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.
Although US biotechnology company, Chiron, fully intends to be able
to provide its Fluvirin flu vaccine for the 2005/6 flu season, it
says it is difficult to predict the number of doses it will be able
to produce.
JEOL USA has unveiled a new technology for analysing the chemical
composition of solids, gases, and liquids in real time, with
applications across a broad range of industries including the
identification and tracing of pharmaceutical...
The Netherlands has set up a programme to boost its biotechnology
sector by helping small and medium-sized biopharma firms to develop
and manufacture products, writes Phil Taylor.
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences have
discovered a way of making membrane proteins in bacterial cells,
opening the door to new and improved treatments for a host of human
diseases.
Polychromix, a company specialising in optical systems, has
branched out into the spectroscopy sector with a new range of near
infrared (NIR) spectrometers that are targeted at users who need a
low-cost, portable system.
Unisys has signed an agreement with Boston, US-based GenuOne to
provide product tracking and authentication software to the
healthcare and life sciences industries.
A pilot project aimed at combating pharmaceutical fraud using a
combination of radiofrequency identification (RFID) tagging and bar
coding, set up by UK firm Aegate last November, has come to a close
and the results should be made...
UK processing and packaging machinery specialist Isopak has added
to its product range with a spiral jet mill - intended for
pharmaceutical laboratories and R&D departments - that can
micronise very small batches of powder.
Bioquell UK has developed the Clarus range of patent protected
biodecontamination technology, designed to generate hydrogen
peroxide vapour for the surface biodeactivation of micro-organisms
such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
UK laser marking specialist Sherwood Technology now has two
pharmaceutical companies evaluating its DataLase technology, an
additive that can be used to mark tablets.
Material science company Malvern Instruments has teamed up with
ImageTherm Engineering to develop a new version of an instrument
used to measure the size of droplets in concentrated spray and
aerosols.
Pall is gearing up to launch a new filter technology in Europe that
can remove prions - the infectious agents that cause mad cow
disease and its human form Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) - from
blood and blood products.
Emerson Process Management has launched a new sensor device to help
pharmaceutical companies ensure that their clean-in-place (CIP)
procedures - essential for aseptic processing - are working
effectively.
The use of chemical imaging as a quality control measure for
mixtures of pharmaceutical ingredients before tabletting has taken
a step forward with the first deployment of a prototype system at
Pfizer that is currently in the process...
The global market for spectroscopic equipment used in process
monitoring is tipped to grow by 30 per cent between now and 2009,
helped by an increasing focus on process analytical technologies
(PAT) to streamline the drug manufacturing...
Switzerland's Sotax, a specialist in dissolution and physical
testing equipment, has introduced a new ceramic piston pump
designed for use in flow-through dissolution testing of dosage
forms.
Materials testing specialist Stable Micro Systems has launched a
texture analysis device which promises to increase productivity and
improve cost-effectiveness where higher volume, repetitive quality
testing is required.
A new safety training scheme, designed to deliver accredited
'safety passports' for service engineers and other outside
contractors working in pharmaceutical, healthcare, toiletries and
cosmetics factories has been introduced...
German BioMicroscopy supplier ibidi GmbH has launched a range of
"Lab-on-a-Slide" micro-slides (µ-Slides) that can be used for cell
analysis and biomolecules. The slides allow cell culturing and
high-resolution microscopy...
GeneGo has launched an ADME/Tox platform which combines software
for predicting metabolites and over 40 ADME/Tox properties
properties with visualization and analysis of toxicogenomics and
metabolomics data.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given clearance to a
new product, which simplifies the process, offers improved
specificity and decreases the time to result in the identification
of methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus...
Thermo Electron has launched a new FT-IR spectrometer specifically
targeted at quality control and assurance laboratories in the
pharmaceutical, chemical and polymer industries.
Microfluidics company Nanostream has introduced a new range of
cartridges designed specifically for quantitative applications such
as solubility assessment and dissolution testing using its micro
parallel liquid chromatography (mPLC)...
