• Blind Computing with Quantum Physics

    BBC | Computing with quantum physics could carry out fast, complex computations and even increase security in the cloud. "Blind quantum computing" can even be carried out without a cloud computer ever knowing what the data is.

     

    Jan 20, 2012

  • Medidata: Integrating Infrastructure for Clinical Trials

    Bio-IT World | Glen de Vries thought he would be teaching biology or chemistry in college, but somewhere en route to a satisfying career in academic research, he got distracted. Bio•IT World chief editor Kevin Davies spoke to de Vries about the progress of Medidata and the state of e-clinical technology in general. 

      

    Jan 18, 2012

  • Academic Publishers Have Become the Enemies of Science

    The Guardian | British academic Mike Taylor assails the Research Works Act (RWA), introduced in the US Congress last month, which amounts to a declaration of war by for-profit scientific publishers. the result would be "an ethical disaster: preventable deaths in developing countries, and an incalculable loss for science in the USA and worldwide."

    Jan 17, 2012

  • Cracking Open the Scientific Process

    New York Times | Social networking sites such as Berlin-based ResearchGate and meetings liks this weeks ScienceOnline conference in North Carolina are helping to crack open the scientific process.

    Jan 17, 2012

  • A Business Reporter's Personal Genome Journey

    Bloomberg | John Lauerman, a healthy 50-something reporter for Bloomberg, offers a first-person account of his recent decision to enroll in George Church's Personal Genome Project.

    Jan 17, 2012

  • A QuantuMDx Leap for Handheld DNA Sequencing

    Bio-IT World | Speaking for the first time in his life as a commercial consultant rather than a public servant, Sir John Burn, a highly respected clinical geneticist in the United Kingdom, provided the first glimpse at a nanowire technology for rapid DNA genotyping that could eventually mature into the world’s first handheld DNA sequencer.

    Jan 16, 2012

  • Scientists Offer The Edge Their Most Beautiful Explanations

    The Edge | A stunning assembly of almost 200 scientists and artists -- including the likes of Richard Dawkins, George Church, Nathan Myhrvold, Brian Eno and Alan Alda -- answer The Edge.org's Question of the Year: 'What is your favorite deep, elegant, or beautiful explanation?'

    Jan 15, 2012

  • Health Care's X-Prize

    The Guardian | The X-Prize has launched a new competition with a $10m prize to be the first to [re?] invent Dr. Spock's tricorder. The Tricorder Qualcomm X-Prize, co-funded by Qualcomm and the X-Prize Foundation, is named for the instant-diagnosis gadget from Star Trek. The competition's goal is a consumer-friendly product that will diagnose 15 common conditions.

    Jan 13, 2012

  • Mary Jane's First iPad App

    Bio-IT World | Kevin McKernan's new venture, Medicinal Genomics, is focusing on the cannabis genome, and the company has just released a new iPad app called "Jane-Ome" that allows  users to explore the scientific basis for medical marijuana use.

    Jan 13, 2012

  • Researchers Find Familial Prostate Cancer Gene Mutation

    MedPage Today | Scientists writing in the New England Journal of Medicine have identified the first hereditary mutation for prostate cancer risk in a gene called HOXB13, a discovery that could provide new mechanistic insights into this common cancer.

     

    Jan 12, 2012

  • Picture This: Molecular Maya Puts Life in Life Science Animations

    Bio-IT World | In 2010, a reporter sat in a Life Technologies hotel suite admiring a promotional video illustrating one of the company’s latest research projects—a single-molecule sequencing system featuring enzymes tethered to fluorescing quantum dots. The video was impressive not merely for pushing the boundaries of sequencing technology, but equally for showcasing some powerful production qualities in 3D animation and rendering that, until recently, would have seemed the provenance of a Pixar movie.  

     

    Jan 12, 2012

  • National Human Genome Research Institute Proposes Reorganizing

    genome.gov | The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), under director Eric Green, is proposing to expand from two divisions to seven divisions, adding new divisions dedicated to genome sciences, genomic medicine, and genomics and society. The reorganization will be discussed at two upcoming public meetings. 

    Jan 11, 2012

  • Do We Need Doctors Or Algorithms?

    Tech Crunch | Vinod Khosla, the legendary Silicon Valley investor and founder of Khosla Ventures, discusses the wide-ranging impact of technology -- from mobile technology to increasingly sophisticated algorithms -- on medicine and healthcare, helping to empower patients.

    Jan 11, 2012

  • Sanofi Inks Two New Genomics Partnerships in Boston

    Mass High Tech | It's been a busy month for French pharma company Sanofi, as they ink deals with two Boston-based genomics firms, cancer diagnostic company Foundation Medicine and natural products start-up Warp Drive Bio, in which Sanofi will invest up to $125 million.

    Jan 11, 2012

  • The Unstable Equilibrium of the Bioinformatics Org Chart

    Bio-IT World  | In most organizations, the human resources of bioinformatics are a regular source of tension. Unless you’re particularly lucky, you can be plagued by politics, illogical decision making, disappointment, and low productivity. While you can have these problems in a properly-balanced organization, there are certain org charts in which they are endemic. 

    Jan 11, 2012

  • Ion Torrent Introduces New Sequencer, Touts Imminent Arrival of the $1,000 Genome

    Reuters | Life Technologies, the parent company of Ion Torrent Systems, says it is taking orders for the new benchtop Ion Proton Sequencer, which it predicts will have the capacity in the next 12 months to deliver a $1,000 human genome in a day. 

    Jan 10, 2012

  • Knome’s New CEO Signals New Directions in Genome Interpretation

    Bio-IT World | Knome, the first company to offer direct-to-consumer genome analysis, has appointed neurologist and biotech executive Martin Tolar as its new CEO as it seeks to push further into two prime markets for genome interpretation software -- biopharma and clinical genomics.

    Jan 7, 2012

  • 2012 Best Practices Deadline Extension

    Bio-IT World | Bio-IT World is announcing a deadline extension for its 2012 Best Practices awards program. In keeping with extensions given in previous years, the 2012 extended deadline is February 15.

    Jan 8, 2012

  • BGI Crunches Human Genome With GPU Chips

    Wired.com | China's BGI, the world's largest genome sequencing center, has switched to servers that use GPUs built by Nvidia, helping slash the genome analysis time by more than an order of magnitude. But challenges in data representation and interpretation remain.

    Jan 7, 2012

  • Pacific Biosciences Taps ex-ABI Chief Michael Hunkapiller as New CEO

    Bio-IT World | Pacific Biosciences has appointed former Applied Biosystems CEO Michael W. Hunkapiller as its president and CEO effective immediately, succeeding founding CEO Hugh Martin, in an effort to buoy the next-gen sequencing company's business. 

     

    Jan 6, 2012