Loading...

Daily news and top headlines for life science research professionals

FREE Email Newsletter View Sample


FEI, OHSU Partner to Create a 'Living Lab for Cell Biology'

Featured In: Supplier News

Tuesday, September 13, 2024

See today's top life science stories and headlines - Sign up now!

newsvine diigo google
slashdot
Share
Loading...

FEI and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) today announced a partnership to create the OHSU/FEI Living Lab for Cell Biology that will provide researchers with several state-of-the-art electron microscopes to advance the understanding and treatment of complex diseases such as cancer and AIDS.

The OHSU/FEI Living Lab will be equipped with a variety of high-performance equipment including a Titan Krios™ transmission electron microscope (TEM) and a Helios NanoLab™ DualBeam™. With these instruments from FEI, the Living Lab will have some of the most powerful imaging equipment available in any life sciences research lab in the Northwest.

The lab will be run by Joe Gray, Ph.D., a renowned cancer and genomic researcher recently recruited to OHSU from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Gray was one of the primary contributors to the development of the Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) test that transformed how treatments are selected for breast cancer patients. He co-leads Stand Up To Cancer's Breast Cancer Dream Team, plays a key role in the Cancer Genome Atlas Project and is spearheading the use of computer models to predict how cancer cells grow so that targeted therapies can be developed to shut these cells down.

With the creation of the Living Lab, Gray and other OHSU scientists will be able to visualize cell structure at a level of detail that wasn't possible before, enabling them to explore, among other things, how cancer cells function differently as they spread from the site of origin to other parts of the body.

The collaboration will also help Hillsboro-based FEI gain an even deeper understanding of the total workflow of electron microscopy in cellular biology and, ultimately, develop next-generation tools. To that end, FEI scientists appointed to the project will partner with OHSU scientists who will share their expertise. The partnership will provide scientists in the Living Lab with access to early versions of next-generation microscopy systems so that they can contribute to the product development process. The focus of this work will be on the combination of electron microscopy with other imaging techniques, such as light and fluorescent (correlative) microscopy. This next-generation technology is being designed with the goal of making it possible for scientists to better understand the genetic mutations that drive cancer and other diseases and understand how these mutations work together.

The partnership was attractive to FEI because of the scientific foundation that was fostered at OHSU when it was awarded an electron microscope from the National Institutes of Health in 1997. Because of that history, and subsequent programs to build research programs around sophisticated imaging tools, a user base of highly experienced scientists already exists at OHSU. That user base of scientists has also grown over time as a result of initiatives between regional institutions, including Portland State University, to collaborate in the interest of advancing science.

These efforts to collaborate are being accelerated by philanthropic support, including the $100 million gift from Nike Chairman Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, to further the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute's mission to make personalized cancer therapy a reality for all patients, and an anonymous $40 million donation to help build the OUS-OHSU Collaborative Life Sciences Building on the South Waterfront. The microscopes in the OHSU/FEI Living Lab, which will have several locations, will be accessible to scientists throughout the Oregon University System (OUS). One of the locations will be a highly specialized, vibration-free research space that will be built in the basement of the future OUS-OHSU Collaborative Life Sciences Building.

"The Living Lab and the Life Sciences Building are evidence of what is possible when there is a close working relationship between business, OHSU and the other OUS institutions," said OHSU President Joe Robertson, M.D., M.B.A. "Working together, with the support of philanthropy, will ultimately improve Oregonians' health and the economic vitality of our community."

The OHSU/FEI Living Lab will be part of the OHSU Center for Spatial Systems Biomedicine that combines physics, biomedical engineering, chemistry and biology to study how cancer cells and other diseases grow. The multidisciplinary Center for Spatial Systems Biomedicine is, in turn, part of the OHSU School of Medicine and the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute's expansion, with the creation of the Living Lab, comes as cancer research and treatment is entering a new phase that was ushered in when Brian Druker, M.D., director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, discovered that cancer cells could be shut down by disabling the molecules that drive their growth. The drug that resulted from that research, Gleevec® — the world's first targeted cancer therapy — revolutionized the way cancer is treated. It also inspired a new wave of exploration into targeted therapies that zero in on cancer-causing molecules without damaging healthy ones.

