Business

A patent ruling has delivered a serious blow to one US state's hopes of a biotechnology boom. Erika Check reports.

A licensing dispute over fuel additives could spell trouble for one of Britain's nanotechnology stars, as Katharine Sanderson reports.

Fresh laws on the regulation of medicines are working their way through the US Congress — but will they strike the right balance between public safety and innovation? Meredith Wadman investigates.

Car companies know that plastic parts made from plants will appeal to 'green' customers. But as Ichiko Fuyuno reports, their progress has been painfully slow.

The head of China's drug-safety agency is under investigation for alleged corruption. David Cyranoski looks at how the inquiry might affect the country's fast-growing pharmaceutical industry.

As politicians propose higher biofuel targets, soaring maize prices in the United States are putting new investment in ethanol production on hold. Lucy Odling-Smee reports.

A big deal in a big, conservative American state shows that energy utilities can no longer ignore CO₂ emissions. Emma Marris reports.

A Canadian company says it is the first to bring a quantum computer to market but, as Geoff Brumfiel reports, not everyone is buying into the approach.

In the Tuscan countryside just outside Siena, a historic laboratory is helping Novartis in its bid to become the world's premier vaccine company. Alison Abbott reports.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has been stoking its research productivity. Meredith Wadman investigates whether an acquisition would be the right prescription for the company.