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29 May 2009 | By
Real-time PCR (qPCR) data are reliable only if they result from a robust qPCR assay that has been carefully designed, validated and optimised. This process requires an extensive assay design procedure aimed at generating an optimum primer/probe/amplicon combination to allow accurate quantification of nucleic acids with minimum need for post-PCR…
29 May 2009 | By
Nearly fifty years ago, it was hypothesised that terminally differentiated cells such as fibroblasts could be forced to take on a pluripotent state, similar to the embryonic stem cells (ES cells). The basis of the concept is the observation that all cell types, with minor exceptions, have the same genetic…
29 May 2009 | By
Joydeep Goswami from Invitrogen, who provide essential life science technologies for disease research, drug discovery, and commercial bioproduction, talks to us about current and future developments at the company.
29 May 2009 | By
1. How significantly do you feel the Drug Discovery Process has benefited from the application of High Content Analysis techniques? Anthony Davies: Since the mid 1990's High-content analysis (HCA) has primarily been used in the later stages of the pre-clinical drug discovery process. However, as HCA techniques have developed and…
29 May 2009 | By
Much has been published elsewhere about the limitations of the compendial microbiological methods and the needs of current Pharmaceutical manufacturing, in particular related to the adoption of PAT as a quality tool1-4. Rapid Microbiology is seen by many as a tool for addressing a number of these limitations5,6. Rather less…
29 May 2009 | By
As the time-to-market of pharmaceutical products has elongated, while its prices are under big pressure, cost saving is currently essential in the pharmaceutical industry.
20 March 2009 | By
For years biologists have worked to develop alternatives to traditional therapeutics. These efforts, in areas such as stem cell based and gene therapies, have received much fanfare in popular media outlets, raising expectations among the general public. This excitement may have contributed to the hasty progression of early gene therapy…
20 March 2009 | By
The fluorescence-based quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)1-3, is the most widely used method to detect and measure minute amounts of DNA in a wide range of samples extracted from numerous sources. Since all currently available thermostable polymerases are DNA-dependent, RNA must be converted ("reverse transcribed") into DNA prior to…
20 March 2009 | By
Generating knowledge and insight from complex genomic data sets is always a challenging endeavor. As data collection becomes more routine and less expensive, and the existing body of data expands, getting the most out of genomics experiments requires ever more expertise and insight. Here, we discuss our method of integrating…
Dr Paul Andrews (Senior Scientist, ITI Stem Cell Technology Programme, University of Dundee), Professor Peter Andrews (co-Director of the Centre for Stem Cell Biology, University of Sheffield), Fergus McKenzie PhD. (Programme Manager, ITI-Life Sciences), Dr Stephen Minger (Senior Lecturer in Stem Cell Biology, Kings College London) and Will Rust (Section…
20 March 2009 | By
Technological advances in robotised microscopy, liquid handling and image processing have enabled the emergence of high content screening where large numbers of specimens are automatically analysed. Here we overview the process discussing potential difficulties and solutions.
There has been a continuous move by the large commercially orientated players involved in Drug Discovery to initiate novel methods to increase income streams and productivity. An example of the former has been the acquisition of companies and their drug pipelines and in the case of the latter, rationalisation of…
20 March 2009 | By
The 15th annual SBS conference and exhibition will be held in Lille, the capital of the Nord-Pas-de Calais region in Northern France. 2009 is a momentous year for SBS as it is the 15th anniversary of the formation of the Society and to celebrate the occasion this year's theme will…
Peptides and proteins are powerful active therapeutic ingredients used in a wide variety of serious conditions and illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis or cancer. The application of these so-called biopharmaceuticals has been rapidly increasing since the middle of the 1990s, facilitated by improvements in modern recombinant DNA technology and biotechnological…
20 March 2009 | By
On the cold and snowy weekend of the 7th and 8th of February a group of academics, professionals and vendors met in Dublin for the first Cellular Imaging and Analysis event co-hosted by Trinity College Dublin and the European Pharmaceutical Review. Battling through the adverse weather conditions, delegates and speakers…
