The UK has the highest rate of Paget’s bone disease in the world, but now researchers from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), the Paget’s Association and Norton Priory Museum Trust are analysing ancient bones to better understand the progression of the disease, which may permit earlier diagnosis.
Paget’s disease disrupts the normal cycle of bone renewal and repair, causing bones to become weakened and deformed. It is known to affect up to 1 in 12 older men and 1 in 20 women over the age of 80. But symptoms often only show at the later stages. As Diana Wilkinson, Specialist’s Paget’s Nurse, of the Paget’s Association explains: “The North West of England is known to have the highest prevalence of Paget’s disease and evidence of the...
An international consortium of scientists led by a group from the University of Leicester has announced a new advance in understanding the mechanisms of cancer and how to target it more effectively with new treatments.
Two papers published in the same issue of the world-leading Journal of Cell Biology have arisen from research work led by Professor Andrew Fry at the University of Leicester. Both papers suggest that new understanding of the mechanics of cell division can reveal new targets for cancer therapy. Professor Fry, who is Director of Research in the College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology at Leicester, said: “Together...
Merck Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck, announced publication of a study showing that its Strat-M® synthetic membrane predicts skin permeation of chemical compounds during in vitro transdermal diffusion studies as effectively as human or animal skin.
The study was conducted by researchers at Josai University in Japan and published in the January 25, 2015 issue of European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Results showed similar permeability coefficients for human skin, rat skin and Strat-M ® membrane
Demonstrated Strat-M® membrane is an effective alternative to use of animal or human skin for permeation studies
Ideal for transdermal diffusion testing for a wide range of pharmaceutical and cosmetic compounds
DELMIC develops and manufactures products which are focused on high performance, user friendly, integrated microscopy solutions.
Users of Delmic's SPARC technology from Stanford University and the FOM Institute AMOLF in the Netherlands are using cathodoluminescence measurements for nanoscale optical tomography. Engineers at Stanford University and the FOM Institute AMOLF, in the Netherlands, have developed a way to visualise the optical properties of objects that are thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand, in 3-D and with nanometer-scale...
The prestigious Bio-IT World Best Practices prize has been granted to the European Lead Factory (ELF) for its Honest Data Broker (HDB) implementation of the ScienceCloud platform from BIOVIA.
ELF also announces the synthesis of >50,000 new high quality compounds based on public proposals. These compounds were subsequently included in the Joint European Compound Library (JECL). Andrew Pannifer from the University of Dundee and Herman van Vlijmen from Janssen led development of the HDB with BIOVIA. Andrew Pannifer said that winning the Best Practices prize in the Knowledge Management category brought...
Soft tissue disorders like tumors are very difficult to recognize using normal X-ray machines.
There is hardly any distinction between healthy tissue and tumors. Researchers at the Technische Universität München (TUM) have now developed a technology using a compact synchrotron source that measures not only X-ray absorption, but also phase shifts and scattering. Tissue that is hardly recognizable using traditional X-ray machines is now visible. X-ray images have become an integral part of daily medical practice. Bones, for example...
Market leaders in temperature controlled microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments report on the use of their temperature controlled stages in the study of the effects of cryopreservation of Koala spermatozoa in Australia.
Since its inception, the technique of Artificial Insemination (AI) has been a controversial yet vital in vivo fertilization method which is regularly used as a fertility treatment for humans, as well as for animal breeding and conservation. The technique, which has been around since the early part of the twentieth century, really became mainstream after the birth of the first ‘test tube baby’ in 1978. Since the 1980s, AI has become a multi-billion pound...
Tecan’s Infinite® M1000 PRO multimode reader has helped liquid analysis specialist Aqsens to develop a portable testing platform for on-site quantitative monitoring of polymeric scale inhibitors in oil field-produced waters.
Joonas Siivonen, Application Scientist at Aqsens, explained: “Polymeric scale inhibitors are used to prevent scale build-up during oil production, and the residual levels in the oil field-produced waters must be monitored to ensure treatment is effective and the oil platform can be operated safely. Using a patented detection technology combining time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) with chemical modulators, we have developed a portable system – the Aqsens QS platform – to offer a fast, accurate means of monitoring residual scale inhibitors on site.”....
