News
Auburn engineers repurpose CPAP machines into emergency ventilators
Auburn University engineers have developed a way to convert CPAP machines into emergency ventilators, a valuable tool in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The design, called RE-InVENT, is one of several efforts at Auburn to aid healthcare workers in Alabama and beyond. Faculty and staff also have produced hand sanitizer and 3D-printed protective face…
3-D printers join race to produce face shields for healthcare workers
Doctors and nurses caring for COVID-19 patients at Birmingham’s UAB Hospital will soon receive protective face shields thanks to 3-D printing technology and a partnership involving the Alabama Productivity Center at The University of Alabama, Alabama Power and UAB’s School of Engineering. Alan Hill, executive director of the Culverhouse College of Business’s Alabama Productivity Center…
SBA Paycheck Protection Program will help small business keep paying workers
Small businesses across Alabama can benefit from a U.S. Small Business Administration program that is designed to help these enterprises keep their workers on the payroll during the coronavirus crisis. The Paycheck Protection Program provides a direct incentive for small businesses to maintain their workforces by getting cash into their hands quickly in the form of…
Friends launch Local Distancing to support Birmingham businesses
Three friends in Birmingham were wrestling with a major dilemma created by the coronavirus pandemic: How can you lend support to your favorite restaurants and local businesses while maintaining the proper social distancing practices? Their solution — a pay-it-forward approach. Local Distancing, an online platform, allows customers to help these Birmingham area enterprises pay their…
UAB teams with biotech firm Altimmune to test potential COVID-19 vaccine
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — The University of Alabama at Birmingham announced today that it is launching a collaboration with biopharmaceutical company Altimmune for preclinical testing of a potential vaccine to prevent COVID-19 disease. The testing at UAB will investigate immune responses to the vaccine in mice — a key step before Altimmune can launch a Phase 1 human…
UAB to participate in global clinical trial for coronavirus treatment
The University of Alabama at Birmingham announced that it will take part in an NIH-sponsored global clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of novel therapeutic agents in hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The drug remdesivir will be the first agent evaluated in the trial. The UAB site was activated on Wednesday by the National…
UAH lab joins supercomputing effort to find drugs against COVID-19
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – A researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville is joining an effort involving the world’s fastest supercomputer to screen compounds that could be effective against the pandemic COVID-19 virus. Dr. Jerome Baudry, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UAH, said his lab is involved in a project that…
Alabama small businesses can seek SBA COVID-19 disaster loans
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Governor Kay Ivey announced today that small businesses across Alabama negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic are eligible for assistance under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The SBA program will help qualified businesses and non-profit organizations recover from economic losses tied to the abrupt downturn triggered…
Alabama researchers join global fight against COVID-19 disease
Scientists and researchers in Alabama are engaged in the global effort to stem threats posed by the COVID-19 disease. Today, Huntsville’s Diatherix announced that it has developed a highly sensitive and specific assay, or test, for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 respiratory infection. Diatherix, located on the Huntsville campus of the HudsonAlpha Institute…
Auto supplier HTNA expanding in Jasper to serve Mazda Toyota Manufacturing
JASPER, Alabama — Hayashi Telempu North America (HTNA), a Michigan-based supplier of automotive interior components, plans to expand its operations in Walker County with a $7 million project that will create 19 jobs. The announcement makes HTNA’s facility in Jasper the first outside of North Alabama selected to supply Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA, which is…