"6-Science and Innovation" via MaRS

Genome-wide association studies have generated new insight into the devastating eye disease.

In 2005, two genetic studies of people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD)--the most common cause of blindness in people older than 65--made a surprising discovery. Research showed that defects in a gene that is an important regulator of parts of the immune system significantly increased risk of the disease. Scientists have since identified variants in several related genes that also boost risk, and which collectively account for about 50 to 60 percent of the heritability of the disorder.

Where to File Your Patent Case
Source: Social Science Research Network

Patent lawyers spend a great deal of time figuring out the best districts in which to file patent cases. Based on a comprehensive study of all patent lawsuits over the past ten years, I identify the best – and worst – districts for patent owners along a variety of metrics. The answers will surprise you.

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The Obama Administration is offering up to $1 million in prize money to entrepreneurs who can develop innovative ways to commercialize new technology. The U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship’s i6 Challenge is offering the prize money to six winners who develop what judges think are the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization in their respective regions, according to a White House blog post attributed to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. The challenge is part of President Obama’s Strategy for American Innovation, which calls on government agencies to use prizes, challenges, and awards to help create technologies that will make American industry more competitive globally. “How well America moves ideas out of the research lab and into the marketplace will help determine whether we remain the most competitive and vibrant economy in the world,” Locke said in the post. “We want to hear the best ideas from entrepreneurs, investors, universities, foundations, and non-profits across America.”

The Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is overseeing the i6 Challenge with help from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. Both the NIH and the NSF have pledged to provide up to $6 million in additional funding to Small Business Innovation Research program grantees that partner with i6 Challenge winners, according to the post. Entrants have until July 15 to submit an application. The EDA website contains information about the award program, and a conference call on May 17 will provide additional details about the challenge.

Source:  InformationWeek

Georgia Bio (GaBio) — a private, non-profit association representing pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies; universities; research institutes; medical centers; government groups; and other business organizations — has teamed up with the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), the state of Georgia, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and the Innovation Crescent business community in a partnership to create the Georgia Bioscience Commercialization Center (GBCC). The center will serve as a start-up catalyst and resource center for bioscience entrepreneurs in the state. Last year, a report by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology suggested that metro Atlanta lacked sufficient resources to sustain high-tech start-ups. (See the previous eNews post.)

GaBio and the GRA provided seed funding for the GBCC. Key elements of the center’s operations will include a faculty of bioscience executives who will offer guidance to start-up firms at no cost and a website (www.GeorgiaBCC.com) with “how-to” information and links to service providers, event notices, technology opportunities, and other resources. “The GBCC will serve as a one-stop shop for life sciences entrepreneurs in Georgia seeking the information and contacts they need to be successful,” says Laurence Downey, MD, former president and CEO of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, who serves as a primary contact for the commercialization center.

Source: Business Wire