Life Sciences/Biotech

Study: Individual Insurance Policies Don’t Meet Basic Requirements

LANSING - A study comparing individual to group health insurance policies in Michigan and several other states found that the average individual policy did not meet basic coverage requirements the 2010 Affordable Care Act will mandate of policies sold through statewide exchanges. The study, conducted by the University of Chicago and the firm of Towers

By |2012-05-31T00:00:00-04:00May 31st, 2012|Archive, Life Sciences/Biotech|

VAI Researchers Part Of Project Studying Huntington’s Disease Treatment

GRAND RAPIDS - Researchers from South Korea, Sweden, and the United States - including Van Andel Research Institute - have collaborated on a project that could eventually lead to treatments for Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and psychiatric problems. The project seeks to restore neuron function to parts of the

By |2012-05-29T00:00:00-04:00May 29th, 2012|Archive, Life Sciences/Biotech|

VAI-Lead Team Makes Break Through On Liver Cancer Research

GRAND RAPIDS - A team of international scientists has made a significant breakthrough in understanding the cause of bile duct cancer, a deadly type of liver cancer. By identifying several new genes frequently mutated in bile duct cancers, researchers are paving the way for better understanding of how bile duct cancers develop. Their discovery is

By |2012-05-18T00:00:00-04:00May 18th, 2012|Archive, Life Sciences/Biotech|

Rubicon Launches ThurPLEX Sample Preparation Kits For Sequencing

ANN ARBOR - Rubicon Genomics has launched the first product in its ThruPLEX family of sample preparation kits designed and optimized for next generation sequencing. ThruPLEX-FD kits leverage Rubicon?s patented DNA repair and ligation methods to deliver significantly faster and more sensitive sequencing of plasma, formalin-fixed, ChIP and other fragmented DNA with substantially increased throughput.

By |2012-05-18T00:00:00-04:00May 18th, 2012|Archive, Life Sciences/Biotech|

VAI, Dako Ink Deal On MET4 Antibody Cancer Diagnostics Tool

GRAND RAPIDS - Van Andel Research Institute and Dako, the Danish-based, worldwide supplier of cancer diagnostic tools, Wednesday announce an agreement to license, manufacture and distribute cancer diagnostics utilizing the MET4 Antibody. The MET4 Antibody, developed by George F. Vande Woude, Ph.D. and Brian Cao, M.D. of VARI and Beatrice Knudsen, M.D., Ph.D., formerly of

By |2012-05-16T00:00:00-04:00May 16th, 2012|Archive, Life Sciences/Biotech|

Obama To Unveil Bioeconomy Program Next Week

ANN ARBOR - Michael Stebbins, assistant director for biotechnology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, provided members of MichBio a glimpse of a new bioeconomy program scheduled to be unveiled in Washington next week. Speaking at the trade group?s annual meeting, Stebbins reportedly said the administration is working to do whatever

By |2012-04-20T00:00:00-04:00April 20th, 2012|Archive, Life Sciences/Biotech|

Esperion Therapeutics Hires Chief Medical Officer

PLYMOUTH - Esperion Therapeutics announced the appointment of Noah Rosenberg, MD, as its chief medical officer. Dr. Rosenberg will lead the Esperion clinical advisory board and will develop and manage the company's clinical programs. He will also manage the regulatory review process for the company's innovative investigational therapies to prevent, treat and reverse cardiovascular and

By |2012-04-09T00:00:00-04:00April 9th, 2012|Archive, Life Sciences/Biotech|