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Mon. Sep. 10, 2012 Immunetics gets $3.7m NIH contract for blood screening test Immunetics Inc., a Boston company specializing in technology for blood screening, has received a $3.7 million contract from an agency of the National Institutes of Health to support the testing of a new blood screening test for Babesia infection. Babesia is a parasite that is transmitted by the same ticks that transmit Lyme disease, and it can lead to severe or fatal illness, especially in people whose immune systems have been compromised. There is currently no licensed test available.	Advertisement
Ralph Lauren to sponsor Masterpiece on PBS Masterpiece, the PBS drama series known for such recent programs as Downton Abbey and Sherlock, announced that Ralph Lauren Corp., the tony apparel brand, is becoming a national corporate sponsor for the series. It is the first television sponsorship for Ralph Lauren, Masterpiece said. Ralph Lauren’s first on-air sponsorship messages will begin Sept. 30 with the broadcast of Upstairs Downstairs, Masterpiece said. The company is planning to create unique spots for the various titles in the Masterpiece series.
AAA: Mass. gas prices are up 4 cents a gallon The average price for gas in Massachusetts is $3.809 per gallon in the latest weekly AAA survey, up 4 cents from the previous week’s average, AAA Southern New England said Monday. The local weekly averages are up 13 cents over the past month. The national average for gas is $3.82 a gallon. A year ago at this time, the Massachusetts average price was $3.65.
AstraZeneca, Broad Institute partner to advance discovery of antibacterial and antiviral agents AstraZeneca PLC and the Broad Institute announced a collaboration Monday to identify new chemical compounds targeting bacterial and viral infections that could speed the development of new antibacterial and antiviral drugs. British drug maker AstraZeneca has a significant presence in Massachusetts, including a research and development campus in Waltham and a manufacturing plant in Westborough. Together, they employed about 900 people as of December. The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was founded to help scientists transform medicine with new genome-based knowledge.
All Patriots fans will have Wi-Fi access at Gillette Stadium this football season Enterasys Networks, a Siemens Enterprise Communications company with a presence in Andover, said Monday that it has been chosen by the Kraft Sports Group to provide high-density Wi-Fi at Gillette Stadium as a way to ensure high-speed wireless connectivity for all fans at New England Patriots games and other stadium events. Gillette Stadium has a capacity of about 68,000 for Patriots games, and this season, all fans at Gillette will have free Wi-Fi access; last season, only about 6,000 fans had such access.
Pumpkins rampant: Dunkin’ Donuts rolls out some autumn menu items Dunkin’ Donuts, the Canton coffee-and-baked-goods chain, said that participating stores are now rolling out seasonal autumn menu items, including pumpkin-flavored coffee in single-serve K-Cup packs. Other seasonal items include apple cider, pumpkin cream cheese, “Apple Orchard Donuts and Munchkins,” pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin latte.
Legal Sea Foods features a Jesus fish and Brokeback Mountain in its new advertising Gay cowboys, dead grandpas -- and even Jesus -- are among the targets of Legal Sea Foods latest advertising campaign. The Boston chain, which has a reputation for fresh seafood and edgy marketing, is now likening the restaurant to a religious experience, complete with its own “Jesus fish” that features the word “Legal” written in the space created by the two intersecting arcs.
More than one-third of Massachusetts hospitals lost money last year, according to state report Massachusetts hospitals are facing growing financial strains, with more than a third of them losing money last year, according to a new state report. Two dozen acute care hospitals, 37 percent of the 65 in the state, posted financial losses in fiscal 2011, said the report from the state Division of Health Care Finance and Policy. Among those reporting losses were community hospitals, urban safety net hospitals -- which treat large numbers of low-income patients -- and even hospitals owned by reowned academic medical centers.
Visible Measures: Online video of Michelle Obama’s speech generates 2.58m views The speech delivered by First Lady Michelle Obama was more widely viewed online than any other speech at this week’s Democratic National Convention, according to Visible Measures Corp., a digital video analytics company based in Boston. With more than 2.5 million views, Michelle Obama’s speech got roughly 1 million more views than the speech given by former President Bill Clinton. The speech given by President Obama has generated about 308,000 views. Because the speeches were delivered on different nights, it’s hard to generate apples-to-apples comparisons at this point.
Twins Enterprise launches National Football League clothing line under its ‘47 Brand name Twins Enterprise Inc., a Westwood company perhaps best known for its store near Fenway Park, is launching a line of National Football League apparel and hats under its ‘47 Brand name. The launch is part of an ongoing company strategy to establish ‘47 Brand as a stand-alone lifestyle brand. ‘47 Brand’s NFL line is designed to appeal as much to women as to men. Twins Enterprise was started by two brothers in 1947. Hence the ‘47 Brand name.
Aileron Therapeutics is expanding its focus to include endocrine and metabolic diseases Aileron Therapeutics Inc. said it is expanding into endocrine and metabolic diseases with a new program that aims to start the clinical development of a drug candidate in early 2013. The Cambridge-based company added that it has appointed Hubert C. Chen, MD, to the post of vice president of clinical development for endocrine and metabolic disease. Chen joins Aileron from Regulus Therapeutics. The program’s drug candidate is being developed to treat such rare disorders as adult growth hormone deficiency and HIV lipodystrophy.
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