The Jenway Genova Nano is preprogrammed with parameters for a number of protein assays, several of which can be adapted for use with the micro volume accessory. Performing scaled-down reaction volumes has a number of advantages including reduction in reagent and sample volumes and use of fewer consumables such as cuvettes.
This application note describes the use of the Pierce 660nm protein assay kit (Thermo Scientific #22662) using the Genova Nano. The assay is prepared in a microtitre plate using just 10μl of test sample and has a linear range of 50-2000μg/ml. The assay is very simple and quick to perform and is compatible with reducing agents and some detergents....
Chromatrap®, a business unit of Porvair Sciences, has published a new application note that describes how Chromatrap® ChIP-seq assays now enable unbiased, genome-wide understanding of protein-DNA regulatory networks.
Genome-wide mapping of protein-DNA interactions is essential for a complete understanding of gene regulation. A detailed map of epigenetic marks and transcription factor binding is necessary for deducing the regulatory networks that underpin gene expression in a variety of biological systems. The most widely used tool for examining these interactions is ChIP followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq). The new application note reports on how...
Positive displacement pipettes have been used for many years for PCR applications. Gilson, experts in liquid handling have published three new papers which describe the use of positive displacement technology to help solve the issues of pipetting problem liquids.
Gilson’s MICROMAN E positive displacement pipette with its Capillary Pistons helps scientists counter common pipetting problems that may affect accuracy and precision when working with problem liquids. Leaks are known to occur when pipetting volatile solutions such as acetone, hexane and ethanol with an air-displacement pipette.
To Accelerate Production at New Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Manufacturing Facility in Wales
TAP Biosystems (now part of the Sartorius Stedim Biotech Group), a leading supplier of innovative cell culture and fermentation systems for life science, is delighted to announce its Cellmate automated cell culture system has been chosen by leading stem cell therapy firm, ReNeuron to produce clinical and commercial stem cell therapies at the new Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) Manufacturing Facility in Wales. Cellmate, which has been...
Renishaw, a world leader in metrology and spectroscopy technologies, report on the use of their Raman spectrometers to study 2D materials in the Optical Characterization and Nanophotonics Laboratory at Boston University.
Founded in 1839, Boston University has over 33,000 students. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering house the Optical Characterization and Nanophotonics (OCN) laboratory at Boston University. Here, research focuses on developing, and applying, advanced optical characterization techniques to the study of solid-state and biological phenomena, at the nanoscale. The group uses Renishaw Raman spectrometers to measure strain in 2D materials and the...
Protea Biosciences Group, Inc. (OTCQB: PRGB) (“Protea”) announced that it is presenting an application of the recently released software and workflow known as Histology Guided Mass Spectrometry (HGMS) in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).
This work is being presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. This workflow combines optical microscopy and histology with high resolution mass spectrometry including online and remote access, annotation, and sharing capabilities. “Histology Guided Mass Spectrometry enables clinical researchers to indicate where to perform targeted mass spectrometry on groups of cells, while still in their laboratory...
JPK Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation for research in life sciences and soft matter, reports on the use of their NanoWizard® AFM system in the Institute of Chemistry of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was founded in 1918. It is Israel's premier university as well as its leading research institution. It stresses excellence and offers a wide array of study opportunities in the humanities, social sciences, exact sciences and medicine. The university encourages multi-disciplinary activities in Israel and overseas and serves as a bridge between academic research and its social and industrial applications...
Oxford Global is proud to present its 16th Annual Drug Discovery Summit and the co-located 3rd Annual Discovery Chemistry & Drug Design Congress taking place in Berlin on the 8th and 9th of June 2015.
Over the years the congress has taken place in Geneva, however this year it will be held at the Hotel Palace Berlin in Germany. Our prestigious Summit brings together prominent decision makers working at the forefront of research into target based discovery, phenotypic screening, preclinical biomarkers, and medicinal chemistry. Over 250 delegates will be representing leading biotech companies, global pharmaceutical organisations and...
LaVison BioTec, developers of advanced microscopy solutions for the life sciences, report on the research of Professor Kurt I Anderson and his groups' studies of cell migration in the context of cancer metastasis at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research.
Professor Kurt I Anderson is the Group Leader of the Tumour Cell Migration research program at the Beatson Institute, part of Cancer Research UK. His work focuses on developing fluorescence microscopy approaches to study the cellular and molecular dynamics of metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Metastasis is linked to mortality in most types of cancer, and a matter of intense investigation around the world. Metastatic invasion is challenging to study...
