What studies into male birds tell us about reproduction in later life
Studies into male birds that produce offspring well into their old age could deepen concerns over the trend for delaying parenthood until later in life, for both men and women. An international team of scientists, led by Dr Brian Preston from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), have studied the large, flamboyant houbara bustard, for insights into how aging has evolved. In their most recent work, published in...
New case study follows the successful adoption of OGT’s CytoSure™ platform at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), The Molecular Genetics Company, explores how Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust has seamlessly transferred to its CytoSure™ ISCA 8x60k platform, in a new case study entitled Evaluating and switching to CytoSure microarrays. As the result of a highly stringent National Health Service (NHS) tender for the supply of oligo-based cytogenetics research arrays, CytoSure was selected based on...
Eppendorf and the journal Science are now accepting applications for the 2015 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology.
This annual international research prize of US$25,000 is awarded to young scientists for their outstanding contributions to neurobiology research based on methods of molecular and cell biology. Researchers who are 35 years of age or younger are invited to apply by June 15, 2015. The winner and finalists are selected by a committee of independent scientists, chaired by Science’s Senior Editor, Dr. Peter Stern. The 2014 prize was won by the US scientist Eiman Azim...
Australia’s new nuclear medicine manufacturing facility is taking shape – a project which will enable Australia to help meet world demand for the most common radionuclide used in nuclear medicine, Molybdenum-99.
The next critical steps in the development of Australia’s new nuclear medicine production facility are now complete, with the bulk of the excavation work finalised and more than 1900m3 of concrete poured, and more than 350 tonnes of steel reinforcement in place. The ANSTO Nuclear Medicine (ANM) project, underway at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), represents a $168.8 million...
The latest Interim Report published this morning by the O’Neill Commission takes up some of the recommendations made by the world’s first charity Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK) dedicated to developing drugs against antibiotic resistant infections.
The report states we should ‘Make existing drugs go further: a systematic programme of re-examining existing antibiotics could test whether changing the dosing or combining them with other agents or other antimicrobials could slow down the spread of drug resistance and treat ‘resistant infections’ more effectively’. This is precisely the research programme ANTRUK aims to follow. The charity is seeking to find Antibiotic Resistance Breakers...
FLEXYTE® assays harness the power and potential of fluorescence lifetime technology
A strategic alliance has been formed for the marketing and sale of a complete fluorescence lifetime (FLT) technology comprising Almac Group’s proprietary FLEXYTE® FLT reagents and assays, and TTP Labtech’s new ameon® microplate reader. Customers can now gain full access to support, and buy equipment and essential reagents all from TTP Labtech, underpinned, behind the scenes, by Almac's manufacturing and new assay development...
TxCell SA, a biotechnology company developing innovative, cost-effective, personalized T cell immunotherapies using antigen specific regulatory T-cells (Ag-Tregs) for severe chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, today announces the receipt of EUR 1.7 million from Bpifrance.
The money is granted for clinical development of TxCell’s lead product candidate Ovasave(R), for which a placebo-controlled phase IIb clinical study, CATS29, is ongoing in refractory Crohn’s disease. Top line results of this study are expected at the end of 2016 / early 2017. This support from Bpifrance for the clinical development of Ovasave is in the form of an interest-free innovation loan entitled Prêt à Taux Zéro pour l’Innovation...
Hydrogen peroxide-based automated room decontamination (ARD) systems for hospitals have received lots of attention in recent years.
Their efficacy at eliminating unwanted pathogens from surfaces makes them ideal for infection control in hospitals and bioburden management in pharmaceutical production. Several systems are available on the market, typically hydrogen peroxide vapour from 35% w/w hydrogen peroxide (HPV) and aerosolised hydrogen peroxide from 5-6% w/w hydrogen peroxide (AHP). Although in principle, both systems use hydrogen peroxide...
The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) has published Quality System Regulation for Laboratory-Developed Tests: A Practical Guide for the Laboratory.
This guide converts the requirement complexities of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations into plain language, offering intuitive assistance on how to conform to the Quality System Regulation (QSReg), 21 CFR 820, when creating laboratory-developed tests (LDTs). This CLSI practical guide can help laboratorians learn how to address the new demands, beyond the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments...
Combined technologies may identify all mutations in gene sequences associated with clinical utility of targeted cancer therapies
EKF Molecular Diagnostics has agreed a collaboration with specialist medtech company ANGLE plc, to investigate the combination of ANGLE’s Parsortix circulating tumour cell (CTC) harvesting platform with EKF Molecular’s PointMan™ DNA enrichment technology as a liquid biopsy. If successful, the resulting simple blood test could enable the investigation of unexpected ultra-low level mutations in a patient’s cancer for...
