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Three of the 17 drugs approved by the FDA in 2007 originated in Oklahoma. Surprised? The key word is “originated.” Projects have a strong tendency to originate in Oklahoma’s laboratories but be developed elsewhere.
... moreAbout two years ago, Eppendorf acquired New Brunswick Scientific (NBS). Known for shakers, fermentors, bioreactors, incubators, and freezers, NBS continues to operate under its own name, and the staff and management have remained largely intact.
... moreTransfection of nucleic acids into cells is often cited as users’ rate-limiting step in numerous biomedical research and bioproduction workflows. Accordingly, the burgeoning markets that surround biopharmaceuticals, RNA interference screening, and stem cell research are limited by the lack of a silver bullet for successful gene transfer.
... moreFDA reads your press releases, and it reviews your promotional materials and websites. It doesn’t just give them a cursory glance either, it scrutinizes them. As a result, biotech/biopharma companies are advised to fight the urge to dwell on or embellish the positives, especially in press releases where negative news actually predominates. This clouding of the truth is viewed by FDA as misleading and violative.
... moreIn the organism, communication occurs at both the macro and the micro level. At the micro level—inside the cell—communication occurs between proteins relaying messages along signal-transduction pathways from both the internal and external to various compartments within the cell through the process of signal transduction. GPCRs are at the center of many signal-transduction pathways, and as a result, they are the subject of many basic biological research studies, as well as prime drug targets.
... moreMultiplexing technologies are essential for the rapid screening of large numbers of samples in proteomic and genomic profiling. Tool providers are increasingly offering new solutions that feature ramped-up speed and efficiency. Other advances include disposable labware with improved plates for microarray screening, nanoparticle-based diagnostic tests, label-free systems, and multiplexing assays that identify small molecule drug candidates.
... moreToxicokinetic (TK) studies play an important role in the preclinical phase of the drug discovery process, determining the relationship between the systemic exposure of a compound in an animal model and its toxicity. Parameters such as bioavailability and dose proportionality of the compound are analyzed, from which the toxicity may be predicted and on which the doses to be used in clinical trials can be decided.
... moreChemical libraries have long been a mainstay in the search for new pharmaceutical compounds, and they have been created using many different paradigms. Vast diverse collections of unique compounds have been screened at high throughput to find appropriate effects on target proteins. Such large libraries continue to be used for drug discovery, but screening smaller, more focused libraries, can provide more efficient solutions with better overall hit rates.
... moreQuantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR or real-time PCR) is the gold standard for precise monitoring of selected genes. Its keen ability to both detect and simultaneously quantify specific DNA sequences underlies its popular use in diagnostics and basic research. Additionally, coupling qPCR with reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) provides a powerful means to quantify mRNA in cells or tissues.
... moreAlthough transfection has often been used as a tool to insert nucleic acids into cells, scientists don’t have a clear picture of how it works. Transfection is still a black box inside of which the experiment either works or it doesn’t. New developments in transfection focus on understanding more about how the process works, and how to make the most of it.
... moreRNA interference is an effective mechanism for gene silencing whereby double-stranded RNA triggers the cleavage and subsequent degradation of homologous transcript sequences. In this evolutionarily conserved process, longer double-stranded RNA molecules are processed into shorter sequences (21–23 nucleotide small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs) that can bind to the multicomponent RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC).
... moreMaximizing and validating the stability of a drug is critical throughout its life cycle, beginning in the development phase of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), continuing through the final formulation process, and following commercialization as part of post-marketing product analysis.
... moreFormulation is arguably the most critical—and challenging—component of biopharmaceutical drug development, second only to the molecule itself. Formulation’s far-reaching consequences help sponsors satisfy the scientific, medical, and regulatory conditions for drug approval and, subsequently, support marketplace success.
... moreGEN recently spoke to several scientists with expertise in the flow cytometry arena about emerging trends and additional potential applications for this versatile research tool. Clare Rogers, application scientist at Accuri Cytometers; Robert Balderas, vp, biological sciences at BD Biosciences; T. Vincent Shankey, Ph.D., principal staff advanced research scientist, advanced technology/cellular analysis business group at Beckman Coulter; Fred Koller, Ph.D., president and CEO of Cyntellect; and Jason Whalley, flow cytometry manager at Millipore share their knowledge and predictions for the future in this flow-cytometry roundtable.
... moreLife science researchers first learned of the utility of flow cytometry as a result of Prof. Wolfgang Göhde’s pioneering work at the University of Münster in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
... moreCell population heterogeneity consistently emerges as an interesting and biologically relevant feature of biological systems. Nevertheless, many experimental tools are informative only about entire populations. While this level of inquiry is fundamental to our understanding of many phenomena governing the living world, only a limited number of approaches are available to dissect the differential behavior of selected individual cells within a group.
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INTERVIEW:
(BIO) BANKING IN LUXEMBOURG - Interview with Robert Hewitt, Ph.D., CEO, Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg, and European Editor, Biopreservation and Biobanking (published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)
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