A new ASTM International standard will help users undertake shear testing using the Freeman Technology FT4 Powder Rheometer®.
Entitled, ‘Standard Test Method for Shear Testing of Powders using the Freeman Technology FT4 Powder Rheometer Shear Cell’, ASTM D7891 details the apparatus and procedures for evaluating the incipient failure properties of a powder under consolidation, including the determination of parameters such as Cohesion, Unconfined Yield Strength and Flow Function. D7891 has been published by Subcommittee D18.24 on Characterization and...
Quotient Clinical, the Translational Pharmaceutics® Company, has announced the publication of results from an Enabled-First-in-Human (Enabled-FIH) program conducted for the Janssen WAVE Early Development unit.
The integrated pharmaceutical development and first-in-human clinical program was designed to develop an optimal oral formulation, in parallel with the assessment of single and multiple dose safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a highly selective small molecule c-Met tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The clinical phase, which was conducted under a single, adaptive protocol, was completed in only six months. The single ascending...
PointMan used for non-invasive analysis for T790M mutations of EGFR
EKF Diagnostics, the global diagnostics company, announces that its PointMan™ DNA enrichment technology has been identified as an easy and useful method for non-invasively determining plasma EGFR T790M mutation status in late stage lung cancer patients. This is according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015, April 18 - 22, 2015, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In a scientific poster entitled...
The majority of gastric cancers harbor genomic alterations (GAs) associated with potential benefit from targeted therapies, according to a new study published in The Oncologist on April 16, 2015.
These findings suggest a role for genotype-directed management of locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer. To date, the ERBB2 amplification is the only GA in advanced gastric cancer associated with a survival benefit in response to targeted therapy. However, because most patients with gastric cancer do not harbor this rare alteration, most cannot benefit from targeted therapy under current practice guidelines. To identify additional...
Savings of up to 50% offered to help upskill workforces in the pharma, biotech and medical device sectors
Pharmaceutical Training International (PTI), the leading supplier of online and public event-based training courses for the pharma, biotech and medical device sectors, is now providing up to 50% concession per learner per course. Following its recent introduction of innovative game-based e-learning modules, PTI is providing the opportunity to make substantial savings on its full range of training courses to start-ups and SMEs (with fewer than...
Paget’s disease disrupts the normal cycle of bone renewal and repair, causing bones to become weakened and deformed. It is known to affect up to 1 in 12 older men and 1 in 20 women over the age of 80. But symptoms often only show at the later stages. As Diana Wilkinson, Specialist’s Paget’s Nurse, of the Paget’s Association explains: “The North West of England is known to have the highest prevalence of Paget’s disease and evidence of the...
Two papers published in the same issue of the world-leading Journal of Cell Biology have arisen from research work led by Professor Andrew Fry at the University of Leicester. Both papers suggest that new understanding of the mechanics of cell division can reveal new targets for cancer therapy. Professor Fry, who is Director of Research in the College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology at Leicester, said: “Together...
Users of Delmic's SPARC technology from Stanford University and the FOM Institute AMOLF in the Netherlands are using cathodoluminescence measurements for nanoscale optical tomography. Engineers at Stanford University and the FOM Institute AMOLF, in the Netherlands, have developed a way to visualise the optical properties of objects that are thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand, in 3-D and with nanometer-scale...
ELF also announces the synthesis of >50,000 new high quality compounds based on public proposals. These compounds were subsequently included in the Joint European Compound Library (JECL). Andrew Pannifer from the University of Dundee and Herman van Vlijmen from Janssen led development of the HDB with BIOVIA. Andrew Pannifer said that winning the Best Practices prize in the Knowledge Management category brought...
There is hardly any distinction between healthy tissue and tumors. Researchers at the Technische Universität München (TUM) have now developed a technology using a compact synchrotron source that measures not only X-ray absorption, but also phase shifts and scattering. Tissue that is hardly recognizable using traditional X-ray machines is now visible. X-ray images have become an integral part of daily medical practice. Bones, for example...
Since its inception, the technique of Artificial Insemination (AI) has been a controversial yet vital in vivo fertilization method which is regularly used as a fertility treatment for humans, as well as for animal breeding and conservation. The technique, which has been around since the early part of the twentieth century, really became mainstream after the birth of the first ‘test tube baby’ in 1978. Since the 1980s, AI has become a multi-billion pound...
