SCIENTISTS from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have helped to develop a molecular structure which can kill various tumour cells without causing much harm to healthy cells. Along with a team from Lund University in Sweden, they based the complex on a protein naturally present in human breast milk. This has been found to have strong and wide-ranging tumour-killing properties when bound to ...

MEDICAL device developer Biosensors International Group Ltd has signed an agreement to acquire substantially all assets of Spectrum Dynamics for about US$51.1 million. It will make further payments of up to US$4 million in 2014, and up to US$15 million in 2016 to Spectrum Dynamics, if certain performance benchmarks are met, Biosensors said yesterday. Under the deal, the two companies will create ...

[SINGAPORE] EDBI-backed vaccine developer Inviragen Inc is being acquired for up to US$250 million by Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda Pharmaceutical Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary Takeda America Holdings Inc. The acquisition covers an upfront payment of US$35 million as well as additional payments of up to US$215 million, contingent on the success of clinical developments and meeting ...

JAPANESE camera and image-processing modules maker Shikino High-Tech has signed a research agreement with A*Star Institute of Microelectronics (IME) to develop a low-power and high performance gyro-sensor ASIC block for commercial hand-held applications.This marks the Japanese company's first research and development (R&D) collaboration in Singapore since it established an office here last year, ...

SHIPMENTS of tablets will reach 172.4 million units this year and jump to 282.7 million units by 2016, according to International Data Corporation. The rise has been prompted by several factors including connectivity and the provision of information at people's fingertips.Connectivity engenders being socially connected, allowing for collaboration and the sharing of ideas.From a corporate ...

THE BMW Group is bringing in its research capabilities to Singapore through the establishment of a Future Mobility Research Lab here, the first of its kind in South-east Asia for the premium car manufacturer. Launched officially yesterday, the research facility is a joint initiative with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and will host five full-time scientists and six PhD researchers. The ...

PHARMACEUTICAL firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and A*Star's Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) have inked a five-year agreement to develop medicines for emerging countries, which are expected to account for a sizeable proportion of the global market in the coming years.GSK and ICES will focus on developing new evidence-based formulations (EBFs), or improved versions of existing ...

A FAULTY genetic "switch" or process may be the reason why wounds on some people do not heal or take years to heal, Singapore scientists have found. And the discovery may, in two years, see the development of bandages and creams that could be a boon for diabetic patients with chronic wounds, which can sometimes lead to amputation. Dr Goh Su ...

LOCAL biomedical start-up Clearbridge BioMedics has received $9 million to help develop its cancer detection technology. The funding, which is for the four-year-old firm's growth stage, was led by venture capital firm Vertex Venture Holdings. Other investors include Spring Seeds Capital, Clearbridge BSA, Mr Lu Yoh Chie and existing shareholder BioVeda. Mr Lu, a private investor who founded ...

WASHINGTON - It may be possible in the future for surgeons to create a replacement ear using a 3-D printer and injections of living cells. Cornell University researchers in the United States have taken the first step towards growing customised new ears for children born with malformed ones, or people who lose one to accident or disease. It is part of the hot field of tissue regeneration, trying ...

PROFESSIONALS are in high demand this year in the chemicals, pharmaceuticals and medical device industries, according to the latest annual Robert Walters Global Salary Survey. These are among "the few sectors which continue to have anticipated growth in 2013", said Mr Wayne Gay, manager of the engineering division in Robert Walters Singapore. The survey was released yesterday. The consultancy ...

A UNIQUE anti-microbial gel that destroys hospital superbugs upon contact could help treat and prevent highly dangerous infections. Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and computer giant IBM jointly developed the gel over the past three years. The colourless, non-toxic gel could be used to coat everything from hospital furniture and medical equipment to ...

AMGEN, the world's biggest independent biotechnology company, yesterday unveiled plans to build a US$200 million (S$246 million) biologics facility in Singapore. Biologics involves making drugs such as vaccines from proteins produced by cell cultures, rather than traditional synthesis of drugs from chemicals. The plant will be the United States-based firm's first manufacturing facility in Asia. ...

CATALIST-listed AsiaMedic is looking to grow its market share in Singapore as well as scale up its presence in the region as it works to steer its business back to profitability. "Once we've stabilised Singapore and made sure it's on a growth track, we're going to look for more opportunities to serve the higher market segment in Singapore," said chief executive Wong Weng Hong, adding that it will ...

AS its 12-year-old biomedical and pharmaceutical scene matures, Singapore is beginning to change the way in which it adds value to some of the largest companies it has wooed here. Bayer HealthCare said said it is consolidating six separate cancer-related research tie-ups with Singapore researchers and clinician under a single Integrated Translational Oncology Network geared towards addressing the ...