valuable to the European economy.(Projects & Technology)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... According to Centre Europeen des Slicones' published report on the future of European industries, the silicone industry is seen as valuable to the European economy ....
Dow Corning.(Projects & Technology)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Dow Corning has opened a multimillion dollar ...
Rhodia.(Projects & Technology)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Rhodia, the French chemical company, has launched production of eco-friendly solvent Rhodiasolv at its site in San Andre, Brazil. The product was ...
Comfort zone.(Business Digest)(Brief article)
Jun 09, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Comfort zone: Italian carmaker FIAT has selected LyondellBasell's specialised resins, Hostacom, for its new 500/Cinquenceto city ...
Shoots of recovery: Cath O'Driscoll caught up with US Department of Agriculture scientists in New Orleans to find out how they have put their work back on track after Hurricane Katrina.(Agriculture)
Jun 09, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] 'It looked like an absolute disaster. On the ground level floors there was mud, spilled chemicals, damaged equipment, mould growing on the walls. There were even dead fish in the hallway.' This was the scene that greeted Pat Jordan, then ...
Gene genies: MicroRNAs have captured the imagination of researchers seeking to unlock their potential for therapies from asthma to cancer.(Biothechnology)
Jun 09, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since 2005, there has been an explosion of interest in microRNAs. More than 2500 research papers have been published, implicating microRNAs in tumour growth, allergy and asthma, metabolic diseases and a host of other illnesses. In March, ...
UK scientists in space? The European Space Agency (ESA) is looking for a few good scientists and engineers to join its Astronaut Corps. With the closing date for applications looming (16 June), Nick Dusic asks if the UK has what it takes.(Comment)
Jun 09, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NATIONALS FROM ALL 17 OF THE ESA member countries, which includes the UK, are eligible to apply for the ESA astronaut programme. But, you must have a masters or a PhD in a science-based discipline, which obviously includes chemistry. You might just get by ...
Analytical highlights.(Highlights)
Jun 09, 2008; ... Detecting chemical vapours using microcantilevers Loui and co-workers (Analyst, 2008, 133, 608) have developed a low power array of piezoresitive microcantilevers able to detect a range of chemical vapours. Typical vapours included water, methanol, hexane, ethyl acetate but also ...