The International Society of Nephrology (ISN) is delighted to announce a landmark agreement with Danone Nutricia Research in support of 0by25 – an ISN human rights initiative which aims to eliminate preventable deaths from Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) worldwide by 2025.
This new funding is part of a global partnership between the two organizations aimed at advancing nephrology around the world. In June 2013, during the ISN World Congress of Nephrology in Hong Kong, Giuseppe Remuzzi, ISN President, presented a human rights case statement entitled “0by25” which advocates that nobody should die of preventable and treatable Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). AKI is a major global...
University of Leicester team find for the first time when and why dopamine releasing cells in the forebrain are activated
Dopamine releasing cells in the forebrain are difficult to access in most vertebrates so the researchers examined transparent hatchling zebrafish
They used a technique called electrophysiology to capture electrical signals from dopamine neurons in the forebrain whist simultaneously observing motor activity in the spinal cord
Research could impact on understanding of conditions such as schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease...
A completely new gel permeation/size exclusion chromatography (GPC/SEC) platform from Malvern Instruments breaks new ground in delivering the high performance, ease of use and productivity demanded in today’s analytical laboratories.
Malvern’s innovative OMNISEC platform integrates highly efficient sample separation via the OMNISEC RESOLVE module and high sensitivity analysis using OMNISEC REVEAL, a fully integrated multi-detector array. The system has applications wherever there is a need for detailed analysis and understanding of natural or synthetic polymers, proteins and macromolecules. GPC/SEC is a two-step analytical process that involves separating a...
Dr Graham Rideal, CEO of Whitehouse Scientific, will present a keynote lecture at FILTECH 2015 on the topic of ‘Measuring Filter Cut Points and Pore Size Distributions by Challenge Testing’.
The conference takes place from 24-26 February in Cologne, Germany, where Whitehouse Scientific is also an exhibitor, and Dr Rideal’s lecture is on Wednesday 25 February at 9.00 am. Challenge testing is a direct or primary method for measuring pore size in filters, which involves collecting and measuring the challenging particles that pass through the filter. It has advantages over secondary methods, such as porometry, which rely on theoretical predictions...
Reliable containment of samples is crucial and the integrity, cleanliness and consistency of vials is critical for accurate analysis.
Many analysts think of vials as simple components that do not affect results which is an easy mistake to make…until something goes wrong. Using vials that are not fit for purpose can have a significant impact on the quality of analysis and there are a number of issues to look for in uncertified autosampler vials, including: Non-uniform bottom thickness which can damage needles and cause inconsistent sample draw...
AMSBIO reports on the recent publication in Cell [1] by Dr Meritxell Huch, Prof Hans Clevers et al. of ground-breaking research using Cultrex BME2 reduced growth factor (organoid growth matrix) to enable long-term (>1 year) culture of genome-stable bipotent stem cells from adult human liver.
These results open up new experimental avenues towards the use of human liver material expanded in vitro as an alternative cell source for disease modeling, toxicology studies, drug testing, regenerative medicine and gene therapy. Liver diseases (ranging from genetic inherited disorders to viral hepatitis, liver cancer, and obesity-related fatty liver disease) are the twelfth-leading cause of death in the United States. Failure in the management of...
Mark Copley, Sales Director for Copley Scientific, will discuss optimal in-vitro testing methods for dry powder inhalers (DPIs) at the inaugural Harro Höfliger Innovation Days symposium which is being run in cooperation with Capsugel.
His invited presentation on 23rd February 2015 is part of a 2-day event that will cover all aspects of capsule based DPI technology. The event takes place at the Hotel Sonne and Harro Höfliger Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH headquarters in Germany. Mark Copley’s presentation will provide a basic introduction to the dose uniformity and aerodynamic particle size distribution methods required for the testing of orally inhaled products (OIPs), according to the requirements of...
As the importance of steroids in the regulation of bioprocesses has increased so has the demand for fast screening methods for their detection.
HPLC is a highly regarded analytical technique for pharmaceutical applications due to its unrivalled analytical validation characteristics; including accuracy, precision, limit of detection, specificity, linearity and range, and ruggedness. The high throughput demands of quantitative steroid analysis require faster run times and as a result there has been a focus on the development of fast HPLC screening methods to detect steroids...
Horizon Discovery Group plc (LSE:HZD) (Horizon), the international life science company supplying research tools and services to organizations engaged in genomics research and the development of personalized medicines, today announced that it has been selected to act as a core facility by the Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute (TDI).
