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Making Changes

Oct 29, 2009

Patent reform could be happening soon, writes Kevin Noonan at Patent Docs. At a meeting held by BIO, Joseph Matal, the Republican general counsel for the Senate judiciary committee, says the Senate will "reach a deal" on the patent reform bill and that the House of Representatives will then pass that bill this year or early next year. According to Noonan, Matal gave the odds as 70 to 80 percent and that the bill will be largely similar to S. 515. Noonan also outlines what is expected to be in the act.

Breaking News
The Scan

Pig Organ Transplants Considered

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Food and Drug Administration may soon allow clinical trials that involve transplanting pig organs into humans.

'Poo-Bank' Proposal

Harvard Medical School researchers suggest people should bank stool samples when they are young to transplant when they later develop age-related diseases.

Spurred to Develop Again

New Scientist reports that researchers may have uncovered why about 60 percent of in vitro fertilization embryos stop developing.

Science Papers Examine Breast Milk Cell Populations, Cerebral Cortex Cellular Diversity, Micronesia Population History

In Science this week: unique cell populations found within breast milk, 100 transcriptionally distinct cell populations uncovered in the cerebral cortex, and more.