"Much of biomedical research to date has focused on the form and function of the molecular components in the human body and how these components change during the development of diseases like cancer," said Gray, who is the director of the Center for Spatial Systems Biomedicine and associate director for translational research for the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. "An important next phase of research will determine how normal and disease-linked molecular components are organized into cells, tissues and organs and how this information can be used to improve aspects of cancer management ranging from detection to treatment. This will require integration of results obtained using sophisticated measurement tools that enable quantitative analysis of the organizations of the molecular complexes, cells and tissues that comprise normal and diseased organs."

For FEI, the partnership will help further its goal of developing a broad range of tools to advance health care.

"FEI's goal for the Living Lab is to increase research productivity by providing directly interpretable information from its electron microscopy solutions so that scientists can more rapidly gain the knowledge necessary to advance medicine and save lives," stated Dominique Hubert, vice president and general manager of FEI's Life Science Division. "FEI's vision is that by making electron microscopy simple and efficient enough to use in a clinical environment, it will be able to provide insight to health-care teams that simply isn't available with techniques used today."

Source: FEI

Join the Discussion
Rate Article: Average 0 out of 5
register or log in to comment on this article!

0 Comments

Add Comment

Text Only 2000 character limit

Page 1 of 1

Research Exchange

Three Tips to Help Manage Customization in Genomics LIMS Implementations

Nov 21

Labs must consider three elements in evaluating genomics laboratory information management system (LIMS) to support the ever-changing workflow characteristics of next-generation sequencing.

How to Build an Integrated Microscopy System for Live Cell Mechanotransduction Studies

How to Build an Integrated Microscopy System for Live Cell Mechanotransduction Studies

Aug 2

A new integrated microscopy system allows scientists to simultaneously stimulate and image live cell response in real-time.

Tips for Reducing Static Electricity

Tips for Reducing Static Electricity

Aug 1

Static electricity can affect automated instrumentation within the lab.

Microscopes for the Non-Microscopist: Multidisciplinary Research Using Optical Imaging

Microscopes for the Non-Microscopist: Multidisciplinary Research Using Optical Imaging

Jul 5

High quality microscopy is increasingly used by scientists in new areas of research.

Evaluation of a New Nano-Type UV-Vis Spectrophotometer

Mar 3

Analysis of one- to four-microliter size samples for nucleic acids has become routine in many life science laboratories. However, until now, available instruments require considerable manipulation of the instrument and sample; some require manually recording the data. The user must typically lower and raise the arm manually, then wipe the sample manually from the target after each analysis. And fiberoptics used in some of these instruments are subject to deterioration.

Production of Recombinant Proteins and Monoclonal Antibodies in Hollow Fiber Bioreactors

Jan 25

While well-understood, robust and convenient, classical batch-style 2-D culture on non-porous supports or 3-D suspension culture in other devices are really not very biologically relevant models. Cell culture conditions can affect the quality of the antibody or protein produced.

Selecting Robots for Use in Drug Discovery and Testing

Dec 6 2010

Drug discovery and testing, with their need for speed, repeatability and verification, are ideally suited to benefit from robot automation. It is therefore not surprising that robots have been at the forefront of automation developments in both these areas.

HP Scalable Network Storage Systems for Life Sciences

Sep 13 2010

Life sciences research today is advancing exponentially, each step bringing us closer to the realization of truly personalized medicine–preventive care and treatments designed specifically for each individual. In the near future, PCPGM healthcare researchers expect to be able to use predictive genetic testing to create custom treatment plans for individuals and deliver dramatic improvements over today’s one-size-fits-all approach. But research capabilities are only part of the equation; current storage and operating capacities must also evolve to accommodate ever-expanding amounts of data before the goal of personalized medicine can be realized.

Using the Tecan Genesis Workstation to Automate a Cytometric Bead Array (CBA) Immunoassay

Mar 11 2010

The poster describe the process involved in automating a Cytometric Bead Array (CBA) immunoassay developed to measure relative concentrations of serum antibodies against Tetanus (TT), Sperm Whale Myoglobin (SWM) and Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) in KLH-immunized volunteers.

