TOP STORIES
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will award Takeda Pharmaceuticals with a $38 million grant to develop a low-cost polio vaccine for developing countries. The grant is aimed at avoiding a shortfall in the vaccine as countries make the switch from using oral polio vaccine to “inactivated polio vaccine.” The grant will support the development of at least 50 million doses per year of the inactivated polio virus vaccine. — Reuters
Research scientists have developed a way to deliver drugs through the placenta that could lead to the treatment of complications that occur early in pregnancy and reduce premature births. — Science News Journal, Science Advances
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
LIFE SCIENCES
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is backing away from its push to get Custom Ultrasonics to recall its 2,800 scope-cleaning machines used by hospitals and clinics. — MedPage Today
PAYERS-PROVIDERS
With the rise of cybercrime, should hospitals invest in cybersecurity insurance? — HIT Consultant
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The looming mergers of Aetna-Humana and Anthem-Cigna could face some resistance from the Department of Justice over antitrust concerns. — Fierce Health Payer
TECHNOLOGY
Yale School of Medicine developed a way to make it easier for patients to access their electronic health records to share data with researchers, if they are so inclined. It will automatically pull in updates from parts of a patient’s EHR. — Fierce Biotech
Data from an app developed by the University of Michigan initially for jet lag has captured new insights on sleep according to a study published in Science Advances. Among the findings — women tend to get more sleep than men and middle-aged men get the least amount of sleep. — BBC, Science Daily
Another look at hacking medical devices to produce an artificial pancreas as Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson near submission of their own devices for FDA clearance. — The Wall Street Journal
POLITICS
Among the pros and cons of the UK leaving the European Union, the European Medicines Agency and new patent court would be likely to be moved away from London. About 90 life science leaders signed a letter waning against an exit from the EU saying it could make the drug approval process more arduous, cut off vital research funding and endanger jobs. —Financial Times, Pharma Times
A U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce health subcommittee hearing will examine how to cover people with pre-existing conditions and keep premium costs down on Wednesday. The hearing is part of a push by Republicans to devise Obamacare alternatives. — The Hill
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
Scientists want to sequence Leonardo DaVinci’s genome so they can learn a little more about the Renaissance man. In particular they’re interested in his eye color, skin tone, hair color, weight, height, and face shape, health, personality and diet. How will they do this? They’ll scour traces of DNA and fingerprints from his books, notepads, paintings, and equipment and piece it together with DNA from living and late ancestors. — I F*cking Love Science
Photo: Flickr user Lester Public Library
