TAP Biosystems announce that its ambr250™ automated mini bioreactor system is being successfully used at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, for optimising their microbial fermentations to accelerate scale-up production of protein-based therapeutics.
Fujifilm’s scientists at Billingham in the UK are using the ambr250 system, with its independent parallel control of 24, single-use 250mL mini bioreactors in their state-of-the-art process development facility to fully evaluate process characteristics of large scale fermenters. The researchers have seen equivalent growth and protein expression profiles when comparing 20L fermenters and the ambr250 mini bioreactors for culturing E.coli and P. pastoris strains expressing a number of model proteins....
Children’s Cancer Institute and Abcam plc, a global leader in the supply of life science research tools, announced today that they have entered into an exclusive licence, supply and distribution agreement for multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4/ABCC4) inhibitors, Ceefourin™ 1 and Ceefourin™ 2, for research purposes.
The first known selective inhibitors of MRP4, Ceefourin 1 and Ceefourin 2 are potent, chemically distinct compounds and represent important tools for investigating essential cellular processes such as multidrug resistance. The compounds will enable the further exploration of MRP4 function and have potential in development of therapeutic drugs to treat cancer. The novel MRP4 inhibitors were discovered and characterised by Children’s Cancer Institute...
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2014 to Eric Betzig, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stefan W. Hell, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and German Cancer Research Center and William E. Moerner, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
“for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy”.
As Mastersizer 3000, the world-leading laser diffraction particle size analyzer, celebrates its 3rd birthday, Malvern Instruments is delivering even smarter particle sizing with the launch of two new additions to the Mastersizer portfolio.
After collecting entries from around the globe, Ocean Optics has named two winners of its World Cup of Applications contest.
Andreas Burkart won for The Faint Red Glow of Photosynthesis, and a group effort submitted by Bruce Robertson won for Polarized Light Pollution: A New Kind of Ecological Photopollution. Contest winners will be enjoying a trip for four to Ocean Optics’ Florida headquarters this fall for the opening of its new application lab. In the spirit of global teamwork exemplified by the summer FIFA World Cup™, Ocean Optics invited customers to...
Some treatments for prostate cancer, while initially effective at controlling the disease, not only stop working over time but actually start driving tumour growth, a major new study shows.
Researchers identified the emergence of drug-resistant cancer cells by testing repeated blood samples from patients with advanced prostate cancer. They set out a new ‘treatment paradigm’ – the constant monitoring of patients using a blood test for signs that therapy is becoming counter-productive. The study was conducted at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the University of...
Malvern Instruments will contribute a scientific poster at the 2014 Protein-Protein Interaction Conference, October 23-24, Boston, MA, USA.
The poster describes new work on rheological approaches to protein stability studies during biologics formulation and will be presented by Matt McGann, Malvern Instruments Life Science Sales and Application Specialist for the Americas. The study of rheology in protein formulation and biotherapeutic development is considered to be a developing and ultimately essential measurement....
IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.),the world’s leading provider of proton therapy and radiopharmacy solutions, and Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG AEX: PHIA), today announce the signing of a global collaboration to provide advanced diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for the treatment of cancer.
The collaboration covers sales, marketing, research and development (R&D) of imaging and therapy solutions in oncology. By merging their respective expertise in therapy and image guidance systems, IBA and Philips will innovate with an integrated vision for more efficient, personalized cancer care. Leveraging high quality imaging and proton therapy offers the potential to increase confidence in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, reduce short- and...
EATRIS has signed a formal framework agreement with the Roche Partnering Extending Innovation Network (EIN) program.
This agreement will facilitate EIN access to research projects within the EATRIS network of Principal Investigators from 70 academic research institutions in eight countries in Europe. The EATRIS-EIN program aims to accelerate translational research toward products that have direct therapeutic benefits for patients. Under this partnership, faculty-initiated research projects are selected for funding from proposals solicited EATRIS-wide on a...
Two scientists from Thermo Fisher Scientific, as well as a collaborator from Proteome Sciences plc, have been recognized for their contribution to develop and commercialize isobaric labeling for quantitative proteomics experiments.
