Dutch nucleic acid specialist, Qiagen, has entered into an
agreement to acquire Nextal Biotechnology, a provider of sample
preparation tools which make protein crystallisation more
accessible. The deal also signals Qiagen's intention...
Bayer Healthcare has entered into a licence agreement with DxS and
BTG in a deal that grants Bayer Diagnostics use of the companies'
DNA diagnostic technology to develop pharmacogenomic assays for the
$1.9 billion (€1.6 billion)...
UK company ML Laboratories has won a new customer for its gene
expression technology - UCOE - used to improve the production of
proteins for drug discovery and use as therapeutics.
A new algorithim, that enables a more accurate deduction of
oligonucleotide (oligo) melting temperatures under laboratory
conditions, could bring improvements in primers and probe design
for use in polymerase chain reaction (PCR)...
Affymetrix has announced the launch of a scanner, which enables
analysis of microarrays that feature 500 per cent more data than
previous generations making it highly suitable for drug development
applications such as RNA expression...
Delphi Medical Systems Corporation has entered into an outsourcing
contract with Applied Biosystems in a move that adds a life science
instrumentation manufacturing facility to its operations portfolio.
Kreatech Biotechnology launches a series of array-based labelling
kits for genomic DNA for microarray based comparative genomic
hybridisation analysis, offering a one-step procedure that does not
require the need for amplification.
Upstate group has launched a new chromatin immunoprecipitation
(ChIP) product that aims to streamline and standardise routine
laboratory techniques by making testing quicker, easier and more
reproducible, reports Wai Lang Chu.
Targeted Genetics Corporation announced the issuance of a new
patent, which covers the company's approach to increase carrying
capacity of adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology platform
expanding the potential applications...
NanoLogix unveils its DNA extraction system for the molecular
diagnostics market, which is said to take significantly less time
than standard spin column extraction methods.
Beckman Coulter has launched a gene analysis system that aims to
deliver high-throughput, cost effective gene expression via
scalable, multiplexed PCR and overcome the biases that limit
standard PCR analyses to just a few genes...
Qiagen has released two protein purification kits that provide
affordable automation as a way to increase throughput and free up
valuable manpower for less routine tasks.
NextGen Sciences has launched an "automation-friendly" range of
consumables, designed to maximise throughput and productivity for
protein expression. The products have been designed to reduce error
and increase expression...
Qiagen and Procognia have entered into a marketing and licensing
agreement, which targets the emerging field of protein
glycoanalysis. The combination of Qproteome products with
Procognia's On-Chip Glycoanalysis technology aims...
Qiagen and Epigenomics have entered into a collaboration to jointly
develop and introduce preanalytical solutions for DNA methylation
analysis to focus on in-vitro diagnosis (IVD) and pharmacogenomics
markets.
Biosample management firm, GenVault announced an exclusive
agreement to acquire the full rights to a DNA labelling
intellectual property, which allows researchers to identify the
sample through its complete downstream analysis to...
Researchers in the US have developed a way to make large,
protein-based drugs suitable for oral rather than injectable
delivery by fusing them with a carrier molecule, reports Phil
Taylor.
Sangamo BioSciences has initiated a Phase I clinical trial for its
novel therapy for diabetic neuropathy that is designed to protect
and stimulate the regeneration of peripheral nerve function in
diabetics suffering from peripheral...
A new laboratory technique used by fruit fly geneticists for more
than a decade is now available to scientists studying genes and
diseases in mice. This technique offers a powerful new tool to
study genetics, particularly in disease.
A research program has released a small molecule binding annotation
and comparison tool, which is expected to accelerate lead
development in antimicrobial drug discovery, as well as allow
chemists to develop safer, more specific...
Agilent Technologies has announced plans to introduce its DNA
microarray-based genomics technology to India, reaffirming its
plans to expand its presence in medical research, drug discovery,
agro-biotech.The Indian microarray market...
Scientists have identified an enzyme that helps trigger the
development of leukaemia. The discovery, based on research using
bone marrow cells from mice, offers a potential target for new
drugs against this form of leukaemia.
Scientists at US biotechnology firm Cell Genesys have developed a
gene expression technology that could improve the commercial
production of monoclonal antibodies and other complex therapeutic
proteins, reports Phil Taylor.
US researchers have discovered a specific pattern of gene
expression linked to multiple-drug resistance of leukaemia cells is
giving unique insights into why standard therapies fail to cure
some children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia...
