Science news

STEC, Inc., a leading global provider of solid-state drive (SSD) technologies and products, today announced that the company has validated its proprietary CellCare Technology's ability to extend the endurance of 24 nm consumer-grade multi-level cell (cMLC) NAND flash memory to 40,000 program/erase cycles.

Celladon Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for cardiovascular diseases, announced the receipt of additional capital proceeds from a second close of its recent venture financing to advance the Company’s lead investigational product candidate MYDICAR® for the treatment of advanced heart failure.

Egalet Ltd., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing safe, effective and abuse-resistant medications, announced today that it has raised $14.3 million in a Series B financing round adding CLS Capital to the existing group of investors that includes Atlas Venture, Omega Funds, Sunstone Capital and Index Ventures.

MiRagen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics primarily for the treatment of patients who suffer from cardiovascular and muscle disease, announced today the completion of a $20 million Series B financing.

OrbiMed, a leading global investment management firm focused on the healthcare sector, is pleased to announce the closing of its first investment fund dedicated to life sciences venture capital opportunities based in Israel.

Alder BioPharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the closing of a $38 million Series D financing to support the development of the company’s clinical stage pipeline. The financing was led by a new investor, Novo Ventures, and joined by existing Alder investors Sevin Rosen Funds, Ventures West, WRF Capital, H.I.G. Ventures, Delphi Ventures and TPG Biotech.

SynGen Inc. a Regenerative Medicine device company focused on the development of next generation stem cell harvesting systems, announced today that it has completed a $5 million Series A preferred stock financing with Bay City Capital, LLC (BCC).

Harvest Power, a leader in harnessing the renewable energy, soil and fertilizer value from organic materials, today announced a $110 million financing. True North Venture Partners led the investment with American Refining and Biochemical, Inc. participating alongside existing investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), DAG Ventures and Generation Investment Management among others.

OvaScience™, a fertility company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel treatments for infertility, today announced that it has completed a $37 million Series B financing. The financing was led by General Catalyst.

Genalyte, Inc., a life sciences company developing and commercializing innovative next-generation multiplexing technology, today announced completion of an $11.8 million Series B financing. New investors Redmile Group and Claremont Creek Ventures and private investors from Genalyte’s Series A round participated in the Series B financing.

Relievant Medsystems, Inc., a privately held medical device company pioneering the therapeutic use of basivertebral nerve ablation for the treatment of chronic axial low back pain, announced today that it has secured $30 million in a Series D equity financing to advance and expand the Company’s worldwide clinical development programs.

Bluewater Bio International, the provider of innovative high-performance and highly cost-effective water and wastewater treatment technologies, is pleased to announce that it has completed a £22.5 million financing round.

Action from Governments, Regulators, the Healthcare Industry and the Mobile Ecosystem Essential to Enabling this Global Opportunity

The editors of the journal Science have selected a Mayo Clinic discovery as one of their top 10 "groundbreaking scientific achievements of 2011.

NASA’s Kepler mission has confirmed its first planet in the "habitable zone" the region where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface. Kepler also has discovered more than 1,000 new planet candidates, nearly doubling its previously known count.

A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analysis of long-term effects of violent video game play on the brain has found changes in brain regions associated with cognitive function and emotional control in young adult men after one week of game play. The results of the study were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America(RSNA).

There is a new information source for anyone facing an X-ray or a nuclear medicine examination. At medicalradiation.com, scientific journalists and experts from Siemens Healthcare provide basic details about medical radiation for the benefit of patients and interested members of the general public.

The Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard NASA's newest Earth-observing satellite, NPP, acquired its first measurements onNov. 21, 2011. This high-resolution image is of a broad swath of Eastern North America from Canada'sHudson Bay past Florida to the northern coast of Venezuela. The VIIRS data were processed at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF) in Suitland, Md.

In dozens of experiments in mice and in human cancer cells, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists has closely tied production of a cancer-causing protein called TWIST to the development of estrogen resistance in women with breast cancer.

Two teens with powerful stories about their experience in drug treatment have been awarded the top distinction in the MusiCares and Grammy Foundation’s Teen Substance Abuse Awareness through Music Contest.