Biotechnology

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    ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

  • Cells defend themselves from viruses, bacteria with armor of protein errors

    25 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    When cells are confronted with an invading virus or bacteria or exposed to an irritating chemical, they protect themselves by going off their DNA recipe and inserting the wrong amino acid into new proteins to defend them against damage, scientists have discovered. These "regulated errors" comprise a novel non-genetic mechanism by which cells can rapidly make important proteins more resistant to attack when stressed, said one of the researchers.

  • Soy component may be key to fighting colon cancer

    25 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm
    Scientists have identified a new class of therapeutic agents found naturally in soy that can prevent and possibly treat colon cancer, the third most deadly form of cancer. Sphingadienes are natural lipid molecules found in soy that research shows may be the key to fighting colon cancer.

  • Atomic-level snapshot catches protein motor in action

    25 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm
    The atomic-level action of a remarkable class of ring-shaped protein motors has been uncovered using a state-of-the-art protein crystallography beamline at the Advanced Light Source. These protein motors play pivotal roles in gene expression and replication, and are vital to the survival of all biological cells, as well as infectious agents, such as the human papillomavirus, which has been linked to cervical cancer.

  • Sticky solution for identifying effective probiotics

    25 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    Scientists have crystallized a protein that may help gut bacteria bind to the gastrointestinal tract. The protein could be used by probiotic producers to identify strains that are likely to be of real benefit to people.

  • Origin of life: Generating RNA molecules in water

    25 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    A key question in the origin of biological molecules like RNA and DNA is how they first came together billions of years ago from simple precursors. Now, researchers have reconstructed one of the earliest evolutionary steps yet: generating long chains of RNA from individual subunits using nothing but warm water.
 
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    FierceBiotech

  • Vaccine makers struggle to modernize

    Liz Jones
    25 Nov 2009 | 6:22 am
    Novartis cut the ribbon on a new North Carolina vaccines facility to munch fanfare Tuesday. However, products from the plant won't hit the shelves for a couple of years. Furthermore, high-speed techniques that bypass the lengthy process of incubating viruses to make vaccine are years away, according to a  Wall Street Journal report. The new Novartis plant is one element in the U.S. government's attempt to modernize vaccine production. The plant will employ new technology to grow flu viruses in vats of cells derived from dog kidneys--an approach that could shave four to six…

  • Scottish clinic to test Dimebon

    Liz Jones
    25 Nov 2009 | 5:16 am
    Glasgow Memory Clinic (GMC) is enrolling patients to test Dimebon-a promising candidate to treat Alzheimer's that might help improve a patient's memory, cognition and the ability to care for him or herself, BBC News reports. More than 1,000 selected patients worldwide will take part in the CONCERT trial testing the drug, which is being evaluated in a joint effort between Medivation and Pfizer. The two companies are studying Dimebon in patients who have been treated with Aricept (donepezil HCl), a leading treatment for Alzheimer's marketed by Pfizer and Eisai. "Concert is an important study…

  • Novartis, Incyte strike potential $1B deal

    Maureen Martino
    25 Nov 2009 | 4:52 am
    Wilmington, DE-based Incyte announced today that it will get a hefty $150 million up front and a $60 million milestone payment on a new licensing deal with Novartis that could be worth more than $1 billion. In one fell swoop, Novartis has added two hematology-oncology drug candidates to its pipeline. Novartis gains ex-U.S rights to INCB18424, an oral JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor that is in Phase III development for myelofibrosis, a condition that can cause bone marrow failure, splenic enlargement and debilitating constitutional symptoms. The agreement "puts us in a strong position…

  • Researchers address data policies for developing country GWAS

    Liz Jones
    24 Nov 2009 | 12:49 pm
    A new policy paper is highlighting ways to tailor open access and data sharing policies to fit the goals of research done in developing countries. In a paper appearing online in PLoS Medicine, researchers from the Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network, or MalariaGEN, outlined the challenges of coming up with data release guidelines for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in developing countries. Report

  • Chinese firm files $69M IPO

    Liz Jones
    24 Nov 2009 | 12:24 pm
    China Nuokang Bio-Pharmaceutical, a company focused on hematological and cardiovascular drugs, has filed an IPO and will offer 4.5 million American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq exchange at a price between $10 and $12. In its SEC filing announcing the planned IPO, Nuokang points out that it will likely benefit from the healthcare reform proposal the Chinese government outlined earlier this year. The proposal will involve an expenditure of approximately $124.5 billion--roughly 3 percent of the country's GDP--from 2009 to 2011. "We believe we will likely benefit from the PRC government's…
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    About.com Biotech / Biomedical

  • Nematode was the First Sequenced Genome

    22 Nov 2009 | 11:30 pm
    The fruit fly, (Drosophila), has been used as a genetic research tool for a very long time, because of it's easily observable phenotypic differences, and adherence of many of these traits to the basic rules of Mendelian inheritance. Because of this, I always assumed, or thought I'd heard somewhere, that it was the first multicelled organism for which the entire DNA sequence was determined. This is wrong, however, and, according to the NCBI Nematode Genome Resources webpage, the nematode was the first multicellular eukaryote to have it's genome completely sequenced. This information was bought…

  • Nanotoxicity Data Accumulating

    22 Nov 2009 | 2:19 pm
    While the industrial biotechnology sector is rushing full steam ahead to develop and commercialize new nanotechnology products, scientists working in areas of human and ecological toxicity are scrambling to keep up. Nanoparticle toxicity is a prominent topic at this year's SETAC NA conference, with several dedicated platform and poster sessions. The society is primarily concerned with environmental toxicology, rather than human, but the number of papers, and the variety of different types of nanoparticles and target organisms being investigated, is reassuring. I'm glad to see the potential…