Immtech International has been issued with a patent for compounds
used to control gene expression, which will add to the potential
use of Immtech's compounds as small molecule drugs that can control
gene expression selectively.
Researchers have managed to produce a microscope the size of a
single human cell, which could lead to faster development of new
drugs and quicker medical tests.
New web based software, which can extract potentially life-saving
knowledge from data in minutes, has bioinformatic research
applications that could prove essential to laboratory technicians
wanting to improve diagnosis and treatment...
Europe has become a serious rival to the US in its efforts to
deploy genomics and proteomics as vital tools in drug discovery and
development. The push to become competitive has mainly stemmed from
significant government funding and...
Researchers have developed miniature sensors that reduce time taken
for DNA analysis. The sensors have the same size and thickness as a
fingernail and will have uses in testing genetic toxicity in new
drugs and identifying bacterial...
Measuring RNA levels in tissues and cells using polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) forms the basis of pharmacogenomic and toxicogenomic
studies, but US firm Genpathway claims to have come up with a
better alternative.
A team of gene researchers has sequenced the entire length of the
X-chromosome, providing a starting point to explore the biological
differences between men and woman and a plethora of genes
implicated in human diseases.
Scientists at US biotechnology company Genentech have developed a
rapid testing method for mycoplasma contamination in Chinese
hamster ovary cells, one of the most common mammalian cell lines
used in biological drug production.
A new £6 million (€9m) biocentre is set to revolutionise the way
future medicines are produced making them safer and more effective.
The centre, based in the UK, will not only help pharmaceutical
companies to develop better drugs,...
GE Healthcare has launched a range of prepacked columns designed to
meet the growing need for pure proteins to use in functional and
structural genomics and proteomics research.
A mathematical algorithm that predicts the effects a compound will
have on a cell's molecular components, will prove significant to
drug developers, who can design compounds that will act on desired
targets, eliciting therapeutic...
Biomedical engineers and chemists have collaborated on a novel
method that predicts how drugs work in cells. The tool will allow
drug developers to design compounds that will act on a desired gene
and protein targets, eliciting therapeutic...
The Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) in
Singapore has developed a method to cultivate cells
cost-efficiently in a 3-dimensional configuration that mimics the
cell environment in our body, paving the way improved...
A team of researchers have discovered how a key enzyme involved in
repairing DNA is put together and how it works, a development that
opens up new drug therapies for making cancer cells more vulnerable
to attack.
Sigma-Aldrich has completed the acquisition of JRH Biosciences
division (JRH) for $370 million (€282 million) in cash, extending
its presence in the cell culture product sector and consolidating
its position in the burgeoning functional...
UK-based biotechnology firm Biotica Technology and the University
of Cambridge have secured funding for a collaborative research
initiative into new expression systems for the production of
polyketides.
According to a recent report, projected sales for the worldwide DNA
sequencing and proteomics markets are expected to rise at an
average annual growth rate of 17.6 per cent from $7.8 billion (€5.9
billion) in 2004 to $17.5 billion...
A crystallised form of a new molecular machine may lead to new
drugs to combat human diseases by using a technique that removes
any malfunctioning genes. The thinking is that normal genes can
take over without actually changing the...
Boehringer Ingelheim Austria has been selected to win a Technology
Leadership award by Frost & Sullivan for its activities in the
contract manufacture of biotherapeutic proteins, and particularly
plasmid DNA.
Sigma-Aldrich introduces the TargeTron gene knockout system, a tool
that is set to feature prominently in functional genomics and
systems biology. It incorporates technology that exploits the
retrohoming ability of group II introns,...
A €10 million grant from the EU has allowed researchers throughout
Europe to advance their research in the field of 'biological
crystallography,' which aims to create precise, 3-D "architectural"
models of biological...
EiRx Therapeutics has entered into an agreement with Merck to carry
out research using its cancer cell assays to use its technology for
identifying drug targets.
Biacore International has launched the Biacore T100, a system that
analyses the protein interactions that occur in disease pathways,
selection of drug candidates and decisions on the safety of a
protein therapeutic.
A unique three-way-deal between Dendritic Nanotechnologies (DNT),
The Dow Chemical Company and Starpharma Holdings, will provide DNT
and Starpharma with access to dendrimers and nanotechnology for
drug delivery.
Procognia and Hamilton life sciences have entered into a joint
collaboration, which focuses on the automated growth and handling
of Procognia's functional human protein arrays.