The award, the annual Science and Technology Award from the Human Proteome Organization, recognized the scientists’ contribution to the development of Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) isobaric labeling, which was invented by Proteome Sciences and is licensed solely by Thermo Fisher Scientific. The awardees include...
Avacta Life Sciences is investing £10m in the launch of Affimers, the engineered alternative to antibodies.
Affimers are small single domain proteins that are engineered to solve several significant problems faced by commercial and academic researchers using antibodies. They open up areas of research where toxicity prevents the development of antibodies and they have a 90% success rate in matching to targets in a process that takes 7 weeks rather than 7 to 10 months....
Read MoreSLAS Launches Member Video SeriesOct 1, 2014
The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) recently introduced a video series featuring Society members sharing their opinions about SLAS and how the organization has helped their careers.
Thirteen SLAS members participated in the series, including professional researchers, engineers and scientists from AstraZeneca, Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Promega Corporation and the University of California Los Angeles. “This video series is a wonderful testament to the relevance and value of SLAS to our...
The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) has published an updated standard—Evaluation of Commutability of Processed Samples; Approved Guideline—Third Edition (EP14-A3)—which provides guidance for evaluating the commutability of processed samples by determining if they behave differently than unprocessed patient samples when two quantitative measurement procedures are compared.
This edition of the standard provides ways to identify the presence of noncommutability so that improvements in measurement procedure specificity and fluid compatibility may be considered. It also covers risk of noncommutability of processed samples versus intended use. “This third edition of EP14-A3 balances a more rigorous Deming regression analysis with manageable sample sizes and helpful detailed example calculations. Users will find that the contributors to the...
Warwick Analytical Service (WAS) has developed a range of CHN microanalysis methodologies allowing them to routinely produce precise and accurate percentage Carbon, Hydrogen and Nitrogen data from a range of difficult samples.
This information is provided in a new application note detailing the Warwick Analytical methodologies for handling volatile liquids, air sensitive compounds, refractory materials, samples with elemental interferences as well as inhomogeous and bulky samples. Warwick Analytical's experience combined with the unique design of the Exeter Analytical Model 440 analyser, used to make the determinations, has enabled the company to offer very accurate...
TAP Biosystems (now part of the Sartorius Stedim Biotech Group), a leading supplier of innovative cell culture and fermentation systems for life science applications, today announced the availability of a new technical note on managing sample volume for its ambr15™ micro bioreactor system.
This note will provide an invaluable guide for scientists to obtain critical data using easy-to-implement sampling regimes and analytical techniques, thus maximising the capabilities of the ambr15 to make process development for biologics faster and less costly. The new note reflects commonly employed ‘best practice’ for successful sampling strategies as implemented in major biopharmaceutical firms using ambr15 in their process development workflow...
IBA (Ion Beam Applications SA), the world’s leading provider of proton therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer, announces that the first patient has been treated with IBA’s compact proton therapy solution, Proteus®ONE*, at the Willis-Knighton Cancer Center (WKCC) in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.
The patient received Image Guided Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) treatment on 9 September 2014, three months ahead of schedule. IBA believes that the treatment of the first ever patient on the compact, more affordable system, Proteus®ONE, will accelerate the take-up of proton therapy in the US and beyond. IBA’s compact system is a highly differentiated offering, not only is it smaller, less expensive, and...
BGI, the world’s largest genomics organization, based in China, and The Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC), a global leader in translational research in cancer, today announced the establishment of the BGI-VPC Joint Research Laboratory, a sequencing and translational research facility, to jointly discover and advance basic and translational programs in oncology, including personalized oncology.
The collaboration, the first between BGI and any Canadian research institution, will change the landscape of genomic and translational research across Canada and benefit patients worldwide. The BGI-VPC Joint Research Laboratory, established at the VPC facility in Vancouver and currently available for use, will apply genome research to develop new biomarkers and cancer therapies. The primary focus initially will be on bladder, kidney and...
Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed an efficient high-performance liquid chromatography method that uses fluorescence detection to achieve a rapid and sensitive determination of rhodamine B in cosmetics.