Ensuring Quality in Assays Performed with Automated Liquid Handlers

Feb 2 2010

The focus of this presentation is to highlight the need of ensuring quality in important assays performed with automated liquid handlers. Nearly all assays performed within a laboratory are volume-dependent. In turn, all concentrations of biological and chemical components in these assays, as well as the associated dilution protocols, are volume-dependent. Because analyte concentration is volume-dependent, an assay’s results might be falsely interpreted if liquid handler variability and inaccuracies are unknown or if the system(s) go unchecked for a long period.

Inkjet System for Protein Crystallography

Feb 1 2010

X-ray crystallography is used routinely by scientists to obtain the three dimensional structure of a biological molecule of interest.Such information can be used to determine how a pharmaceutical interacts with a protein target and what changes might improve functionality. However, the crystallization of macromolecules still remains a serious hindrance in structural determination despite impressive advances in screening methods and technologies.

Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity in a Drosophila Memory Mutant

Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity in a Drosophila Memory Mutant

Nov 9 2009

Action selection is modulated by external stimuli either directly or via memory retrieval. In a constantly changing environment, animals have evolved attention-like processes to effectively filter the incoming sensory stream. These attention-like processes, in turn, are modulated by memory. The neurobiological nature of how attention, action selection and memory are inter-connected is unknown. We describe here new phenotypes of the memory mutant radish in the fruit fly Drosophila.

Four-year clinical and neuroradiological follow-up of a papillary tumor of the pineal region

3 hours ago

Papillary tumor of the pineal region (PTPR) is a rare variety of CNS neoplasms and, since its first definition in 2003, only 64 cases have been described. PTPR is a primary neoplasm morphologically characterized by papillary structure staining for cytokeratin,...

Anthocyanin production as a potential visual selection marker during plant transformation

6 hours ago

A mutant allele of the transcription factor gene MYB10 from apple induces anthocyanin production throughout the plant. This gene, including its upstream promoter, gene coding region and terminator sequence, was introduced into apple, strawberry and potato plants...

Prognostic significance of Tiam1 expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma

9 hours ago

T lymphoma and metastasis gene 1 (Tiam1) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GNEF) that regulates the guanosine triphosphatase to facilitate the exchange of guanosine diphosphate for guanosine triphosphate. It specifically activates Rac1, a member of the...

Gifts of the Magi

15 hours ago

Nature | Futures * Previous article Gifts of the Magi * Anatoly Belilovsky1Journal name:NatureVolume: 480,Page:144Date published:(01 December 2023)DOI:doi:10.1038/480144aPublished online30 November 2011 A career underground. Article tools * Print * Email * Download PDF *...

Prokariotic Cell Collection in Denmark

Nov 6 2009

I would like to know about a prokariotic cell collection in Denmark. Is there a cell bank in this country? I need a Lactobacillus strain for a fermentation assay and this information about the bank is very helpful for me.

Request for Entries

Oct 16 2009

Ask the Experts is your chance to get the answers to questions on applications, materials, methods, processes, and technologies. Email you question to bst_web@advantagemedia.com, and the editors of Bioscience Technology will find an appropriate expert to answer it. Watch this space in the future to see the questions your colleagues are posting.

STAY INFORMED: SUBSCRIBE TO

Magazine and E-mail Newsletters

Loading...
E-mail:   
Loading...

Free Life Science Industry
Subscriptions

Magazine

wireless week

Newsletters

newsletters

Sign up now



MULTIMEDIA

Video:

Viewing SureFocus Slides

Jun 11 2010

A demonstration of SureFocus Microscope Slides in the review of AFB Smears. SureFocus Slides are a patent-pending breakthrough in tuberculosis detection, as their fluorescent staining circle remains visible during review, Fluorescence Microscopy.

Podcasts:

Allen Institute for Brain Research

Allen Institute for Brain Research

Oct 14 2009

Discussed in this interview are both the mouse brain project and the human cortex project with an emphasis on the importance of these projects to neuroscience research.

Top Stories and Headlines
EVERY DAY!

FREE Email Newsletter

Information: