Update on Microsoft School of the Future

Elizabeth Svoboda — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:12:33 -0400

Three years have passed since the opening of Microsoft's School of the Future in Philadelphia, a high-profile pilot project designed to kick urban education up a few notches with learning strategies from the corporate world. Two years have passed since we wrote about this daring initiative. Now--if education experts at a recent American Enterprise Institute panel discussion are to be believed--the experiment is showing signs of stagnation.

A new antibiotic alternative

Elizabeth Svoboda — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:05:47 -0400

We've written about Intralytix, NovaBay, and Polymedix—companies developing drugs designed to circumvent the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

LS9 joins forces with P&G

Elizabeth Svoboda — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:20:25 -0400

Last year, I wrote about LS9, the scrappy Bay Area-based company that's engineering microbes to churn out transportation fuel. Now, LS9 has joined forces with Procter and Gamble--an upstart-titan partnership that could potentially speed the entry of LS9 products into the marketplace.

Will Wyeth Revolutionize Research at Pfizer?

Elizabeth Svoboda — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:28:46 -0500

Last fall, when we visited Wyeth Biotech's campus in Andover, MA, we were blown away by the management's off-the-beaten-path approach to drug development and innovation. Now the storyline has hit an unexpected twist: Officials at Pfizer, the world's biggest drug company, are in talks to buy all of Wyeth -- including its rogue biotech division -- for around $60 billion. (So far, nothing is definite; reps from Wyeth and Pfizer are staying mum.)

Wyeth's Multibillion-dollar Biotech Bet

Elizabeth Svoboda — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:45:41 -0500

It seemed like a disaster. In July, Wyeth BioPharma -- which everyone, inside the company and out, calls Wyeth Biotech -- released clinical results showing that its much-touted Alzheimer's drug, bapineuzumab, had failed to meet expectations. Papers screamed with headlines like Wyeth May Be Dead Money After Alzheimer's Setback. Some analysts raised doubts that the drug, which had been seen as a potential blockbuster, could get FDA approval. Its parent company's share price dropped more than 10% in a day.

Virgin America's Gogo Wi-Fi Takes to the Skies

Elizabeth Svoboda — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:47:57 -0500

“Raise your laptops in the sky!” the announcer booms over the airplane loudspeaker. “Higher, higher, higher! Show us what you like!” Flashes wink as dozens of laptops rise in one swooping motion toward the cameras. This is Virgin America's in-the-clouds blowout bash to kick off its Gogo inflight wi-fi service—if the term “blowout bash” can be applied to a venue featuring oxygen masks and three-across seats bolted to the floor. Various YouTube personalities and a gaggle of press are on hand, squeezing their way up and down the aisles.