News

Tissue and Cellular Center Opens at UW-River Falls

A public symposium marked the opening of the Tissue and Cellular Innovation Center (TCIC) at UW-River Falls on March 9, 2009. TCIC is an innovative partnership that links bio-tech research with real world applications.

The mission of the center is to develop a nationally recognized and self-supporting Center of Excellence for research and training in tissue engineering, stem cell biology and biomedical technology at UW-River Falls. Long-term, the goal of the TCIC is to commercialize the scientific research and discoveries through patents and intellectual property law.

The early successes of the TCIC involve the use of natural, 3-dimensional scaffold for growing tissue and cells. This includes the application of natural materials to grow cells into artificial tissue, which can be used for many research purposes.

The Tissue and Cellular Innovation Center is among four other centers under development on UW System campuses. Additional centers are located in Eau Claire, La Crosse, Platteville, and Stout.

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Local hospitals earn above average ratings

The federal government's latest survey of hospital patients is out, and for the first time, the ratings are available for all Chippewa Valley hospitals.

Ranked highest for overall patient satisfaction was OakLeaf Surgical Hospital. Among full-service hospitals, Luther Midelfort, St. Joseph's Hospital, Red Cedar Medical Center and Sacred Heart Hospital also received overall scores above the statewide and national averages.

The rankings, available on Medicare's "Hospital Compare" Web site, are based on patient surveys required by the federal government. The surveys gauge how well doctors and nurses communicate, whether patients believe they received help in a timely manner, and whether they would recommend a hospital to others.

Of the five local facilities, 97 percent of patients responding to the survey said they'd recommend OakLeaf; 79 percent of Luther Midelfort patients, 78 percent of Sacred Heart patients, 76 percent of St. Joseph's patients and 73 percent of Red Cedar's patients reported the same.

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Eau Claire Getting $2 Million to Improve Public Transportation

Eau Claire will be getting $2 million in economic stimulus money to improve its public transportation.

Governor Doyle was in Eau Claire to make the announcement on April 23, 2009. The money will go towards five new diesel buses, a new bus surveillance system, and a new maintenance shop truck. Doyle says these investments will make travel safer, more affordable, and help to get the economy back on track.

Eau Claire is one of 48 small urban and non-urbanized areas getting a total of more than $34 million.

 Article Link: http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/43573897.html

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Governor Doyle Announces $318,500 to Preserve Wisconsin Arts Jobs

Governor Jim Doyle today announced that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded the Wisconsin Arts Board $318,500 with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"Wisconsin is leading efforts to put people to work and invest in future growth," Governor Doyle said. "This funding will allow the Arts Board to strengthen Wisconsin's arts organizations, which are vital to the quality of our Wisconsin communities."

The Wisconsin Arts Board, in cooperation with Arts Midwest, will distribute these funds through a one-time grant program called Wisconsin Arts Jobs. The purpose of this program is to help Wisconsin arts organizations preserve jobs during this economic down turn.

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Mayo 'copters are state of the art

Mayo Clinic is taking a proactive approach to safety and clinical expertise with its fleet of emergency medical helicopters, known as Mayo One. The newest Mayo One aircraft, based in the Chippewa Valley region, is an American Eurocopter EC145 and is among the most advanced aircraft and well-equipped medical care and transport helicopters in the country.

The innovation occurring at the Mayo Clinic is brought to our region through Luther Midelfort-Mayo Health System, providing residents with the best health care in the country. The new Mayo One helicopter, designed to transfer critically ill or injured medical and trauma patients, carries additional safety equipment recommended by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Mayo added more safety features to better protect patients and crew.

Mayo Clinic provided input into designing the medical care area inside the aircraft. Among the customized, high-tech safety features are: systems to alert pilots of proximity to terrain; visual and audible warning prompts of other aircraft traffic in the area; lighting for night-vision goggles, which have been in use on Mayo One since 2006; and what is believed to be the first audio-video cockpit recorder in a civilian medical helicopter.

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Owen poised to buy land for agribusiness park

The Clark County Board has approved selling 71 acres to the city of Owen for an agribusiness park.

The Clark County Economic Development Corporation, a private organization, has been planning the Ag Technology Business Campus for 3 1/2 years.

"It's a very complex, interesting campus, and we're really excited that it's moving forward and going to happen," said Sheila Nyberg, the group's executive director.

The park will be south of Highway 29 off the Cardinal Avenue exit.

The land, which was part of the Clark County Health Care Center and had been rented for crops, sold for about $3,100 an acre, said Tim Swiggum, Owen mayor and Clark County Economic Development Corporation board president. The sale price was $224,475.

The park will be set up as a tax increment financing (TIF) district, he said.

The next step will be installing infrastructure such as water, sewer, electricity and telecommunications, Nyberg said.

Swiggum said four businesses - including a cheese mail order-retail outlet - had expressed interest in building there.

"We're working on our first tenant. We're moving very fast," Nyberg said.

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Family Resource Centers provide valuable service to Western Wisconsin parents and families

The Children's Trust Fund, a public-private partnership created by the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1983, supports Family Resource Centers throughout Wisconsin and provides training, technical assistance, and close monitoring of programs and support services. Four family resource centers in Western Wisconsin receive grants from the Children's Trust Fund to help them meet local needs for parent education and support. There are nineteen centers statewide.

Chippewa County FRC
Eau Claire County FRC
Polk County FRC
St. Croix County FRC

Although each family resource center is unique, they all focus on family strengths and build self-esteem and confidence within families. Because all parents need help at some time but not all families need the same type or intensity of support, family resource centers develop a wide range of programs to serve the needs of their communities.

Since its creation more than 20 years ago, the Children's Trust Fund has provided 147 agencies in Wisconsin with more than $18.5 million for family resource centers and community-based prevention programs. The Children's Trust Fund provides technical assistance and training for programs located throughout Wisconsin that serve thousands of children and families.

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Featured Technology

    
Stable Solid Unit-Dose Delivery System for Biologically Active Compounds

Technology Owner: CATI - Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation
Category: Bio-Agriculture

Researchers at International Specialty Products, a global chemical company located in Wayne, NJ have developed a co-precipitated binder composition used for the compression of pharmaceutical and agriculturally active components to provide a non-friable, readily soluble or dispersible tablet. 

US Patent Number. 5,734,006, Issued 03/31/98, "N-Vinyl Lactam Polymer Containing Tablets of Low Friability and High Rate of Dissolution"

Market Potential

This is a novel, non-friable, fast dissolving solid dosage form which could be used to make pharmaceutical, agricultural, or consumer products, including drug delivery systems, lawn and garden treatments, a wide range of specialty chemical fomulations (laundry, toilet, etc), or any product where an active ingredient must be precisely delivered in a premeasured dosage which can be quickly dissolved in water. 

Benefits

Solid, stable dosage form

Fast breakup in water

Applications

Agricultural market

Pharmaceutical market

Consumer specialty chemical products

Explore this and over 100 other technologies on the SMARTT Network

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