This application note describes the use of the Pierce 660nm protein assay kit (Thermo Scientific #22662) using the Genova Nano. The assay is prepared in a microtitre plate using just 10μl of test sample and has a linear range of 50-2000μg/ml. The assay is very simple and quick to perform and is compatible with reducing agents and some detergents....
Genome-wide mapping of protein-DNA interactions is essential for a complete understanding of gene regulation. A detailed map of epigenetic marks and transcription factor binding is necessary for deducing the regulatory networks that underpin gene expression in a variety of biological systems. The most widely used tool for examining these interactions is ChIP followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq). The new application note reports on how...
Gilson’s MICROMAN E positive displacement pipette with its Capillary Pistons helps scientists counter common pipetting problems that may affect accuracy and precision when working with problem liquids. Leaks are known to occur when pipetting volatile solutions such as acetone, hexane and ethanol with an air-displacement pipette.
TAP Biosystems (now part of the Sartorius Stedim Biotech Group), a leading supplier of innovative cell culture and fermentation systems for life science, is delighted to announce its Cellmate automated cell culture system has been chosen by leading stem cell therapy firm, ReNeuron to produce clinical and commercial stem cell therapies at the new Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) Manufacturing Facility in Wales. Cellmate, which has been...
Founded in 1839, Boston University has over 33,000 students. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering house the Optical Characterization and Nanophotonics (OCN) laboratory at Boston University. Here, research focuses on developing, and applying, advanced optical characterization techniques to the study of solid-state and biological phenomena, at the nanoscale. The group uses Renishaw Raman spectrometers to measure strain in 2D materials and the...
This work is being presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. This workflow combines optical microscopy and histology with high resolution mass spectrometry including online and remote access, annotation, and sharing capabilities. “Histology Guided Mass Spectrometry enables clinical researchers to indicate where to perform targeted mass spectrometry on groups of cells, while still in their laboratory...
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was founded in 1918. It is Israel's premier university as well as its leading research institution. It stresses excellence and offers a wide array of study opportunities in the humanities, social sciences, exact sciences and medicine. The university encourages multi-disciplinary activities in Israel and overseas and serves as a bridge between academic research and its social and industrial applications... 
Professor Kurt I Anderson is the Group Leader of the Tumour Cell Migration research program at the Beatson Institute, part of Cancer Research UK. His work focuses on developing fluorescence microscopy approaches to study the cellular and molecular dynamics of metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Metastasis is linked to mortality in most types of cancer, and a matter of intense investigation around the world. Metastatic invasion is challenging to study...
Entitled, ‘Standard Test Method for Shear Testing of Powders using the Freeman Technology FT4 Powder Rheometer Shear Cell’, ASTM D7891 details the apparatus and procedures for evaluating the incipient failure properties of a powder under consolidation, including the determination of parameters such as Cohesion, Unconfined Yield Strength and Flow Function. D7891 has been published by Subcommittee D18.24 on Characterization and...
The integrated pharmaceutical development and first-in-human clinical program was designed to develop an optimal oral formulation, in parallel with the assessment of single and multiple dose safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a highly selective small molecule c-Met tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The clinical phase, which was conducted under a single, adaptive protocol, was completed in only six months. The single ascending...
EKF Diagnostics, the global diagnostics company, announces that its PointMan™ DNA enrichment technology has been identified as an easy and useful method for non-invasively determining plasma EGFR T790M mutation status in late stage lung cancer patients. This is according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015, April 18 - 22, 2015, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In a scientific poster entitled...
These findings suggest a role for genotype-directed management of locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer. To date, the ERBB2 amplification is the only GA in advanced gastric cancer associated with a survival benefit in response to targeted therapy. However, because most patients with gastric cancer do not harbor this rare alteration, most cannot benefit from targeted therapy under current practice guidelines. To identify additional...
Pharmaceutical Training International (PTI), the leading supplier of online and public event-based training courses for the pharma, biotech and medical device sectors, is now providing up to 50% concession per learner per course. Following its recent introduction of innovative game-based e-learning modules, PTI is providing the opportunity to make substantial savings on its full range of training courses to start-ups and SMEs (with fewer than...