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INSERTING DNA MEMORY CIRCUITS INTO BACTERIA, by using the DNA like a circuit switch, in order to create a rudimentary memory model. This imaginative work is a step towards programming the most populous species on the planet to do directed work for mankind. http://lnkd.in/NdF6gZ View in LinkedIn

NEW US PATENT ACT. A very usefully summary of this new IP landscape. http://lnkd.in/iS8ivT View in LinkedIn

NEW DRUG COSTS for R&D since about 2000 by US Pharma companies sum to approximately 650 Billion USD, or 50-70 Bn USD annually. In addition, there has been less bang for the buck, as efficacy rates have slid south towards placebo. In contrast, VCs spend about 8-10 Bn USD annually on all sectors, with Biopharma being a part of that pie. Thus, for the ~900 new drugs (not NCEs) over that time period, the well over 7X annual spend by Big Pharma can be seen as squandered capital. It is a fortunate thing that most Big Pharma are experimenting with outsourcing/licensing their pipeline stuffers. http://lnkd.in/nYrdrN View in LinkedIn

Oliver Rothschild, the famous UK strategist, was the speaker at a Barcelona dinner of VCs last night. His message was that Spanish tech companies need to have worldwide strategic partnerships, and must move fast, as time is never on your side and is a luxury you cannot buy. Spain needs to trumpet its successes with worldwide PR, since it clearly has been under the radar too long. Now is the time to have a proactive effort to let the world know about the Catalan successes in innovation. View in LinkedIn

INTELLIGENT DRUGS. Quantum dots are used as tags for proteins in cell assays. Could they be used as tags to biological or small molecule drugs to develop a new generation of intelligent drugs that respond to their environment as a trigger to releasing their payload? http://lnkd.in/NkF_eu View in LinkedIn

A 3D pizza printer for astronauts on space missions? Wasn't it only in a blink of an eye that the very concept of 3D printing passed before our collective consciousnesses and now we are seeing it being used to make tools, and even food. I was in Kagoshima Japan last month visiting an advanced cancer proton therapy center. 3D printing of the exact dimensions and configuration of the patient's tumor was used to guide the ultra-precise photon beam to ablate the growth. Surgeons are 3D printing body parts for implants and surgical guidance. This technology is getting legs. http://lnkd.in/UkgV7D View in LinkedIn

Virtual house calls by doctors. Surely better than nothing and an efficient use of resources. Technology is enhancing our medical world in many ways. http://lnkd.in/nCJA4d View in LinkedIn

A bionic contact lens undergoes testing. Mix super-smart engineering and electronics with healthcare and this cross-fertilization is the kind of result to expect. Multidisciplinary teams and approaches will usually trump the inevitable GroupThink of single discipline teams. http://lnkd.in/58xrF9 View in LinkedIn

Pesticides and other related chemicals are linked to Parkinson's. No surprises here. It is abundantly clear that as we increase our environmental burden of toxins, the deleterious effects hit many life forms, including humans. We have been systematically fouling our own nest and the planet for hundreds of years, but at a greatly accelerated rate. We have poured our filth into the oceans so now we have mercury ratings for the fish we eat. This child in the increasingly filthy room does not have another room to play in, and needs to learn to clean up after itself sooner than later. http://lnkd.in/baU4-K View in LinkedIn

Good summary of the literature on probiotic use concomitant with antibiotics. I have always been astonished that doctors do not routinely advise patients to take probiotics in parallel with antibiotics to prevent the unpleasant GI effects.. It simply works. http://lnkd.in/yjFXM2 View in LinkedIn