Molecular Devices Corporation has announced the launch of the first
assay kit that addresses the need for a single step, homogenous in
vitro assay for fatty acid uptake for use in the identification of
potential new drugs via high-throughput...
Germany's Sartorius has decided to call off the initial public
offering of Vivascience, which makes products for the analysis and
purification of proteins.
US filtration specialist Argonide has introduced what it claims is
a new generation of turbidity filters with a capacity more than 20
times greater than conventional cartridges.
GE Infrastructure, a business unit of General Electric, is to
acquire US water purification and wastewater treatment company
Ionics for around $1.1 billion (€813m), plus the assumption of
debt.
UK-based Microplate manufacturers Porvair Sciences, adds to its
range of microporous products that are suitable for a range of
industrial and domestic applications including drug discovery,
protein purification and high throughput...
Tekni-Films, part of the Tekni-Plex group, has introduced a new
blister package modeling system to support pharmaceutical
manufacturers in the development of packaging for oral solid dosage
forms.
Japan's Insent has developed an artificial tongue - said to be the
first of its kind - that can be used to analyse the taste profiles
of pharmaceuticals, foods and beverages.
Miltenyi Biotec strengthened its presence in the Asia-Pacific Rim
by opening new headquarters in Suntec City, Singapore. The magnetic
cell separation and cellular therapy specialists already have a
presence in several European countries...
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments has launched a new high-throughput
gas chromatograph injection system that is designed to allow GCs to
easily switch from one task to another.
A non-profit pharmaceutical company, the Institute for OneWorld
Health, has been awarded a $42.6 million (€32.1m)grant from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to find a new way of producing
a valuable drug for malaria, which...
Italy's Chiesi Farmaceutici has signed a deal with Ontario,
Canada-headquartered Trudell Medical International for the latter's
MDI actuation indicator, designed to make it easuer for asthmatics
to see when their inhaler...
A new weighing system developed by BOC Edwards Pharmaceutical
systems can be used in a pharmaceutical filling line but does not
come into contact with the weighed materials.
A joint proposal by the UK and Hungarian governments that would
allow chemical companies to share the cost of testing to comply
with the new REACH legislation has received the support of the
European Union's Competitiveness Council.
Japanese drugmakers Dainippon Pharmaceutical and Sumitomo
Pharmaceuticals are to merge in an attempt to increase their
standing in international markets and fend off competition at home.
Germany's Christ Water Technology has developed a ready-to-connect
water filtration plant that is specifically designed for use in the
pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetics industries.
As the pharmaceutical industry gears up to use radiofrequency
identification for supply chain management, medical suppliers in
Germany have already adopted the technology to track blood products
and no plan to use it safeguard quality.
RTS life science has developed a high throughput tube picking
system that the company claims is able to pick and place multiple
tubes faster than current methods. The equipment becomes the first
system to incorporate 384-tube technology...
Mocon has introduced a new system that automates the classic
methylene blue dye test (MDT) for assessing the integrity of
blister packs, as well as providing comprehensive documentation for
auditing.
The Lab Automation Europe show held earlier this week saw Thermo
unveil a number of new products, including a new spectral scanner
that can handle all wavelengths, without needing filters, and has
an integrated dispenser for reagents.
In the race to develop therapeutics based on RNA interference,
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has claimed a first with the publication of
a study showing in vivo RNAi-mediated gene silencing in
mammals by a method that potentially can be...
Dharmacon has launched a range of small interfering RNA (siRNA)
transfection reagents designed specifically to enhance transfection
efficiency, a crucial procedure in initial drug target
identification to late-stage therapeutic development.
Printing solutions specialist Zebra Technologies, a specialist in
radio frequency identification (RFID) labels, has launched two new
UHF (ultra high frequency) EPC (electronic product code) multi-
protocol printer/encoders, the Zebra...
UK researchers have developed a technique that could be used to
analyse membrane proteins, capturing them in their natural
structural state to make it easier to develop drug candidates to
target them.
Agilent Technologies has launched what it claims is the industry's
first fully automated, high-throughput 'lab-on-a-chip system' for
basic life science research and drug discovery. The Agilent 5100
Automated provides...