Application Note 1102: Rapid and Sensitive Determination of Rhodamine B in Cosmetics demonstrates the advantages of this method using a rapid separation liquid chromatography (RSLC) column on an RSLC system. This approach provides good method reproducibility (retention time reproducibility relative standard deviation [RSD] of 0.09% and peak area reproducibility RSD of 0.75%) and a wide linear calibration range (from 2 to 1000 μg/L)...
Aston Scientist Develops Software to Measure Progression of Degenerative Diseases
Smartphones will soon be able to perform the functions of a ‘pocket doctor’ and map Parkinson’s disease and other degenerative diseases, thanks to the work of an Aston University mathematician and others. With smartphones now able to accurately record movement, activity, location and voice, extensive research is being conducted into their potential as a medical diagnostic tool. Dr Max Little, of Aston’s Nonlinearity and...
In DECODED Online, Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), the world leader in oligonucleotide synthesis, looks at how its novel RNase H2–dependent polymerase chain reaction (rhPCR) method has helped researchers to detect differential amplification of alternatively spliced latrophilin (Lphn) transcripts in mice.
Latrophilins are cell adhesion molecules that have been linked with synaptic function, development, and maintenance. The three Lphn genes are very similar, which complicates the use of standard qRT-PCR to distinguish the various transcripts. The rhPCR method developed by IDT overcomes this problem by simultaneously increasing PCR specificity and eliminating primer-dimer formation. This is achieved by using blocked primers, which require cleavage by...
Emerging technologies will include ‘smaller than a fingernail’ nanopatch vaccines.
Drug delivery technologies that improve access and overall efficacy are becoming an essential part of the entire drug development process. Pharmaceutical companies are particularly investing billions of dollars in new vaccine delivery technologies in a bid to move away from needles and syringes to skin delivery procedures. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Needle-Free Nanopatch Vaccines, finds that though the...
CleveXel Pharma today announces that the company has entered into a new partnering agreement with Guilin Pharmaceutical, a Chinese company located in Shanghai, regarding the development of two new products.
Guilin Pharmaceutical, a member of Fosun Pharma, is the first Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer approved by the World Health Organization. It is also China’s largest artemisinin based anti-malarial drug producer. Artemisinin is an active substance derived from the traditional Chinese pharmacopeia. This new work complements two other projects between the partners, which started in 2013. The purpose of the latest venture is to...
Fujifilm’s scientists at Billingham in the UK are using the ambr250 system, with its independent parallel control of 24, single-use 250mL mini bioreactors in their state-of-the-art process development facility to fully evaluate process characteristics of large scale fermenters. The researchers have seen equivalent growth and protein expression profiles when comparing 20L fermenters and the ambr250 mini bioreactors for culturing E.coli and P. pastoris strains expressing a number of model proteins....
The first known selective inhibitors of MRP4, Ceefourin 1 and Ceefourin 2 are potent, chemically distinct compounds and represent important tools for investigating essential cellular processes such as multidrug resistance. The compounds will enable the further exploration of MRP4 function and have potential in development of therapeutic drugs to treat cancer. The novel MRP4 inhibitors were discovered and characterised by Children’s Cancer Institute...
Andreas Burkart won for The Faint Red Glow of Photosynthesis, and a group effort submitted by Bruce Robertson won for Polarized Light Pollution: A New Kind of Ecological Photopollution. Contest winners will be enjoying a trip for four to Ocean Optics’ Florida headquarters this fall for the opening of its new application lab. In the spirit of global teamwork exemplified by the summer FIFA World Cup™, Ocean Optics invited customers to...
Researchers identified the emergence of drug-resistant cancer cells by testing repeated blood samples from patients with advanced prostate cancer. They set out a new ‘treatment paradigm’ – the constant monitoring of patients using a blood test for signs that therapy is becoming counter-productive. The study was conducted at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the University of...
The poster describes new work on rheological approaches to protein stability studies during biologics formulation and will be presented by Matt McGann, Malvern Instruments Life Science Sales and Application Specialist for the Americas. The study of rheology in protein formulation and biotherapeutic development is considered to be a developing and ultimately essential measurement....
