Tag: Biotechnology

Theranos founder Holmes ordered to prison, pay victims

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2023 (AFP) – Fallen US biotech star Elizabeth Holmes must begin serving prison time after a judge denied her latest request to remain free while appealing her fraud conviction. Holmes was sentenced to just over 11 years in prison for defrauding investors with her Silicon Valley start-up Theranos. She was scheduled to begin serving prison time on April 27, but her lawyers lodged a last-minute appeal on procedural issues after an […]

US warns Russia may use biological weapons in Ukraine

The United States on Wednesday rejected Russian claims that it supports a bioweapons program in Ukraine, saying the allegations were a sign that Moscow could soon use the weapons themselves. “The Kremlin is intentionally spreading outright lies that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. “Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions […]

US is ‘concerned’ that Russia wants to seize Ukraine bio-research

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The United States said Tuesday it was working with Ukraine to prevent invading Russian forces from seizing biological research material amid concern governments or unscrupulous actors might try to use such items to create bioweapons. “Ukraine has biological research facilities, which in fact we are now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to gain control of,” senior State Department official Victoria Nuland told US lawmakers at […]

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes guilty in fraud trial

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Fallen US biotech star Elizabeth Holmes was convicted on Monday of defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup Theranos, in a high-profile case seen as an indictment of Silicon Valley culture. Jurors found Holmes guilty of tricking investors into pouring money into what she said was a revolutionary testing system, but also acquitted her on some charges, and failed to agree on others. The 37-year-old now faces the possibility of […]

UK to relax post-Brexit rules on gene-edited crops

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – The UK government announced plans on Wednesday to relax regulation of gene-edited crops, following the country’s departure from the European Union. Under the changes, which will apply to England, the government has said it will “cut red tape and make research and development easier”, allowing gene-edited crops to be tested in the same way as naturally occurring new varieties. The devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which set […]

Philippines approves GMO ‘golden rice’ for commercial production

  MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — The Philippines became the world’s first country Friday to approve the commercial production of genetically modified “golden rice” that experts hope will combat childhood blindness and save lives in the developing world. A biosafety permit issued by government regulators paves the way for the rice — enriched with the vitamin A-precursor beta-carotene to make it more nutritional — to be grown by farmers across the country, its developers said. “It’s […]

France’s Sanofi to buy US group Principia Biopharma for $3.68 billon

PARIS, France (AFP) — French pharma giant Sanofi said Monday it will buy US group Principia Biopharma for $3.68 billion in a deal that will boost its research and development into autoimmune and allergic diseases. The deal will see Sanofi “acquire all of the outstanding shares of Principia for $100 per share in cash, which represents an aggregate equity value of approximately $3.68 billion”, Sanofi said in a statement. Sanofi had been cooperating with San […]

Benepisyo ng biotechnology, ilalahad ng DOST

Ni Belle Surara Eagle News Service (Eagle News) – Pangungunahan ng Department of Science and Technology (DOST) ang pagdiriwang ng National Biotechnology Week (NBW) sa taong ito. Layunin nito na mapalawak pa ang kaalaman ng mga mamamayan tungkol sa benepisyong idinudulot ng biotechnology sa buhay at pamumuhay ng tao. Ang tema nang naturang pagdiriwang ay “Pambansang Hamon, Pambansang Solusyon.” Ayon kay DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña, tatalakayin sa pagdiriwang ng NBW  ang mga biotechnology product,  […]

Human genome decoded with pocket-sized device

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Scientists used a portable device no bigger than a cellphone to sequence the most complete human genome ever assembled with a single technology, according to a study published Monday. The breakthrough, detailed in the journal Nature Biotechnology, brings us closer to the day when family doctors will order up genome scans during a regular check-up along with blood work, the authors suggested. “We are definitely approaching […]