The Lead
Realizing the Promise: NGS in Precision Cancer Medicine
December 1, 2023 | by Dr. Stephen Archibald, Director of Communications, Oxford Gene Technology | Comments
Precision cancer medicine is driven by the latest advances in genetic technologies. In light of falling costs and increased accessibility sparking a greater uptake of next generation sequencing (NGS), Clinical Scientists Dr. Matthew Smith and Dr. George Burghel discussed the strengths and challenges of this approach.
Immunotherapy: The Need for Immunocompetent Models
November 6, 2023 8:38 am | by Qian Shi, Ph.D., Executive Director of Cancer Pharmacology, Crown Bioscience | Comments
There is a great unmet need for improved preclinical models, with functional immunity, to drive...
Exchanging Out TFA from Synthetic Peptide Preparations: Why it’s Important and How to do it Effectively
November 4, 2023 9:02 am | by Ivona Strug and Timothy Nadler, EMD Millipore Corporation | Comments
In this case study, we show how Trifluoroacetate (TFA) salts hamper peptide analysis by FTIR...
Early in Breast Cancer, Metastatic Cells are Stem Cell-Like, Offering Targets
November 4, 2023 9:01 am | by Cynthia Fox, Science Writer | Comments
Early metastatic breast cancer cells are, strikingly, far more like stem cells than other tumor...
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Utilization of the Crowd for Medical Research
March 2, 2024 9:09 am | by Sujay Jadhav, CEO, goBalto | CommentsRecently, some have begun to explore the utilization of the crowd for various purposes in medical research, including fundraising as well as crowdsourcing for intellectual analyses and insights.
Finding the Information ‘Needle in a Haystack’
February 19, 2024 11:07 am | by Laurent Fanichet, Vice President of Marketing, Sinequa | CommentsDigging through volumes of pharmaceutical data in any form, be that of lab reports, experimental results, clinical trial reports, scientific publications, patent filings, to even emails is a gargantuan task. The data may deal with diseases, genes, drugs, active agents and mechanisms of action and can be textual, structured data like molecule structures, formulae, SAS data sets from clinical trials, curves, diagrams, and more.
Scientists Assess Anthropogenic Effects on Climate Change
January 21, 2024 9:40 am | by Greg Watry, Digital Reporter | CommentsMelting snow ice and glaciers in Europe, changes to the terrestrial ecosystem in Asia, and wildfires in the state of Alaska.
How Can Antibodies Ensure Your Research Stands the Test of Time?
January 20, 2024 8:52 am | by Poulomi Acharya, Global Product Manager, Bio-Rad Laboratories | CommentsAcademic researchers work on average more than 60 hours per week, according to a Inside Higher Ed survey. Why? Many scientists feel the sacrifice is worth it, as they devote their lives to an overwhelmingly important and meaningful human pursuit. Why then would researchers jeopardize the legitimacy of their work over results that could be potentially irreproducible?
Genomics, Cannabidiols Drive Epilepsy Research
January 19, 2024 8:46 am | by Bevin Fletcher, Associate Editor | CommentsScientists recently converged in Philadelphia for the American Epilepsy Society’s (AES) 69th Annual Meeting, touting new studies and insights in the field of epilepsy. Researchers discussed new findings, including personalized medicine, and the promise of Cannabidiol in human and animal studies.
Six Reasons to Add Object Storage to Your Genomics Lexicon
December 15, 2023 8:42 am | by Claire Giordano, Senior Director of Emerging Storage Markets, Quantum | CommentsObject storage has been around for some time, but the technology is now gaining more and more traction in life sciences. This article outlines six reasons that organizations should add object storage to their genomics lexicon.
Fighting the US STEM Crisis With All-Day Robotics, Endoscopy, and Monster-Making
December 14, 2023 8:53 am | by Cynthia Fox, Science Writer | CommentsMichael Zigman, founder of i2 Learning and friend Ethan Berman, a technology entrepreneur formerly with JP Morgan, launched a highly innovative, hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) summer program in 2013 for middle schoolers in two empty schools. The i2 crew decided to expand into the school day.
Chelsea, Hillary, and Top Researchers Make Global Push For Girls In Science
November 24, 2023 9:22 am | by Cynthia Fox, Science Writer | CommentsFor an intense global program called 1000 Girls-1000 Futures, the NYAS recently sought 60 women willing to devote a full year to mentees from Mexico alone. NYAS head Ellis Rubenstein told the presser Mexican supporters were “terrified” no one would step up. But 170 woman researchers—and counting— stepped up worldwide.
50 Years Later, Consortium Looks for Freeze-drying Overhaul
November 19, 2023 8:56 am | by Bevin Fletcher, Associate Editor | CommentsLyophilization, also known as freeze-drying, is a critical technology for the food industry, pharmaceuticals and biotech. However, the process, which removes water from products at low temperatures and low pressure, is expensive, time-consuming and has remained unchanged for the last 50 years.
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Optimizing ELISA
November 5, 2023 8:59 am | by Rishi Porecha, Ph.D. | CommentsELISA – Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay – is a commonly used biochemical technique for the evaluation of an antigen or antibody in a sample. This technique is used in a wide range of applications, including: clinical diagnostics, plant pathology, the detection of food allergens and drug screening.
Direct-to-Patient Registries: A New Approach to Pharmacovigilance
October 28, 2023 9:38 am | by Nancy Dreyer, MPH, Ph.D., Global Chief of Scientific Affairs and Michelle Leavy, MPH, Manager, Health Policy, Quintiles | CommentsUnderstanding drug safety is a tricky thing. The use of direct-to-patient (or consumer) registry data is a new approach, and one that is quite different from the highly controlled world of clinical trials. Some worry about whether patients will be accurate and honest reporters. Will these patients be reliable, and will they provide clinically generalizable information?
Role Found for Critical Gene in 95% of ALS
October 22, 2024 9:10 am | by Cynthia Fox, Science Writer | CommentsLike a bad teenager, in 95 percent of all amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases, a protein called TDP-43 leaves its home— the nucleus of motor neuron cells—to congregate, in suspect fashion, in the cytoplasm. In a study published in Science this summer, the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) team of pathologist Phillip Wong, Ph.D., offered new insight into this molecular rebellion.
Some Stem Cells Are Rejected, Some Aren’t, Says iPSC Work
October 21, 2024 9:38 am | by Cynthia Fox, Science Writer | CommentsEmbryonic stem (ES) cell-like stem cells made from adult cells—and morphed into eye cells—are not rejected by the immune system, according to “humanized mouse” data in Cell Stem Cell.
How to Make Your Surface Plasmon Resonance Experiments Successful
October 14, 2024 8:56 am | by Mary M. Murphy, Ph.D., Applications Scientist, Reichert Life Sciences | CommentsThe technique of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), allows scientists to monitor biomolecular binding interactions label-free, in real-time and using automation. For those of you thinking about, or planning on, using SPR, this article offers insights on how to use the technique successfully, gained from working with this technique for a number of years.
A Look at Landmark NIH Study on Substance Use and the Developing Brain
October 8, 2024 9:21 am | by Bevin Fletcher, Associate Editor | CommentsThe National Institutes of Health has awarded 13 grants for a landmark, multi-site study that will follow 10,000 children over 10 years to observe how substance use affects the brain, and the findings could help guide important public policy decisions.
