By Matt Thiel, Director of Facility Planning and Integration, ACS Operational readiness is not a luxury. Today’s marketplace moves much too fast to afford a delay in ROI. One of the most impactful things a company can do to ensure the operational readiness of a new or upgraded R&D facility is to understand the importance…
Designer materials to keep plastic out of landfills
From Berkeley National Lab, By Alison Hatt Scientists have designed a new material system to overcome one of the biggest challenges in recycling consumer products: mixed-plastic recycling. Their achievement will help enable a much broader range of fully recyclable plastic products and brings into reach an efficient circular economy for durable goods like automobiles. We…
MIT researchers develop silk-based system to replace microplastics
As scrutiny of microplastics mounts for their health and environmental impacts, a team of researchers are looking into silk protein as a naturally biodegradable alternative. Silk protein fiber can be used as a nontoxic, delayed-release coating that’s safe for medical use instead of microplastics. That’s according to findings recently published in the journal Small by…
R&D 100 winner of the day: WEC-Sim
Wave Energy Converter Simulator (WEC-Sim), from National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, is the first open-source code allowing developers to simulate WEC dynamics and performance, which lowers costs and reduces R&D cycle time in this pivotal and growing field. Wave energy can transform the way we power homes and businesses, lending resilience to…
Harvard researchers are closer to human heart fabrication
Harvard University researchers used focused rotary jet spinning (FRJS) technology to fabricate polymer fibers that mimic the helical structure of heart muscles. They created ventricle structures with the method and then seeded them with rat cardiomyocyte or human stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte cells, according to a news release from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Low voltage air circuit breakers
Mitsubishi Electric Corp.’s Low voltage air circuit breakers guarantee the safety of electric power distribution systems such as those in buildings or factories. It is the first circuit breaker in the industry that realizes open/close operation using electro-magnetic solenoids. This leads to significant energy and labor saving while maintaining excellent economic efficiency. Under the Paris…
Software platform helps researchers accelerate life-improving therapies
Dotmatics, a maker of R&D scientific software that connects science, data and decision-making, announces the release of its Small Molecule Drug Discovery Solution, an integrated scientific R&D platform with pre-configured workflows and expanded data management capabilities. The solution helps companies innovate more easily and expedites time to deployment by leveraging best practices derived from the…
Economy is slowing with pockets of strength, in this week’s R&D Power Index
R&D 100 winner of the day: ADS Codex: Adaptive DNA Storage Codec
Currently, warehouses the size of several football fields are used to store data on hard drives, and in the U.S. alone storage centers account for nearly two percent of the country’s electricity consumption. Soon, the world will generate more digital data than it can store. Los Alamos researchers have turned to DNA to store more…
Ames Laboratory is now Ames National Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory has announced a name change, to Ames National Laboratory. The change, which is effective immediately, was made to more accurately reflect the institution’s past, present and future role as a DOE National Laboratory, said representatives from the DOE’s Office of Science; contractor Iowa State University; and Ames National…
R&D 100 winner of the day: GridDamper
GridDamper, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Electric Power Research Institute and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, is a field-deployment-ready technology to mitigate three major categories of oscillations (natural, forced and sub-synchronous) and allow more renewable electricity in power grids. GridDamper adaptively updates its parameters, sensors and actuators to guarantee power grid stability and reliability…
New onesource concierge service streamlines flow cytometry management for labs
PerkinElmer has announced that it has added PerkinElmer Flow Cytometry Instrument Concierge Services to its OneSource Laboratory Services portfolio. The comprehensive and flexible offering will provide biopharmaceutical labs with expert, onsite flow cytometry specialists to help manage their instruments and processes more efficiently and effectively — facilitating reduced downtime, increased productivity and better data integrity…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Misinformation join-fighting mechanism enabled by AI forensics technology
The deterrence of misinformation requires the establishment of public fact-checking awareness; smooth reporting/inquiry channels; professional fact-checking agencies and a collaborative environment. Through AI technologies, the Institute for Information Industry tackled the requirements and integrated fact-checking related organizations so that a national-level joint-fighting system is formed, successfully preventing misinformation from spreading. Through the cooperation of various…
Countries falling back on coal-powered supplies, in this week’s R&D Power Index
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending July 8, 2022, closed at 4,813.50 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 5.50% (or 251.04 basis points) from the week ending July 1, 2022. Sixteen of the 25 RDWI members gained value from 0.37% (General Motors) to 9.76% (Alphabet/Google). Nine of…
Amyloid Mass Spectrometry supports Alzheimer’s drug discovery and development
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments announces the successful commercialization of a new Amyloid Mass Spectrometry (MS) Service for the early screening of amyloid-positive individuals. This simple, research-use-only blood-based analysis method enables reliable characterization of amyloid pathology in the brain with an easy-to-acquire blood sample to assist in the evaluation and development of new pharmaceutical treatments for Alzheimer’s…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed (QSCOUT)
Sandia National Laboratories’s QSCOUT provides scientists free and complete access to the only open quantum computing testbed based on trapped ions in the world. It gives the scientific community a new level of programming control and execution for improving quantum computer science. Quantum information processing has reached an inflection point transitioning from proof-of-principle scientific experiments…
Exothera to develop and manufacture COVID vaccine based on proprietary technology
Vaccizone, a vaccine development company focusing on innovative antigen delivery technology, selected Exothera S.A. to fast-track process development of its SARS‑CoV‑2 vaccine for European clinical trials. Vaccizone has developed and patented a novel method for delivering antigens and bioactive compounds which can increase the stability and shelf life of complex biotherapeutics, like vaccines, monoclonal antibodies…
These energy-packed batteries work well in extreme cold and heat
by University of California San Diego Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed lithium-ion batteries that perform well at freezing cold and scorching hot temperatures, while packing a lot of energy. The researchers accomplished this feat by developing an electrolyte that is not only versatile and robust throughout a wide temperature range,…
R&D 100 winner of the day: OH0TA OVMed Medical Image Sensor
OmniVision’s OH0TA OVMed medical image sensor is the world’s smallest commercially available image sensor. With a package size of just 0.55 mm x 0.55 mm, featuring a 1.0-micron pixel and a 1/31 optical format, it is smaller than the Guinness World Record held by its predecessor and quadruples resolution and provides wafer-level optics in a…
FDA requests new Covid-19 vaccines in this week’s R&D Power Index
Researchers measure photovoltaic external quantum efficiency to transform the future of solar cells
Researchers at Swansea University, U.K., have proven that it is possible to achieve near-unity charge generation quantum yields in organic solar cells. These findings present a route for designing and constructing higher-performance solar cells, which help to secure the future using renewable energy sources to meet sustainability goals. The research, led by Dr. Wei Li…
R&D 100 winner of the day: The Continuous Type Heat Treatment System Equipment for Micro Parts (CTHT)
The Continuous Type Heat Treatment System Equipment for Micro Parts (CTHT), from Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), is an exclusive heat treatment system equipment for micro parts, making them maintain a high collecting rate and an excellent mechanical property. In addition, the CTHT has the advantage of shortening delivery schedules and reducing production…
Project digitizes sharing of data to support machine learning and boost cyber resilience
The Pistoia Alliance is announcing that it has successfully completed a proof of concept (PoC) on the digital transfer via cloud of analytical High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods, proving it is possible to move analytical methods securely between two different vendors and Chromatography Data Systems (CDS) vendors with ease. This PoC delivers on a…
Certara’s COVID vaccine model is focus of Episode 8 of R&D 100 – The Podcast
R&D World editors Paul Heney and Aimee Kalnoskas have their minds blown — multiple times! — in this episode, which delves into Certara’s Simcyp COVID-19 Vaccine Model, a 2021 R&D 100 Awards winner. Paul interviews Piet van der Graaf, Senior Vice President and Head of Quantitative Systems Pharmacology for Certara and learns about the genesis…
Submit your design for the 2022 Packaging Innovation Awards
Dow is once again looking for the most innovative packages in the world. The entry period for the 2022 Packaging Innovation Awards is now open at www.dow.com/packagingawards. First launched over 30 years ago, the Packaging Innovation Awards honor the best, most innovative designs in the packaging industry. Past winners have redefined categories and challenged the…