A Covington-based pharmaceutical company received a $2.9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute.

Bexion Pharmaceuticals, a 7-year-old company in Covington, will use the grant to help advance a potential breakthrough drug that holds promise for fighting pancreatic cancer and certain brain tumors, two of the most devastating forms of cancer and among the most difficult to treat.  The grant also provides a powerful validation for the company, and the region’s ability to create and grow startups that might make a global impact.  The drug has shown early results in causing cancer cells to destroy themselves while leaving healthy cells unharmed in animal testing, and can now move on to phase 1 human trials, which will start early next year. 

Cincinnati hosted a “PurpleStride 5k” walk last month, which raised money for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.  Former GCADA President Ken Fallhaber, a pancreatic cancer survivor, had a team at the event, and they the top fundraising team at the event, raising $7900.   The event raised over $174,000 for pancreatic cancer research.  

Pancreatic cancer is the most under-funded, under-recognized, and least studied form of all major cancers.  But Bexion Pharmaceuticals may have a solution.  However, even if everything goes perfectly in human trials, it will still be many years before the product would be on the market.  But even with the long wait, this grant brings huge promise to the Greater Cincinnati area.

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The U.S. Energy Department last week announced $45 million in grants for advanced vehicle technologies that meet three goals: Improved fuel efficiency, lower transportation costs and protection of the environment.

            Thirty-eight projects span five areas: lightweighting and propulsion materials; advanced batteries; power electronics; advanced heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; and fuels and lubricants. The lightweighting projects, for instance, will conduct research on lightweight materials such as advanced high-strength steel, magnesium and aluminum that allow automakers to include electric drive components, electronic systems and emissions control equipment without increasing vehicle weight. The research on advanced batteries is designed to further reduce battery costs. The projects aim to cut battery size and weight in half while improving efficiency and performance.

            The remaining projects touch on other aspects of electric vehicles.

Self-driving cars, known as autonomous vehicles, will rise from 4 percent of the global market in 2020 to 41 percent in 2030 and 75 percent in 2035, says a new report from Navigant Research.

            “Automated driving has the potential to make roads safer and reduce the large portion of accidents that are caused by driver error,” the report says. Combinations of advanced driver assistance features, such as adaptive speed control, automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning, are already being brought together in some 2014 models, resulting in semi-autonomous driving in some markets.

            Automakers will see autonomous driving as a way to distinguish their brands. High-tech manufacturers, such as Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Lexus and Mercedes, will push to be the first.

            The change will likely be gradual, says David Alexander, senior research analyst with Navigant. “The first features will most likely be self-parking, traffic jam assistance and freeway cruising.” The driver will become more like an airplane pilot, the report says.

            Several obstacles remain. Some states require that all vehicles have a driver in control at all times. And who would be at fault in an accident? “Automakers will be reluctant to assume responsibility for not only supplying the vehicles, but also safety operating them,” the company says.