  • Proteomics Used to Study PAH Exposure in Dolphins

    21 Nov 2009 | 4:05 pm
    Developments in proteomics and genomics make it possible to study the impacts of environmental contaminants on the expression of hundreds, even thousands, of genes. 2-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis is a protein separation method used in proteomics, for partitioning proteins from a mixture according to two criteria, instead of just one. Traditional gel electrophoresis, usually applied to the separation of DNA, works in just one direction. In a presentation today, at the SETAC North America conference (New Orleans, LA), Jennifer Cole, of Texas Tech University, described using proteomics to…

  • Biomarkers in Environmental Toxicology

    21 Nov 2009 | 1:55 pm
    Biomarkers are an important tool used by toxicologists and environmental scientists, to study environmental exposures of plants and animals to potentially toxic compounds. Many of the methods for studying gene expression and enzyme activity, attributed to biotech and biomedical research, are also applicable to environmental studies. I am privileged to be able to attend the SETAC North America conference in New Orleans (LA) this week. While on the lookout for new information on ecological risk assessments, I've also come across a number of examples of how genetic methods are being applied to…

  • Breakthroughs in Tissue Engineering

    16 Nov 2009 | 10:22 pm
    A tissue is an aggregate of cells, growing and thriving in an environment where they adhere and interact with one another. Tissue Engineering is the use of bioengineering methods to create, improve, develop and grow tissues, which then may be used for grafting, cartilage repair or, ultimately, regenerative medical procedures. The study of tissues is aimed at determining the answers to fundamental questions such as how cells react and interact in a specific matrix, and may involve the use of proteomics to study gene expression and protein production in complex environments. This form of…
 
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    Biotech Blog

  • Perspectives on the Kyoto Prize

    BiotechBlog
    17 Nov 2009 | 8:01 am
    Copyright © BiotechBlog.com, a product of thinkBiotech.com This is my initial response to the Kyoto Prize, which I was able to attend on a fellowship from Point Loma Nazarene University. For more details on the Kyoto Prize see my previous post. I had an opportunity to interact with each of the laureates, and focused on the question of how it was that they were able to accomplish their exemplary achievements. It is not enough to simply be brilliant or hard-working — all their peers likely share these characteristics. What are the differentiating factors that enabled their unique…

  • Is the practice of medicine impeding medical innovation?

    BiotechBlog
    4 Nov 2009 | 8:17 am
    Copyright © BiotechBlog.com, a product of thinkBiotech.com At a recent event on the comparative advantages of small molecule vs. biologic drugs, several themes emerged which led me to re-examine the question of whether the practice of medicine is capable of keeping pace with medical innovation. As mentioned in a previous post, the majority of patients receiving the personalized medicine drug Herceptin had not been previously administered Herceptin’s diagnostic test. This is extremely important, as the diagnostic test can identify those patients most likely to benefit from the drug…

  • Drug Patent Expirations in November 2009

    BiotechBlog
    2 Nov 2009 | 5:40 am
    Copyright © BiotechBlog.com, a product of thinkBiotech.com Drug Patent Expirations for November 2009 Tradename Applicant Generic Name Patent Number Patent Expiration ACULAR LS Allergan ketorolac tromethamine 5,110,493*PED Nov 5, 2009 ACULAR Allergan ketorolac tromethamine 5,110,493*PED Nov 5, 2009 PREVPAC Takeda Pharms Na amoxicillin; clarithromycin; lansoprazole 4,628,098*PED Nov 10, 2009 PREVACID IV Takeda Pharms Na lansoprazole 4,628,098*PED Nov 10, 2009 ACEON Solvay Pharms perindopril erbumine 5,162,362 Nov 10, 2009 PREVACID Takeda Pharms Na lansoprazole 4,628,098*PED Nov 10, 2009…

  • Biologic data exclusivity: The arguments for and against it

    BiotechBlog
    26 Oct 2009 | 12:05 pm
    Copyright © BiotechBlog.com, a product of thinkBiotech.com With the issue of data exclusivity for novel biologics re-emerging in the news, I’d like to present two arguments that will be published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology: Why data exclusivity is the new patent protection Peter J Pitts, Center for medicine in the public interest Follow-on biologic drug competition – No need for new marketing exclusivities Michael S Wroblewski(a) and Elizabeth A Jex(b) a) Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade Commission b) FTC Office of Policy Planning

  • Kyoto Prize Journalism Fellowship

    BiotechBlog
    20 Oct 2009 | 1:11 pm
    Copyright © BiotechBlog.com, a product of thinkBiotech.com I am honored to have been selected for the 2009 Kyoto Prize Journalism Fellowship, offered by Point Loma Nazarene University. This fellowship will allow me to attend the Kyoto Prize Ceremony, laureate lectures and workshops, and associated functions. The Kyoto Prize is one of the world’s most prestigious awards given to those who have made outstanding lifetime achievements in technology, science, or the arts. This year’s laureates are: Dr. Isamu Akasaki, Blue LED pioneer Drs. Peter and Rosemary Grant, Evolutionary…
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    Terry Etherton Blog on Biotechnology

  • Opinion: The Luxury to Criticize!

    tetherton
    9 Nov 2009 | 10:19 am
    Harold Harpster, Professor of Animal Science Department of Dairy & Animal Science Penn State University I stop at the end of the lane to retrieve the day’s mail and folded around the usual stack of bills is my latest issue of TIME magazine. Before driving into the farm I take a quick look at the cover. What’s this? A package of bright red hamburger is center stage with a label across the package: “WARNING: This hamburger may be hazardous to your health. Why the American food system is bad for our bodies, our economy, and our environment- and what some visionaries are trying to do…

  • The Food System and Feeding the World

    tetherton
    12 Oct 2009 | 1:01 pm
    Terry D. Etherton Much has been written about the “Food System” and how we should go about feeding the world.  To put “much” into context, I ran a Google search using the phrases “food systems” or food system; got 906,000 returns for the former and 759,000 returns for the latter phrase. Why the keen interest in the food system?  One reason is that many scientists (including me) believe we need to apply science to make new discoveries in the food system that will help meet the food needs of the growing World population.  Dr. Norman Borlaug, Nobel…

  • Disease Outbreak and Consumption of Raw Milk in Wisconsin

    tetherton
    21 Sep 2009 | 6:21 am
    A ProMed-mail post (September 16, 2009) DNA test results and other evidence have now established that an outbreak of illness involving at least 35 people, the majority children and teens, was linked to drinking unpasteurized milk. Wisconsin food safety officials are cautioning consumers not to drink raw milk and farmers not to sell it to the public. “Laws requiring pasteurization of milk have been on the books for more than half a century, and there are good public health reasons for that,” said Steve Ingham, head of the Food Safety Division in the Department of Agriculture, Trade…

  • The Community Value of a Dairy Farm

    tetherton
    8 Sep 2009 | 11:59 am
    N. Alan Bair Director of Dairy Industry Relations Penn State University I recently had the opportunity to make a short presentation to a mixed audience of local farmers and their neighbors in Perry County on the value of a dairy farm to a community. The organizers requested this topic primarily for the non-farm neighbors thinking it would give them a better appreciation of what a farm brings to the community and potentially “soften” some existing and future farm-urban conflicts. Based on the comments after my brief talk it became apparent that the farmers in the audience appreciated the…

  • DHS Firm on Kansas Site for Bio-Defense Research Lab

    tetherton
    8 Sep 2009 | 11:24 am
    Sep 1, 2009 By: James M. Lewis DVM NEWSMAGAZINE WASHINGTON — Despite a critical report from another agency and a fair amount of political pressure, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains committed to the Manhattan, Kan., site it chose for building a new national bio-defense research laboratory and says it won’t re-open the site-selection process. As part of the 2010 government appropriations bill, Congress asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a separate study on DHS’s recommendation to move the Level-3 laboratory at Plum Island, N.Y., to Kansas.
 
 
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    BIOTECHNOLOGY NEWS - Google News

  • QLT to pay $20 million to settle Visudyne lawsuit - The Associated Press

    25 Nov 2009 | 12:15 pm
    Globe and MailQLT to pay $20 million to settle Visudyne lawsuitThe Associated PressCanadian biotechnology company QLT Inc. said Wednesday it will pay Massachusetts General Hospital $20 million to settle a lawsuit over product royalties. xtremepicks.com: www.Xtremepicks.Com: Xtremepicks Alerts November 25, 2009 Trading Markets (press release)all 140 news articles »

  • Study Suggests Source of Post-Menopausal Hot Flashes - U.S. News & World Report

    25 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pm
    Study Suggests Source of Post-Menopausal Hot FlashesU.S. News & World ReportResearchers had been surprised to find it in the brain, says Josef Penninger, an immunologist at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology at the Austrian Sie sind hier: Home > Pressemitteilung: A RANK insider resolving the enigma ...Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (Pressemitteilung)all 10 news articles »

  • Exelixis Announces December 1 Webcast of Presentation at Piper Jaffray's 21st ... - WELT ONLINE

    25 Nov 2009 | 11:23 am
    Exelixis Announces December 1 Webcast of Presentation at Piper Jaffray's 21st WELT ONLINEExelixis, Inc. is a development-stage biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics for the Ardea Biosciences to Present at the Piper Jaffray 21st Annual Health Care PR Newswire (press release)all 639 news articles »

  • Nov 25 (Reuters) - Some small and midcap stocks on the move on Wednesday: - Forbes

    25 Nov 2009 | 11:17 am
    Nov 25 (Reuters) - Some small and midcap stocks on the move on Wednesday:ForbesSwiss drugmaker Novartis ( NVS - news - people ) has struck a licensing deal with biotechnology company, paying $150 million up front for access to and more »

  • tapimmune Announces Additional Funding - CNNMoney.com (press release)

    25 Nov 2009 | 11:06 am
    tapimmune Announces Additional FundingCNNMoney.com (press release)tapimmune Inc. is a biotechnology company specializing in the development of innovative cell based immunotherapeutics and vaccines in the areas of oncology TapImmune Announces Additional FundingdBusinessNews Seattle (press release)all 9 news articles »
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    CropBiotech Update

  • India Cannot Oppose GM, Agric Minister Says

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am
    India's Minister of State for Agriculture K V Thomas said that the country cannot oppose the use of biotechnology as it wants to increase crop yields. An article by the Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted Thomas as saying "the country needs to take scientific and practical steps to improve productivity and bring down cost of production. The GM techno...

  • Conference on Environmental, Industrial, and Applied Microbiology

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am
    A conference on environmental, industrial and applied microbiology will be held from 2 to 4 December 2009 in Lisbon, Portugal. General sessions will be dedicated to microbiological applications in various areas such agriculture, medicine and food sciences, while special sessions will address more specific topics, including: antimicrobial surfaces; ...

  • FAO Concludes World Food Summit

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am
    The head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Jacques Diouf concluded the World Food Summit by affirming that it is possible to free the world from hunger but called for a "move from words to actions." The World Food Summit, held earlier this week in Rome, brought together 60 heads of state and 191 ministers from 182 countries an...

  • EFSA on Bayer's LLRice62 Safety

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am
    The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), EU's top food watch dog, issued a statement in 2007 on Bayer's application for the market authorization of its genetically modified herbicide-resistant LLRice62 for food/feed uses, import and processing in the European Union. EFSA in the statement concluded that although "there is a possibility that small ...

  • FAO and IDB Sign USD 1 Billion Agreement

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am
    The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) announced that they have signed a USD 1 billion agreement to finance agriculture development projects in 26 least-developed IDB member countries. The agreement, inked earlier this week by Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of IDB, and FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf,...
 
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    Yahoo! News: Biotechnology News

  • Comatose for 23 years Belgian feels reborn (AP)

    24 Nov 2009 | 3:18 pm
    AP - With a caretaker holding his hand, a Belgian man who was diagnosed as comatose for 23 years typed out a message Tuesday that he felt reborn after decades of loneliness and frustration. A leading bioethicist, however, expressed skepticism that the man was truly communicating on his own.

  • Asthma Combo Seems Less Influenced by Genes (HealthDay)

    22 Nov 2009 | 10:38 pm
    HealthDay - THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- People's genetic makeup has been shown to affect how they respond to asthma medications, but a new study finds that many people respond well to a particular combination treatment regardless of their genes.

  • Measure to change U. of Neb. stem-cell rule fails (AP)

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:07 pm
    AP - The University of Nebraska's governing board on Friday voted not to place tighter restrictions on embryonic stem cell research than those outlined under federal guidelines, which were expanded after President Barack Obama took office.

  • Embryonic stem cell therapy closer to human trials (AFP)

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:13 am
    AFP - Embryonic stem cell therapy got a step closer to the clinic Thursday after US researchers said they filed a request for government approval of human trials.

  • Company seeks to test stem cells for blindness (Reuters)

    19 Nov 2009 | 7:25 am
    Reuters - Advanced Cell Technology, a small Massachusetts-based biotechnology company, said on Thursday it has asked for approval to test human embryonic stem cells in treating a rare cause of blindness.
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    Biology News Net - Biotechnology

  • Computational microscope peers into the working ribosome

    23 Nov 2009 | 1:05 pm
    Two new studies reveal in unprecedented detail how the ribosome interacts with other molecules to assemble new proteins and guide them toward their destination in biological cells. The studies used molecular dynamics flexible fitting (MDFF) to examine the interaction of the ribosome with two prominent molecular partners.

  • Small nanoparticles bring big improvement to medical imaging

    18 Nov 2009 | 1:30 pm
    If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important—especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to unfold and require high-spatial-resolution imaging. But new research* makes it possible to scrutinize activities that occur over hours or even days inside cells, potentially solving many of the mysteries associated with molecular-scale events occurring in these tiny living things.

  • Scientists guide immune cells with light and microparticles

    16 Nov 2009 | 2:19 pm
    A team led by Yale University scientists has developed a new approach to studying how immune cells chase down bacteria in our bodies. Their findings are described in the November 15 issue of Nature Methods Advanced Online Publication.

  • First use of antibody and stem cell transplantation to successfully treat advanced leukemia

    5 Nov 2009 | 10:25 pm
    For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options.

  • Next-generation microcapsules deliver 'chemicals on demand'

    28 Oct 2009 | 6:09 pm
    Scientists in California are reporting development of a new generation of the microcapsules used in carbon-free copy paper, in which capsules burst and release ink with pressure from a pen. The new microcapsules burst when exposed to light, releasing their contents in ways that could have wide-ranging commercial uses from home and personal care to medicine. Their study appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication.
 
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    BMC Biotechnology - Latest Articles

  • A rapid and inexpensive labeling method for microarray gene expression analysis

    Mario Ouellet
    24 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Background: Global gene expression profiling by DNA microarrays is an invaluable tool in biological research. However, existing labeling methods are time consuming and costly and therefore often limit the scale of microarray experiments and sample throughput. Here we introduce a new, fast, inexpensive method for direct random-primed fluorescent labeling of eukaryotic cDNA for gene expression analysis and compare the results obtained on the NimbleGen microarray platform with two other widely-used labeling methods, namely the NimbleGen-recommended double-stranded cDNA protocol and the indirect…

  • High-level HIV-1 Nef transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana using the P19 gene silencing suppressor protein of Artichoke Mottled Crinckle Virus

    Raffaele Lombardi
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Background: In recent years, different HIV antigens have been successfully expressed in plants by either stable transformation or transient expression systems. Among HIV proteins, Nef is considered a promising target for the formulation of a multi-component vaccine due to its implication in the first steps of viral infection. Attempts to express Nef as a single protein product (not fused to a stabilizing protein) in transgenic plants resulted in disappointingly low yields (about 0.5% of total soluble protein). In this work we describe a transient expression system based on co-agroinfiltration…

  • Quantifying and resolving multiple vector transformants in S. cerevisiae plasmid libraries

    Thomas Scanlon
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Background: In addition to providing the molecular machinery for transcription and translation, recombinant microbial expression hosts maintain the critical genotype-phenotype link that is essential for high throughput screening and recovery of proteins encoded by plasmid libraries. It is known that Escherichia coli cells can be simultaneously transformed with multiple unique plasmids and thusly complicate recombinant library screening experiments. As a result of their potential to yield misleading results, bacterial multiple vector transformants have been thoroughly characterized in previous…

  • Non-antibiotic selection systems for soybean somatic embryos: the lysine analog aminoethyl-cysteine as a selection agent

    Suryadevara Rao
    17 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Background: In soybean somatic embryo transformation, the standard selection agent currently used is hygromycin. However, hygromycin being an antibiotic is not ideal in the final product if intended for commercial purposes. The objective of these experiments was to develop a selection system for producing transgenic soybean somatic embryos without the use of antibiotics such as hygromycin. Results: When tested against different alternate selection agents our studies show that 0.16 ug/ mL glufosinate, 40 mg/L isopropylamine-glyphosate, 0.5 mg/mL (S-(2 aminoethyl)-L-cysteine) (AEC) and the…

  • Affinity maturation generates greatly improved xyloglucan-specific carbohydrate binding modules

    Laura von Schantz
    30 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Background: Molecular evolution of carbohydrate binding modules (CBM) is a new approach for the generation of glycan-specific molecular probes. To date, the possibility of performing affinity maturation on CBM has not been investigated. In this study we show that binding characteristics such as affinity can be improved for CBM generated from the CBM4-2 scaffold by using random mutagenesis in combination with phage display technology. Results: Two modified proteins with greatly improved affinity for xyloglucan, a key polysaccharide abundant in the plant kingdom crucial for providing plant…
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    Biotechnology Journal

  • Relationship of protozoan biomass to phosphate and nitrate removal from activated sludge mixed liquor

    Oghenerobor B. Akpor, Maggy N. B. Momba
    9 Nov 2009 | 3:20 am
    The relationship between protozoan biomass concentration and phosphate and nitrate removal was investigated in mixed liquor using three different carbon sources as supplements. The study was carried out using three respective initial biomass concentrations in a shaking flask environment. Samples were taken every 24 h to determine phosphate, nitrate, dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen demand. The results revealed a direct relationship between decreases in nutrient concentrations and increases in cell densities of the isolates. Between 24 and 96 h, the increases in the protozoan density…

  • Recent trends and some applications of isothermal titration calorimetry in biotechnology

    L. Selva Roselin, Ming-Shen Lin, Po-Hsun Lin, Yung Chang, Wen-Yih Chen
    9 Nov 2009 | 3:20 am
    Isothermal titration calorimeters (ITCs) are thermodynamic instruments used for the determination of enthalpy changes in any physical/chemical reaction. This can be applied in various fields of biotechnology. This review explains ITC applications, especially in bioseparation, drug development and cell metabolism. In liquid chromatography, the separation/purification of specific proteins or polypeptides in a mixture is usually achieved by varying the adsorption affinities of the different proteins/polypeptides for the adsorbent under different mobile-phase conditions and temperatures. Using…

  • Barley as a green factory for the production of functional Flt3 ligand

    Lýður S. Erlendsson, Marcus O. Muench, Ulf Hellman, Soffía M. Hrafnkelsdóttir, Anders Jonsson, Yves Balmer, Einar Mäntylä, Björn L. Örvar
    20 Oct 2009 | 6:02 am
    Biologically active recombinant human Flt3 ligand was expressed and isolated from transgenic barley seeds. Its expression is controlled by a tissue specific promoter that confines accumulation of the recombinant protein to the endosperm tissue of the seed. The recombinant Flt3 ligand variant expressed in the seeds contains an HQ-tag for affinity purification on immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) resin. The tagged protein was purified from seed extracts to near homogeneity using sequential chromatography on IMAC affinity resin and cation exchange resin. We also show that the…

  • Industrial biotechnology: Tools and applications

    Weng Lin Tang, Huimin Zhao
    20 Oct 2009 | 6:02 am
    Industrial biotechnology involves the use of enzymes and microorganisms to produce value-added chemicals from renewable sources. Because of its association with reduced energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation, industrial biotechnology is a rapidly growing field. Here we highlight a variety of important tools for industrial biotechnology, including protein engineering, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, systems biology, and downstream processing. In addition, we show how these tools have been successfully applied in several case studies, including the…

  • Insect-symbiont systems: From complex relationships to biotechnological applications

    Sandra Chaves, Marta Neto, Rogério Tenreiro
    20 Oct 2009 | 6:02 am
    Microbial symbiosis is a ubiquitous aspect of life and was a major element in the ability of insects to explore several adverse environments. To date, the study of symbiosis in insects has been impaired by the unculturability of most symbionts. However, some molecular methods represent powerful tools to help understand insect-microorganism associations and to disclose new symbiont-host systems. Beyond playing an essential role in nutrition and development of the insects, symbionts can produce bioactive compounds that protect the host against adverse environmental conditions, predators and/or…
 
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    Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry Immediate Publications

  • Preparation, characterization and evaluation of biopolymeric gold nanocomposite with antimicrobial activity

    M Chamundeeswari, S S. Liji Sobhana, J P. Jacob, M Ganesh Kumar, M Pandima Devi, T P. Sastry, A B. Mandal
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:29 am
    This report describes the antimicrobial activity of chitosan capped gold nanoparticles coupled with ampicillin (C-AuNp-Amp). C-AuNp-Amp was synthesized using wet precipitation method and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The optimal level of ampicillin concentration that couples with C-AuNp nanocomposite was determined by using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The agar well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and the broth dilution assay was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration…

  • Prokaryotic expression, purification and characterization of a novel pro-apoptosis protein hPNAS-4

    H Deng, Q Jiang, S Liang, F Yan, S Hou, Z Qian, J Li, Y Wen, J Yang, Y Wei
    13 Nov 2009 | 7:04 am
    Recently human PNAS-4 (hPNAS-4) is reported to be a novel pro-apoptotic protein in mammalian cells. However, there is little information about hPNAS-4 characterization and its molecular mechanisms so far. In our present studies, the hPNAS-4 gene was first cloned into the pGEX-6p-1 vector with GST tag to solubly express in E.coli induced with 0.5 mM IPTG at 25℃,and the recombinant hPNAS-4 was purified to near homogeneity with 96% purity by affinity chromatography and anion-exchange chromatography. The purified hPNAS-4 protein was further identified by liquid chromatography-electrospray…

  • A novel harvesting method for cultured cells using iron cross-linked alginate films as culture substrates

    I Machida-Sano, Y Matsuda, H Namiki
    11 Nov 2009 | 2:31 am
    The present study was conducted to assess the efficiency of a novel cell harvesting method involving dissolution of the culture substrate composed of ferric ion-cross linked alginate (Fe-alginate). Cell harvesting is an essential step for recovery of cultured adherent cells, but conventional methods such as trypsinization or scraping cause considerable damage to the cells. We therefore devised an original method for harvesting cultured cells using Fe-alginate films as a culture substrate, and then retrieving the cells by disintegration of the alginate gel. Fe-alginate was easily dissolved…

  • Features of bacterial growth and polysaccharide production of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14

    H Massaldi, M Inés Bessio, N Suárez, E Texeira, S Rossi, F Ferreira
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:05 am
    The effect of several cultivation conditions on the kinetics of bacterial growth and polysaccharide production of S. pneumoniae serotype 14 was studied. The presence in the supernatant of serotype specific capsular polysaccharide (CPS) during growth was followed by size exclusion HPLC and in parallel confirmed by a specific latex reagent. Agitation level did not affect the production behaviour, whereas pH maintenance above 6 strongly enhanced both growth and CPS production throughout the cultivation period in flasks. Production of high molecular weight polysaccharide was found to be largest…

  • Effect of IPP5, a novel inhibitor of PP1, on apoptosis and the underlying mechanisms involved

    Q Zeng, Y Huang, L Zeng, X Lan, Y Huang, S He, H Zhang
    29 Oct 2009 | 7:11 am
    Genes encoding apoptosis-inducing proteins are postulated to be candidate tumor suppressors. The identification of such proteins may benefit the early diagnosis and therapy of tumors. In the current study, we characterized the function of a novel human bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC)-derived protein (IPP5) by large scale random sequencing of a human BMSC cDNA library. Human IPP5 cDNA encodes a protein of 116 amino acid residues, which shares high homology with human inhibitor-1 of protein phosphatase 1 (PPI-1). The effect of IPP5 on apoptosis and the underlying molecular mechanisms were…
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    WordPress Tag: Biotechnology

  • Is it a Bioethics Panel if There Are Only Chairs?

    David Bruggeman
    25 Nov 2009 | 10:14 am
    In June President Obama ended the President’s Council on Bioethics established by President George W. Bush.  I mistakenly thought at the time that naming a new council would happen soon, or at least by the end of September, when the previous council’s terms were originally set to expire. Turns out I was thinking wishfully.  In what is usually a slow news week, ScienceInsider notes that the President has named the chair and vice-chair for the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.  I cannot find the Executive Order mentioned in the press release, but will…

  • Bayer Cropscience signs agreement with GVK Biosciences on early-stage research projects

    indiaprwire
    25 Nov 2009 | 9:55 am
    Bayer CropScience and GVK Biosciences Private Limited (GVK BIO), Hyderabad, India, have entered into

  • How Critical Pharmaceuticals Gained £1.5M Funding During the Credit Crisis

    bioengagement
    25 Nov 2009 | 7:22 am
    For young biotechnology companies, attracting seed and early stage funding has become increasingly difficult this year although anecdotal signs of recovery are beginning to emerge. The main reason: venture capital funds have been focusing on their existing portfolio companies who were holding off on exits while waiting out the markets.  Last year the biotech industry saw only one IPO — Florida-based Bioheart Inc.’s contentious USD 5.8 million float of Sunrise in February. Only six VC-funded companies went public across all industries, making 2008 the worst year for public entrance since…

  • Drug Development

    slahlou
    25 Nov 2009 | 4:49 am

  • Waltham's ImmunoGen lands a $1 Million licensing fee from Amgen

    hubtechinsider
    25 Nov 2009 | 2:09 am
    Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: IMGN) said recently that Amgen has purchased a second license to develop a treatment that uses ImmunoGen’s technology for linking targeted antibodies to cell-killing agents that make them more potent. ImmunoGen will get $1 million upfront and could receive $34 million worth of milestone payments over time if Amgen is successful in developing a drug against an undisclosed target on cancer cells. Amgen bought its first such license to the ImmunoGen technology in September.
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    WordPress Tag: Bio-technology

  • Testing for Bisphenol A: Concern over canned foods

    Mr.Anderson
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:38 am
    Article from consumerreports.org - Consumer Reports recently tested a variety of canned foods to determine whether they contain Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in the epoxy resin linings of most food and beverage cans.  We found that even samples of canned food we tested from manufacturers who aim to reduce consumers’ BPA exposure by using non-epoxy based can linings had measurable amounts of the chemical. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently is reassessing what it considers a safe level of exposure to BPA, which some studies show is linked with increased risks of certain…

  • Patent For Pneumonic Plague Vaccine - Given in August 2009

    Mr.Anderson
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pm
    How Convenient that The British Department of Defense Got a Patent for a Vaccine for the Pneumonic Plague in August of 2009! What perfect timing! The People at The Freedom Link are the ones who found it! You can view the patent on their website here: http://thefreedomlink.org/Files/Patent7572449.htm I would like to know if this is the pneumonic plague in the Ukraine? One other thing, (conspiracy side of me) – they weren’t planning on giving that to those “higher elite people” while they gave the rest of us lowly people that Swine flu vaccine, were they? Answers to…

  • Swine Flu H1N1 Used for Political Aims

    Mr.Anderson
    15 Nov 2009 | 11:24 am
    Check out this link ! http://atomicnewsreview.org/2009/09/15/flu-time-bomb-the-pbs-documentary-with-%e2%80%9cdr-death%e2%80%9d-johan-hultin/

  • Ukraine; Virus Is Mixture Of H1N1 And Parainfluenza, Causes Cardiopulmonary Failure; Indicates BioWeapon

    Mr.Anderson
    15 Nov 2009 | 10:49 am
    by Infowars Ireland  Infowars Ireland Staff Writer Professor Victor Bachinsky, PhD., is a coroner in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine. He provides evidence which indicates that parainfluenza mixed with the H1N1 virus, not pneumonic plague, has caused so much illness in Ukraine. Yet more strains of influenza which have combined, a strong indication that we are dealing with a laboratory developed bio-weapon. [Translated from Russian] (Photo: Victor Bachynsky) Based on autopsies, we have come to the conclusion: it’s not pneumonia, but cardiopulmonary insufficiency and cardiogenic shock ……

  • Suspected Hemorrhagic Pneumonia Outbreak Hits Ukraine

    Mr.Anderson
    11 Nov 2009 | 5:30 pm
    by Stephen Lendman ,  frombaltimorechronicle.com The plague or virus in the Ukraine has 10 times the mortality rate (attributed to) normal swine flu. It may signal what’s soon heading everywhere. On October 29, the Australian web site zik.com.ua reported that: “Western Ukraine was hit by a severe epidemic of unidentified influenza, tentatively diagnosed by doctors as viral pneumonia. The number of dead has climbed dramatically. Doctors advise Western Ukrainians to stay home and use preventive medicine.” On October 30, Jane Burgermeister’s theflu.com reported that:…
 
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    Bio Job Blog

  • FDA, Fair Balance and Social Media

    24 Nov 2009 | 6:38 pm
    Mark Senak social media advocate and author of the EyeonFDA blog has been spot on with his commentary on the recent public hearings held by FDA to unravel the social media conundrum facing the life sciences industry. Despite its good intentions, the agency is intent on applying an anachronistic method of developing guidance (designed for processes that undergo incremental changes) for a technology that changes rapidly and is ill-defined. In other words, they are trying to force a square peg into a round hole—it simply won't work! As duly noted by Mark, FDA seems focused on…

  • Clinical Trial Recruitment and Social Media

    23 Nov 2009 | 8:53 am
    Recruiting patients for human clinical trials has become challenging over the past five years or so. Inclusion criteria have become more stringent and cost of running Phase III clinical trials has skyrocketed.  This has forced life sciences companies and clinical research organizations to be creative in recruiting patients. Traditional methods including print and radio advertising are no longer working. I previously wrote a piece on the use of social media for clinical trial recruitment. It seemed to me that social media would be ideal for that purpose because of its…

  • FDA Enters the Digital Age by Issuing 22 Warning Letters to Web Site Operators

    19 Nov 2009 | 6:55 pm
    The public hearing held by FDA last week in Washington DC to address social media and promotional advertising in the pharmaceutical seems to have altered the agency’s perspective on all things digital. Today, according to a press release, marked the agency’s completion of a coordinated week long international effort called the International Week of Action (IIWA) that was intended to curb illegal actions involving medical and pharmaceutical products. During the effort, the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI), in conjunction with the Center for Drug Evaluation and…

  • And Now for Something Completely Different: North Carolina-based Talecris to Add 259 Biomanufacturing Jobs

    17 Nov 2009 | 10:27 am
    Talecris Biotherapeutics announced that it will add 259 jobs as part of a $269 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Clayton, NC. The RTP-based biotech company already employs more than 3,000 people world wide (2000 in the Raleigh-Durham area and 1,500 in Clayton) and plans to use the 259 new hires to staff its newly expanded manufacturing facility at the Clayton site. The jobs being added will have an average annual salary of $51,066, excluding benefit substantially higher than the salaries of other non-biotech employees in the area. The company manufactures and sells…

  • Bugs, Drugs and Patents

    17 Nov 2009 | 7:39 am
    I suspect that many of you (after reading the title of this post) might be expecting another rant about the need for new antibiotics to treat infections caused by multiple drug resistant strains of bacteria. Sorry to disappoint you because that isn’t what this post is about. After reading and listening to several seemingly disparate radio and newspaper stories this morning, I decided to combine three different stories into a single post that touches on several common themes. First, I heard a story on NPR this morning (while driving my daughter to middle school) about…
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    Colorado BioScience Association News Feed

  • New diggs: for CBSA and two partner associations: CAMT and CSIA

    24 Nov 2009 | 4:12 pm
    The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) along with the Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology (CAMT) and the Colorado Software and Internet Association (CSIA) have moved together to a new office located in Downtown Denver. The three organizations moved from the World Trade Center at 1625 Broadway in Suite 950 to Columbine Place at 216 16th Street in Suite 850. The large suite allows for each association to have their own office areas, a large conference room to hold meeting space, and an open area for association members to come and work while in the Denver area. Link to the…

  • BioWest 2009 Video Recap - Who Stood Out In The Crowd and The Rocky Mountain Life Science Investor Conference

    16 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    From November 10, 2009 - Afternoon breakout session: The Rocky Mountain Life Science Investor Conference — Who Stood Out In The Crowd and The Investor Perspective. Three company presentations from the RMLIC were heard (Leap Frogg, BioAMPS and Biodesix) and experts dissected their pitches afterward. VC Expert Panel (L-R): Michael Artinger, PhD, Director, Fitzsimons BioBusiness Partners; Mark Lupa, PhD, Principal, High Country Ventures and Tango; and Harry Ross, MD, Managing Partner, Aweida Management. Holli Baumunk from the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (MDEDC) moderated the…

  • From the Rocky Radar team: BioWest 2009

    16 Nov 2009 | 12:35 pm
    "CBSA’s BioWest 2009 brought together a variety of perspectives on bioscience in Colorado and around the world, as well as focusing on innovation and leadership in general. Ginger Graham, the former president and CEO of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, began the day by offering a high level perspective on the future of the bioscience industry. Graham noted that while she believes the 'fundamentals [of bioscience investement] are still in place” given that solutions are still needed in the healthcare market, many firms have shifted their focus temporarily to “survival rather than value…

  • European Life Science Journal features Colorado bioscience industry for third time.

    16 Nov 2009 | 12:19 pm
    The Colorado bioscience industry has been featured for the third time in the European Life Science Journal with a bylined article by Leah Kientz about the recent Rocky Mountain Life Science Investor Conference. Link to the issue at: http://multi.mediapaper.nu/?PubId=B5C0ED80919A381E9511B36B243F1C09 and go to page 64.Thank you to our friend Bertil Nordquist and the team at the European Life Science Journal!

  • Congrats Sharklet Technologies on Inc article and SBIR grant.

    16 Nov 2009 | 11:37 am
    Congrats Sharklet Technologies for the profile in Inc Magazine this month, "Innovation: A New Way to Fight Germs." Denver-based CEO Joe Bagan is on the Colorado BioScience Board of Directors. Link to the article at the Inc Web site.Plus, today Sharklet announced that it has been awarded a $168,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) / National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to develop a urinary catheter with the Sharklet™ micro-pattern that inhibits bacteria growth. Did you know that urinary catheters…
 
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    OnBioVC

  • Virdante Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Series A $30M

    arubenstein
    24 Nov 2009 | 9:28 pm
    Virdante Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA) a development-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on increasing potency of plasma-derived intravenous immune globulin for the treatment of inflammation and autoimmune disease, closed a $30M Series A financing. Participants include Thomas, McNerney & Partners, Osage Partners, Clarus Ventures, Venrock, MedImmune Ventures and Biogen Idec New Ventures.

  • Quinnova Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Series B $17.4M

    arubenstein
    24 Nov 2009 | 9:26 pm
    Quinnova Pharmaceuticals (Newtown, PA) a commercial-stage specialty biopharma company focused on dermatological drug reformulations and foam delivery systems, closed a $17.4M Series B financing. Participants include Safeguard Scientifics, Thomas, McNerney & Partners, H.I.G. Ventures.

  • Activaero, GmbH: Series A $15.9M

    arubenstein
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:26 pm
    Activaero (Germany) a commercial-stage medical device company focused on patient-tailored controlled breathing and inhaled therapeutic delivery systems, closed a $15.9M Series A financing. Participants include BioMedPartners, VI Partners, Abalis Finance and Vesalius Biocapital.

  • 3Q09 OnBioVC | Trend Analysis Now Available

    arubenstein
    16 Nov 2009 | 10:23 pm
    Hot off the press! The 3Q09 OnBioVC | Trend Analysis study is now available for download [HERE]. Over $1,663M flowed into early-stage biopharma, diagnostic and device companies in the third quarter of 2009 and over $4,806M year-to-date! If you find the information in OnBioVC to be of value kindly forward on to colleagues who you believe would likewise be interested in the content. Thank you! ________________________________________________________________________ Sign up [HERE] for FREE Subscriptions to ‘Pharmaceutical Executive’ and ‘Life Science Leader’ Magazines…

  • September 2009 OnBioVC | Trend Analysis Now Available

    arubenstein
    3 Nov 2009 | 9:47 pm
    Hot off the press! The September 2009 OnBioVC | Trend Analysis study is now available for download [HERE]. Over $465M flowed into early-stage biopharma, diagnostic and device companies in the ninth month of 2009 and over $4,806M year-to-date! If you find the information in OnBioVC to be of value kindly forward on to colleagues who you believe would likewise be interested in the content. Thank you! ________________________________________________________________________ Sign up [HERE] for FREE Subscription to ‘Pharmaceutical Executive’ and ‘Life Science Leader’…
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    TradePub: Biotechnology

  • P & T

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:20 am
    P&T: A Peer-Reviewed Journal for Managed Care and Hospital Formulary Management serves the pharmacy and therapeutics committees of hospitals, nursing home/long term care facilities, group practices, VA/DOD facilities, and managed care organizations.Request Free!

  • Pharm Rep Direct

    16 Nov 2009 | 11:20 am
    It covers new developments and cutting-edge advice from the world of sales management and training, as well as regulatory updates, must-know court cases, key statistics, exclusive interviews - you can find everything you need here, in Pharm Rep Direct.Request Free!

  • PharmaVOICE

    13 Nov 2009 | 5:20 pm
    PharmaVOICE provides multiple perspectives on the business challenges, trends, and topics impacting the life-sciences by engaging compelling personalities from diverse industry sectors in a thought-provoking dialog to facilitate and improve business-to-business relationships. Your subscription to PharmaVOICE will also include it's supporting sector-specific VIEW publications.Request Free!

  • American Biotechnology Laboratory

    13 Nov 2009 | 3:20 pm
    American Biotechnology Laboratory will help keep you abreast of the latest developments in life science instrumentation and apparatus, bioanalytical chemistry, kits, and biologicals.Request Free!

  • American Laboratory

    13 Nov 2009 | 3:20 pm
    American Laboratory is a practical resource for analytical chemistry laboratory solutions for chemists and life scientists with interest in the application of modern scientific instrumentation for the practice of analytical/bioanalytical chemistry, basic research, applied spectroscopy, petrochemicals, and material science.Request Free!
 
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