The collaboration covers sales, marketing, research and development (R&D) of imaging and therapy solutions in oncology. By merging their respective expertise in therapy and image guidance systems, IBA and Philips will innovate with an integrated vision for more efficient, personalized cancer care. Leveraging high quality imaging and proton therapy offers the potential to increase confidence in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, reduce short- and...
This agreement will facilitate EIN access to research projects within the EATRIS network of Principal Investigators from 70 academic research institutions in eight countries in Europe. The EATRIS-EIN program aims to accelerate translational research toward products that have direct therapeutic benefits for patients. Under this partnership, faculty-initiated research projects are selected for funding from proposals solicited EATRIS-wide on a...
The award, the annual Science and Technology Award from the Human Proteome Organization, recognized the scientists’ contribution to the development of Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) isobaric labeling, which was invented by Proteome Sciences and is licensed solely by Thermo Fisher Scientific. The awardees include...
Thirteen SLAS members participated in the series, including professional researchers, engineers and scientists from AstraZeneca, Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Promega Corporation and the University of California Los Angeles. “This video series is a wonderful testament to the relevance and value of SLAS to our...
This edition of the standard provides ways to identify the presence of noncommutability so that improvements in measurement procedure specificity and fluid compatibility may be considered. It also covers risk of noncommutability of processed samples versus intended use. “This third edition of EP14-A3 balances a more rigorous Deming regression analysis with manageable sample sizes and helpful detailed example calculations. Users will find that the contributors to the...
This information is provided in a new application note detailing the Warwick Analytical methodologies for handling volatile liquids, air sensitive compounds, refractory materials, samples with elemental interferences as well as inhomogeous and bulky samples. Warwick Analytical's experience combined with the unique design of the Exeter Analytical Model 440 analyser, used to make the determinations, has enabled the company to offer very accurate...
This note will provide an invaluable guide for scientists to obtain critical data using easy-to-implement sampling regimes and analytical techniques, thus maximising the capabilities of the ambr15 to make process development for biologics faster and less costly. The new note reflects commonly employed ‘best practice’ for successful sampling strategies as implemented in major biopharmaceutical firms using ambr15 in their process development workflow...
The collaboration, the first between BGI and any Canadian research institution, will change the landscape of genomic and translational research across Canada and benefit patients worldwide. The BGI-VPC Joint Research Laboratory, established at the VPC facility in Vancouver and currently available for use, will apply genome research to develop new biomarkers and cancer therapies. The primary focus initially will be on bladder, kidney and...
Application Note 1102: Rapid and Sensitive Determination of Rhodamine B in Cosmetics demonstrates the advantages of this method using a rapid separation liquid chromatography (RSLC) column on an RSLC system. This approach provides good method reproducibility (retention time reproducibility relative standard deviation [RSD] of 0.09% and peak area reproducibility RSD of 0.75%) and a wide linear calibration range (from 2 to 1000 μg/L)...
Smartphones will soon be able to perform the functions of a ‘pocket doctor’ and map Parkinson’s disease and other degenerative diseases, thanks to the work of an Aston University mathematician and others. With smartphones now able to accurately record movement, activity, location and voice, extensive research is being conducted into their potential as a medical diagnostic tool. Dr Max Little, of Aston’s Nonlinearity and...
Latrophilins are cell adhesion molecules that have been linked with synaptic function, development, and maintenance. The three Lphn genes are very similar, which complicates the use of standard qRT-PCR to distinguish the various transcripts. The rhPCR method developed by IDT overcomes this problem by simultaneously increasing PCR specificity and eliminating primer-dimer formation. This is achieved by using blocked primers, which require cleavage by...
Drug delivery technologies that improve access and overall efficacy are becoming an essential part of the entire drug development process. Pharmaceutical companies are particularly investing billions of dollars in new vaccine delivery technologies in a bid to move away from needles and syringes to skin delivery procedures. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Needle-Free Nanopatch Vaccines, finds that though the...
Guilin Pharmaceutical, a member of Fosun Pharma, is the first Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer approved by the World Health Organization. It is also China’s largest artemisinin based anti-malarial drug producer. Artemisinin is an active substance derived from the traditional Chinese pharmacopeia. This new work complements two other projects between the partners, which started in 2013. The purpose of the latest venture is to...