Fri, May 18, 2012
10 Tips for Translational Stem Cell Therapy Research
Preclinical studies of stem cell therapies are critical for FDA approval to begin clinical trials, but there currently are no guidelines that address this important area of preclinical research. Here are some tips to consider when designing translational cell therapy research:
1. Ensure each step i
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Wed, May 16, 2012
Biosimilars: How Close Is Close Enough?
Oxytocin is no simple molecule. It consists of 135 atoms (nine amino acids) totaling 1 kilodalton (kDa). It pushes up against the size limits of common techniques like GC-MS, but it remains squarely in the realm of synthetic drugs because it is commonly made via a synthetic chemistry pathway.
There
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Wed, May 09, 2012
Contracting Sequencing Costs Could Mean Ballooning Informatics Prices
DNA sequencing, introduced 35 years ago, was revolutionized after completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2003, which had a huge impact on the research community. The HGP took 13 years to decode an entire genome for $3.8 billion. Now researchers can sequence an entire genome in one day for $
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Mon, May 07, 2012
Emerging Insights into the Role of the Skeleton
Unexpected functions for the skeleton have emerged in the past few years, indicating it plays a key role in whole-organism physiology. Not always appreciated as a dynamic tissue, the skeleton is very active, renewing itself in the adult approximately every 10 years.
The skeleton has three main cel
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Fri, May 04, 2012
Tips on Maintaining High Standards in Cell Culture: How to Avoid the Spreading Problem of Cell Line Contamination
Cell line contamination and/or misidentification has been a persistent issue in life science research over the years and has led to several journal article retractions due to the inability to confirm results. In recent months, many journal editors have begun to require confirmation of cell line iden
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