Neuroscience

THE PAST DECADE has witnessed an explosive growth of data from biology including genome projects, proteomics, protein structure determination, cellular regulatory mechanisms and the rapid expansion in digitization of patient biological data. But while the raw computational power as predicted by “Moore’s Law” has led to the number of transistors that can be integrated doubling every 18 months, the genomic data at GenBank is doubling every 6 months. Post-genomic-era bioinformatics challenges are expected to require high-performance computing power of the order of petaflops or more.

Drug discovery informatics provider Tripos Inc. announced plans last month to embrace web services as a key strategic component of its informatics products and future product development strategy.

In a deal expected to close earlier this month, Agilent Technologies recently announced it signed a merger agreement with scientific information management company Scientific Software Inc. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Integrative analytical technology specialist InforSense announced in May the licensing of its workflow-based informatics platforms by the Windber Research Institute (WRI), a biomedical research center looking for cures to genetic and metabolic diseases. The two organizations will work together to develop a production-quality, generic informatics framework for translational medicine to be used by WRI and its clinical collaborators.

A $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will support the RNA Ontology Consortium, an international team of scientists developing a shared vocabulary and system for discussing RNA structure and function.

Applied Biosystems in mid-March introduced a new plan, the Advanced Gene Expression Service Provider Program (AGESPP), to sell varying combinations of instrumentation, supplies, services, and marketing support in custom-made bundles at discounted prices.

RNAi biopharmaceutical company Alnylam took another step on the road to moving its age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection programs closer to clinical trials in late March by naming Dowpharma its manufacturer-of-choice for large-scale quantities of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs).

Metabolon Inc. in early April announced it received a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) for its continued research into the discovery of biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Health science heavyweight PerkinElmer and proteomics technology developer Procognia announced in mid-December a co-marketing agreement that combines PE’s Protein Array Workstation and ProScan Array HT with Procognia’s U-c lectin array-based platform to c

Novasite Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced it has received a four-year grant valued at nearly $3.4 million for continued development of its proprietary parallel screening technology for G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs).