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miRNA and viral infections in vertebrates

7 February 2009 | By

For plants and invertebrates, RNA interference is firmly established as an important antiviral mechanism. Even before Fire, Mello, and co-workers described RNA interference (RNAi) in worms in 19981 it was becoming clear that plants have an RNA-dependent pathway that protects against viral infections2. The pathway, then termed post-transcriptional gene silencing…

The importance of sample quality for qPCR

7 February 2009 | By Tania Nolan, Global Manager, Sigma-Aldrich and Stephen Bustin, Professor of Molecular Science, Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry

The fluorescence-based quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)1-3, has the ability to detect and measure minute amounts of DNA in a wide range of samples extracted from numerous sources. In combination with reverse transcription (RT), the use of this technology has revolutionised life sciences, agriculture and medical research4,5. In addition,…

Cellular Imaging and Analysis 2009

7 February 2009 | By

Cellular Imaging and Analysis is undoubtedly one of the hottest topics in the field of pharmaceutical research and development. Technical or diagnostic progress made almost hourly, this multidisciplinary set of challenges and opportunities is proving one of the most profoundly effective in the history of science.

Progress by the Proteomics Standards Initiative

7 February 2009 | By Dr Chris Taylor, Senior Software Engineer, European Bioinformatics Institute and Lennart Martens, Group Co-ordinator of Proteomics Services, European Bioinformatics Institute

There are compelling reasons for regularising the capture and description of proteomics data. Adhering to community-consensus specifications for the annotation of data sets can increase confidence in results and the conclusions drawn upon them, and supports data re-use; working with standard formats and vocabularies can raise efficiency and facilitates sophisticated…

Biomarkers and the tumour microenvironment

7 February 2009 | By

The current cost of developing a new medicine for the treatment of human disease has been estimated at $1 to $2 billion (€750-1.5 million1,2). Given progressive increases in the cost of developing new drugs, pharmaceutical companies are facing significant pressure to streamline discovery methods and increase the translational efficiency of…

The 14th Annual Meeting of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities – Application and Optimisation of Existing and Emerging Biotechnologies

7 February 2009 | By

The ABRF 2009 meeting will present the latest developments in life science technologies and the use of these technologies. Leaders in the field will give presentations including scientific sessions and technical workshops on genomics, proteomics, imaging, and other technologies such as next generation sequencing, genotyping, microarrays, real-time PCR, proteomics and…

ITC: affinity is not everything

7 February 2009 | By

During the optimisation of drug candidates, improvements in affinity and selectivity play a critical role. This task is usually accomplished by establishing accurate correlations between the affinity/selectivity of different chemical scaffolds and through chemical modifications to a selected scaffold.

Raman spectroscopic techniques for biotechnology and bioprocessing

7 February 2009 | By

Biotechnological expertise is becoming increasingly important within the pharmaceutical industry, and will play a pivotal role in the monitoring of fermentations, particularly their optimisation within the framework of Process Analytical Technologies (PAT). The ability to harness biological processes for the development of drug therapies, so called ‘biopharmaceuticals’ provides treatments that…

PAT Roundtable: trends and issues

7 February 2009 | By

European Pharmaceutical Review invited four individuals to discuss their views and opinions on current trends and issues surrounding PAT.

What the future holds for real-time PCR

10 January 2009 | By

TATAA Biocenters, located in Gothenburg, Sweden, Prague, Czech Republic, Freising outside Münich in Germany, and Sunnyvale, California1, work with leading instrument manufacturers and reagents companies in the quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) field on new applications, making the know-how available through hands-on courses worldwide. Every year new courses are launched based…

Stem cell research and therapeutic innovation: not always a long-term perspective

10 January 2009 | By

When talking about stem cell research and its contribution to medical innovation, distinction should be made between embryonic stem cell research, believed to have almost infinite potential but with quite long-term perspectives, and adult stem cell research, which is already offering new therapeutic applications for otherwise incurable diseases. Today, adult…