The Scientist

Courtesy of VistaLab TechnologiesMatthew Springer learned to take breaks and rest his hands after suffering two repetitive-motion injuries. "I ended up with two basically useless arms." In constant pain, he says, he could not type for more than a few seconds or do simple tasks like grasp a steering wheel.The injury sent him to physical therapy and he followed a prescribed regimen for a full year. He also practiced yoga, and learned to manage stress. With help from colleagues, who took over his m

0 Comments

A mid the flurry that followed the United States Congressional winter 2003 recess, the presidential primaries, and the debate over this year's budget, lawmakers gave final approval to 30 words that could have far-reaching consequences for the scientific community. With few hearings, and scant review or debate, Congress sanctioned a plan that forbids the US Patent and Trade Office (PTO) to issue patents on human organisms.1While seemingly innocuous – after all, the federal government has lo

0 Comments

Last summer, a member of the biology department of the University of Udine in Italy approached Nicola Vitacolonna with an intriguing project. The ANREP program, which annotates structural motifs in gene or protein sequences, was out of date having been written more than a decade ago. Although still used by molecular biologists, its slow computing ability meant a straightforward multiple search could take all night on a desktop PC. The Udine biologist wanted Vitacolonna, a postdoctoral fellow in

0 Comments

Figure 1After several punishing years, the window for biotechnology financing in the US appears to be reopening, though mainly for larger companies with a strong product pipeline, leaving early-stage biotechs to scrap over a tightening pool of federal and local funds. Biotech companies raked in more than $12 billion (US) in 2003, the industry's second highest annual total, but well behind the $32 million raised in the boom year of 2000.Even more significant, analysts say, is the reappearance of

0 Comments

Figure 1A workforce crisis brewing in biotech will cost companies valuable time and money unless managers wise up and change their ways. Forecasters point to looming shortages of qualified staffers for bench lab and other emerging biotech jobs caused by a one-two punch: the turnaround economy and long-held hiring prejudices that favor academic research scientists.Poised for growth, many biotech companies are shifting focus from discovery to bringing their products to market. In turn, the job mar

0 Comments