As a core facility, Horizon will provide single and combination drug profiling followed by confirmatory secondary assay services to TDI through its discovery research services unit. Under the agreement, Horizon will receive up to $500,000 for work to be performed during 2015 and 2016, with the option for additional collaboration work orders thereafter. Horizon will utilize its unique cHTS (combination High Throughput Screening) platform...
A leading microbiologist has warned of the increasing threat that killer fungi poses to humans and the environment.
The latest figures show that fungal diseases cause hundreds of thousands of deaths annually, following severe respiratory illness and infections of the blood stream. Speaking at Cardiff University’s Science in Public Health lecture series (19:00GMT, 15/01/2015), Professor Rosemary Barnes from the School of Medicine’s Institute of Infection & Immunity considered what the public had to fear from killer fungi: “For most people, fungal disease means a bit of...
Anasys Instruments reports on the study of cultural heritage painting cross-sections by researchers from UCSB and the Getty Conservation Institute using their breakthrough AFM-based nanoscale mass spectrometry technique.
The analysis of cultural heritage materials presents a number of challenges such as: limited and extremely small samples, complexity of sample structure, the importance of maintaining spatial integrity and, most notably, the rarity of the samples. These limitations present specific challenges for the identification of many traditional organic dyes, particularly in paintings that may have multiple original paint layers (depending on the artist’s...
A new whitepaper from Malvern Instruments on Oral Solid Dose (OSD) deformulation demonstrates how the analytical technique of Morphologically Directed Raman Spectroscopy (MDRS) can be used to accelerate the development of generic products to a successful conclusion.
Deformulation, the unpicking and investigation of a reference labeled drug (RLD), enables generic developers to understand the features of a product that define its clinical performance. “Accelerating the deformulation workflow for oral solid dosage forms” reviews the current regulatory landscape associated with generic development and considers the workflow for preparing OSD product Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs)...
Studies into male birds that produce offspring well into their old age could deepen concerns over the trend for delaying parenthood until later in life, for both men and women. An international team of scientists, led by Dr Brian Preston from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), have studied the large, flamboyant houbara bustard, for insights into how aging has evolved. In their most recent work, published in...
Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), The Molecular Genetics Company, explores how Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust has seamlessly transferred to its CytoSure™ ISCA 8x60k platform, in a new case study entitled Evaluating and switching to CytoSure microarrays. As the result of a highly stringent National Health Service (NHS) tender for the supply of oligo-based cytogenetics research arrays, CytoSure was selected based on...
This annual international research prize of US$25,000 is awarded to young scientists for their outstanding contributions to neurobiology research based on methods of molecular and cell biology. Researchers who are 35 years of age or younger are invited to apply by June 15, 2015. The winner and finalists are selected by a committee of independent scientists, chaired by Science’s Senior Editor, Dr. Peter Stern. The 2014 prize was won by the US scientist Eiman Azim...
The next critical steps in the development of Australia’s new nuclear medicine production facility are now complete, with the bulk of the excavation work finalised and more than 1900m3 of concrete poured, and more than 350 tonnes of steel reinforcement in place. The ANSTO Nuclear Medicine (ANM) project, underway at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), represents a $168.8 million...
The report states we should ‘Make existing drugs go further: a systematic programme of re-examining existing antibiotics could test whether changing the dosing or combining them with other agents or other antimicrobials could slow down the spread of drug resistance and treat ‘resistant infections’ more effectively’. This is precisely the research programme ANTRUK aims to follow. The charity is seeking to find Antibiotic Resistance Breakers...
A strategic alliance has been formed for the marketing and sale of a complete fluorescence lifetime (FLT) technology comprising Almac Group’s proprietary FLEXYTE® FLT reagents and assays, and TTP Labtech’s new ameon® microplate reader. Customers can now gain full access to support, and buy equipment and essential reagents all from TTP Labtech, underpinned, behind the scenes, by Almac's manufacturing and new assay development...
The money is granted for clinical development of TxCell’s lead product candidate Ovasave(R), for which a placebo-controlled phase IIb clinical study, CATS29, is ongoing in refractory Crohn’s disease. Top line results of this study are expected at the end of 2016 / early 2017. This support from Bpifrance for the clinical development of Ovasave is in the form of an interest-free innovation loan entitled Prêt à Taux Zéro pour l’Innovation...
Their efficacy at eliminating unwanted pathogens from surfaces makes them ideal for infection control in hospitals and bioburden management in pharmaceutical production. Several systems are available on the market, typically hydrogen peroxide vapour from 35% w/w hydrogen peroxide (HPV) and aerosolised hydrogen peroxide from 5-6% w/w hydrogen peroxide (AHP). Although in principle, both systems use hydrogen peroxide...
This guide converts the requirement complexities of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations into plain language, offering intuitive assistance on how to conform to the Quality System Regulation (QSReg), 21 CFR 820, when creating laboratory-developed tests (LDTs). This CLSI practical guide can help laboratorians learn how to address the new demands, beyond the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments...
EKF Molecular Diagnostics has agreed a collaboration with specialist medtech company ANGLE plc, to investigate the combination of ANGLE’s Parsortix circulating tumour cell (CTC) harvesting platform with EKF Molecular’s PointMan™ DNA enrichment technology as a liquid biopsy. If successful, the resulting simple blood test could enable the investigation of unexpected ultra-low level mutations in a patient’s cancer for...
This new funding is part of a global partnership between the two organizations aimed at advancing nephrology around the world. In June 2013, during the ISN World Congress of Nephrology in Hong Kong, Giuseppe Remuzzi, ISN President, presented a human rights case statement entitled “0by25” which advocates that nobody should die of preventable and treatable Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). AKI is a major global...
Malvern’s innovative OMNISEC platform integrates highly efficient sample separation via the OMNISEC RESOLVE module and high sensitivity analysis using OMNISEC REVEAL, a fully integrated multi-detector array. The system has applications wherever there is a need for detailed analysis and understanding of natural or synthetic polymers, proteins and macromolecules. GPC/SEC is a two-step analytical process that involves separating a...
The conference takes place from 24-26 February in Cologne, Germany, where Whitehouse Scientific is also an exhibitor, and Dr Rideal’s lecture is on Wednesday 25 February at 9.00 am. Challenge testing is a direct or primary method for measuring pore size in filters, which involves collecting and measuring the challenging particles that pass through the filter. It has advantages over secondary methods, such as porometry, which rely on theoretical predictions...
Many analysts think of vials as simple components that do not affect results which is an easy mistake to make…until something goes wrong. Using vials that are not fit for purpose can have a significant impact on the quality of analysis and there are a number of issues to look for in uncertified autosampler vials, including: Non-uniform bottom thickness which can damage needles and cause inconsistent sample draw...
These results open up new experimental avenues towards the use of human liver material expanded in vitro as an alternative cell source for disease modeling, toxicology studies, drug testing, regenerative medicine and gene therapy. Liver diseases (ranging from genetic inherited disorders to viral hepatitis, liver cancer, and obesity-related fatty liver disease) are the twelfth-leading cause of death in the United States. Failure in the management of...
His invited presentation on 23rd February 2015 is part of a 2-day event that will cover all aspects of capsule based DPI technology. The event takes place at the Hotel Sonne and Harro Höfliger Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH headquarters in Germany. Mark Copley’s presentation will provide a basic introduction to the dose uniformity and aerodynamic particle size distribution methods required for the testing of orally inhaled products (OIPs), according to the requirements of...
HPLC is a highly regarded analytical technique for pharmaceutical applications due to its unrivalled analytical validation characteristics; including accuracy, precision, limit of detection, specificity, linearity and range, and ruggedness. The high throughput demands of quantitative steroid analysis require faster run times and as a result there has been a focus on the development of fast HPLC screening methods to detect steroids...
As a core facility, Horizon will provide single and combination drug profiling followed by confirmatory secondary assay services to TDI through its discovery research services unit. Under the agreement, Horizon will receive up to $500,000 for work to be performed during 2015 and 2016, with the option for additional collaboration work orders thereafter. Horizon will utilize its unique cHTS (combination High Throughput Screening) platform...
The latest figures show that fungal diseases cause hundreds of thousands of deaths annually, following severe respiratory illness and infections of the blood stream. Speaking at Cardiff University’s Science in Public Health lecture series (19:00GMT, 15/01/2015), Professor Rosemary Barnes from the School of Medicine’s Institute of Infection & Immunity considered what the public had to fear from killer fungi: “For most people, fungal disease means a bit of...
The analysis of cultural heritage materials presents a number of challenges such as: limited and extremely small samples, complexity of sample structure, the importance of maintaining spatial integrity and, most notably, the rarity of the samples. These limitations present specific challenges for the identification of many traditional organic dyes, particularly in paintings that may have multiple original paint layers (depending on the artist’s...
Deformulation, the unpicking and investigation of a reference labeled drug (RLD), enables generic developers to understand the features of a product that define its clinical performance. “Accelerating the deformulation workflow for oral solid dosage forms” reviews the current regulatory landscape associated with generic development and considers the workflow for preparing OSD product Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs)...