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Thu. Mar. 01, 2012 MIT ranks number two for video game design The college preparation company Princeton Review is out with its latest listings of the nation’s top schools for training in video game design, and Massachusetts colleges are well represented. The Review listed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the nation’s second-best undergraduate program in game design, bested only by the University of Southern California. Worcester’s Becker College was ranked 10th. Northeastern University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute received honorable mentions.	Advertisement
Hospital boards approve merger of Lowell General and Saints Medical Center The boards of Lowell General Hospital and its long-time crosstown rival Saints Medical Center have approved an agreement to merge into a single community hospital. Approval came four months after the 157-bed Saints, a nonprofit Catholic hospital, disclosed that it had pulled out of a deal to be bought by for-profit hospital group Steward Health Care System LLC, and instead planned to merge with Lowell General. Saints and Lowell General said they will be governed by one board of trustees.
Fidelity says likely rule changes would destroy money market funds Fidelity Investments, the largest manager of US money market mutual funds, said reforms contemplated by regulators would “destroy” the industry and were unnecessary following rule changes two years ago. The impact of the 2010 reforms “should be explored and understood more thoroughly” before regulators make additional changes, the Boston-based company said today in a report that accompanied a letter from the firm to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
William Galvin to banks: Offer free basic checking or give up state and local deposits Secretary of State William F. Galvin vowed to press Bank of America and other big banks in Massachusetts to offer free checking accounts to young adults and the elderly, something most community banks already offer. Galvin said he is seeking legislation to bar banks from holding state or local government deposits in Massachusetts unless they offer free basic checking accounts to people under 19 or 65 and older.
Genzyme: New Framingham plant begins shipping Fabrazyme drug Genzyme Corp. said today that it has begun shipping doses of its Fabrazyme drug from its new plant in Framingham. The move follows an announcement in January that federal regulators had given Cambridge-based Genzyme the approval to begin producing Fabrazyme at the company’s new Framingham plant. With the Framingham plan coming on line, patients in the United States are now able to return to full dosing following a shortage. Fabrazyme treats Fabry’s disease, a rare enzyme deficiency.
Big India automaker taps A123 A123 Systems Inc., a Waltham company specializing in lithium ion batteries, said today that it will supply its battery packs to Tata Motors, a large automaker in India. Tata plans to use A123’s battery packs in Tata’s hybrid electric systems for commercial vehicles such as city buses. A123 said that buses equipped with its batteries could be deployed during the second half of the year. Terms of the deal between A123 and Tata were not disclosed.
Mass. foreclosure activity soared in January There was a spike in Massachusetts foreclosures in January as banks picked up the pace of processing foreclosures following a lull, the Warren Group reported. In January, there were 662 foreclosure deeds filed statewide, up 25 percent from January 2011. The number of foreclosure petitions statewide increased more than 68 percent. Petitions mark the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts. Foreclosure activity was slow throughout much of 2011 as banks reviewed the methods they used to process foreclosures.
MassChallenge kicks off this year’s competition to find the most innovative start-ups MassChallenge, a Boston-based competition that will hand out more than $1 million in prizes to promising start-ups, is launching this year’s effort today with a ceremony featuring city, state, and business officials. And new this year is a special incentive for start-ups focused on improving the lives of disabled people.
Children’s Hospital Boston reaches collaboration deal with Southcoast Health System Children’s Hospital Boston said that it has struck a collaboration deal with Southcoast Health System to improve access to high-quality pediatric care around New Bedford and Fall River. Starting this summer, physicians from Children’s will work with local physicians to provide pediatric services, including family medicine and emergency medicine, at Southcoast hospitals, the parties said. The program will be based at Southcoast’s St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, with some remote pediatric consultations.
Japanese drug maker Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma to buy Boston Biomedical Boston Biomedical Inc., a five-year-old biotechnology startup based in Norwood, said it has agreed to be acquired by Japanese drug maker Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Under the agreement, the buyer will make an upfront payment of $200 million to Boston Biomedical shareholders and later make development milestone payments up to $540 million relating to the compounds being developed by Boston Biomedical, which is working on anticancer drugs.
Celtic Greg Stiemsma will cheer on Hancock Tower race that benefits MS Boston Celtics rookie Greg Stiemsma will be on hand at a Saturday MS fund-raising event that features a race to the top of Boston’s Hancock Tower. The race will benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. People who have agreed to participate in the “MS Climb to the Top” event include Celtics managing partner and co-owner Stephen Pagliuca and strength-and- conditioning coach Bryan Doo. The race is sponsored by Normandy Real Estate Partners and Boston Properties.
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