PINNED
PINNED
Pharma Horizons: leading-edge formulation
This report addresses the key factors shaping pharmaceutical formulation, including regulation, QC and analysis.
List view / Grid view
Articles
RNAi-based therapies for the treatment of HIV
24 June 2010 | By Marc S. Weinberg and Fiona van den Berg, Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, University of Witwatersrand
Since the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) in 1998 and the demonstration of RNAi in mammalian cells in 2001, research into the mechanisms and applications of this pathway has moved swiftly. RNAi is capable of mediating potent and specific silencing of genes and has therefore shown promise in the development…
Trends in laboratory automation: From speed and simplicity to flexibility and information content
24 June 2010 | By Fernando A. Ramon Olayo, Manager, GlaxoSmithKline
The pharmaceutical industry has significantly influenced laboratory automation trends in the past two decades. The need to screen large collections of chemical entities in a short time with minimised consumption of reagents has driven a strong demand of parallelisation, automation, simplification and miniaturisation solutions from the suppliers of instruments, labware…
Cellular senescence as an anti-tumour mechanism
24 June 2010 | By Amancio Carnero, Scientist, Seville Biomedical Research Institute (IBIS/HUVR), Spanish National Research Council
One of the critical steps in human carcinogenesis is cellular immortalisation, a process in which cells must escape senescence and acquire an infinite lifespan. In the absence of immortalisation, although a cell might undergo malignant transformation, it could not proliferate indefinitely. Furthermore, it has been clearly established in vitro and…
Examining receptor activation: New technologies reveal how G protein-coupled receptors recognise ligands and talk to intracellular partners
24 June 2010 | By Thomas P. Sakmar, Laboratory of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Rockefeller University
Heptahelical G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are arguably the most important single class of pharmaceutical drug targets in the human genome. According to Overington, of the 266 human targets for approved drugs, a remarkable 27 per cent correspond to rhodopsin-like, or Family A, GPCRs. Despite recent dramatic advances in targeting of…
Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of drug products and drug manufacturing processes
9 May 2010 | By Prof. Thomas De Beer, Assistant-Professor, Process Analytical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ghent
This article aims at supplying a concise overview on the application of Raman spectroscopic analysis methods within the pharmaceutical drug product manufacturing world. Firstly, there will be a focus on the rapid and nondestructive off-line analysis feasibility of Raman spectroscopy for final drug products. Herewith, several possible sources of error…
qPCR: Current technologies and future applications
9 May 2010 | By European Pharmaceutical Review
A diverse and widely applicable laboratory technique, qPCR is vital for the progression of drug discovery, enabling detection and quantification and commonly used for both diagnostic and basic research. This roundtable brings together experts from a wide range of pharmaceutical applications to discuss current technologies and future applications of qPCR…
Article 2: The implementation of rapid microbiological methods
9 May 2010 | By Michael J. Miller, Ph.D., President, Microbiology Consultants, LLC
This is the second in a series of articles on rapid microbiological methods that will appear in European Pharmaceutical Review during 2010. Method validation is the process used to confirm that an analytical procedure employed for a specific test is reliable, reproducible and suitable for its intended purpose. All analytical…
Finding novel targets for anticancer target discovery
9 May 2010 | By Wolfgang Link, Experimental Therapeutics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncologicas (CNIO)
Advances in our understanding of the molecular basis of cancer together with novel approaches to interfere with signal transduction pathways have opened new horizons for anticancer target discovery. In particular, the image based large scale analysis of cellular phenotypes that arise from genetic or chemical perturbations paved the way for…
SBS Biopharmaceuticals Symposium: Exploring synergies across drug formats
9 May 2010 | By EPR
Biopharmaceuticals is a rapidly growing sector of the pharmaceutical industry. Major pharmaceutical companies have recognised this trend in recent years and defined ambitious targets for the proportion of their pipeline that is expected to be filled by novel biopharmaceuticals. It is inevitable that many of the scientists involved with small-molecule…
Implementation of appropriate assays and HTS technologies in drug discovery
9 May 2010 | By Sheraz Gul, Vice President, European ScreeningPort GmbH
In this article, an overview regarding advances in assay formats for specific target classes and options that should be considered when considering hardware will be given. There has been a significant growth in the assay and automation technologies that are available for compound screening activities and it is essential to…
The 58th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics
9 May 2010 | By EPR
The American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) was formed in 1969 to promote and disseminate knowledge of mass spectrometry and allied topics. Membership includes over 7,500 scientists involved in research and development. Members come from academic, industrial and governmental laboratories. Their interests include advancement of techniques and instrumentation in mass…
‘Pharmaceutical Industry / University’ R&D collaboration on Process Analytical Technologies
9 May 2010 | By Professor Nicolas Abatzoglou, Chair, PAT in Pharmaceutical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biotechnological Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke
Process analytical technologies (PAT) are mature and well advanced in the classical chemical industry. Many successful industry/university R&D collaborations are aimed at the development of analytical methods and their application in process control. However, PAT in the pharmaceutical industry is a rather new field. It is precisely this latter reality…
ISSCR 8th Annual Meeting: International Society for Stem Cell Research
9 May 2010 | By EPR
The ISSCR Annual Meeting offers inspired research, new perspectives and networking with stem cell professionals from around the world. It creates a platform for the exchange of theoretical and applied information and skills, providing delegates with perspective, training and a forum to analyse the latest data.
Turn back the clock and be healed Induced pluripotent stem cells and their future impact on drug discovery and regenerative medicine
9 May 2010 | By Paul D. Andrews, Drug Discovery Unit, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee
They are only four years old and are getting everyone very excited; they were Science Magazine’s ‘Breakthrough of the Year 2008’ and Nature’s ‘Method of the Year 2009.’ Their discoverer, Shinya Yamanaka, shared the Lasker Award last year and is no doubt touted for a future Nobel Prize. ‘They’ are…
Digital polymerase chain reaction; new diagnostic opportunities
22 February 2010 | By
LGC is an international science-based company located in South West London. A progressive and innovative enterprise, LGC operates in socially responsible fields underpinning the health, safety and security of the public, and regulation and enforcement for UK government departments and blue chip clients. Our products and services enable our customers…
