Japan's Nitto Denko has developed what it claims is the world's
first biodegradable gene carrier that can be used to transfer
foreign genes into animal cells. Because the polymer breaks down in
the body, it exhibits extremely...
German biopharmaceutical company Medigene has been granted a US
patent covering a specific manufacturing process for viruses suited
for the use in therapies and research.
TTP Labtech gave the first European demonstration of the
high-throughput version of its mosquito liquid-handling system,
designed to cope with the tiny quantities of reagents used in the
new generation of 1536-well plates, this week...
German drug major Bayer has entered into a collaboration with
Artemis Pharmaceuticals focusing on the development of
genetically-engineered mice that are designed to have human-like
biology. The ArteMice will be used in Bayer's...
Researchers in the US say they have achieved a critical objective
in an effort to create a living organism from DNA building-blocks.
The process used could be used to create bespoke cell-based
organisms to carry out a range of functions,...
The market for protein and DNA purification kits is maturing, and
the pace of technological innovation has slowed, leaving dozens of
companies jostling for market share.
The first grants have been awarded in the ENCODE program,an
extension of the Human Genome Project which is hoping to develop an
encyclopedia of function for all the sequences in the human genetic
map. A $35m pilot project aimed at...
Galapagos Genomics has published details of its RNAi-based gene
silencing technology, based on adenovirus vectors, that is
effective in a range of cell types.
Germany's Merck has introduced a new process media for the capture
of viruses, proteins, antibodies and DNA that has significant
advantages over other sorbents.
Switzerland's Roche is subject to a fresh legal challenge over its
patent position in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, this
time from Applera unit Applied Biosystems.
Affymetrix releases into the public domain what it says is the
first significant SNP database that includes genotype data and
allele frequencies across the entire human genome.
DRI and Tecan UK forge an alliance to use the former's CST reagents
on Tecan's liquid-handling devices. The collaboration will provide
automated nucleic acid purification systems.
Axon has licensed rights to Cellectricon's electroporation
technology to enhance the performance of its Axoporator products,
used to deliver DNA and other large molecules into cells.
Epigenomics and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute are to press
ahead with the first phase of the Human Epigenome Project following
the successful completion of a pilot study funded by the European
Union.
Iceland's deCODE Genetics saw its US-listed shares rise more than
10 per cent yesterday after it reported the discovery of a gene
that appears to play a role in whether people are lean or fat.
Tepnel Life Sciences has trimmed its losses and boosted sales in
the year ended 30 June, helped by the sale last month of its first
robotic Nucleopure DNA purification systems.
Roche forges an alliance with ParAllele to discover genes that
contribute to type 2 diabetes, aimed at identifying potential new
medicines and diagnostics for the disease.
New products this week include: a kit for isolating RNA from blood;
a DNA microarray for cytogenetics and cancer research; an automated
mammalian cell picker; and a reagent dispenser for a microplate
reader.
Peptide and antibody specialist AnaSpec has acquired HiLyte
Biosciences, which makes bioanalytical research reagents and kits
designed for scientists engaged in life science research and drug
discovery.
Italian researchers suggest that patients with atrial fibrillation
may have a genetic predisposition linked to expression of
pro-inflammatory proteins.
MiraiBio is to act as a distributor of Gentra Systems' Autopure LS
automated large sample nucleic acid purification system and related
consumables in the USA and certain other regions of the Americas.
Scientists have developed a way of making proteins in sugarcane
that they claim will be safe and less expensive than transgenic
approaches using animals.
Switzerland's Tecan has forged a co-marketing alliance with EMD
Biosciences in the area of automated systems for medium- to
high-throughput protein extraction, screening and purification. The
collaboration will focus on companies...
A deal with Vaccinex has taken Lonza Biologics beyond its primary
focus of mammalian cell culture-based manufacturing and into the
area of antibody drug discovery.
A new range of cell culture vessels developed by Switzerland's
Integra Biosciences promises to increase production yields in
laboratories making monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins.
Exiqon has signed up a new distribution partner, Link Technologies,
for its locked nucleic acid (LNA) phosphoramidate reagents, used in
genomics research.
Iceland's deCODE genetics has initiated high-throughput screening
on its Neuregulin 1 pathway targets in schizophrenia in
collaboration with partner Roche.
DSM Biologics has dissolved its relationship with Qiagen and
Valentis regarding the pAlliance, a consortium supplying
ultra-pure, stable DNA plasmids and formulated DNA
Tepnel Life Sciences sees its shares soar after announcing the
first sale of its Nucleopure DNA purification system to an unnamed
UK pharmaceuticals group
Nature Technology has launched an improved delivery technology for
DNA vaccines that is now available for license by companies working
in this fast-growing area
Boston Biomedica has been issued an additional US patent covering
the design and use of its Pressure Cycling Technology for the
control of pressure-sensitive chemical reactions.
Transgenomic has taken out a non-exclusive licence from Geron in
which it gains manufacturing rights to phosphoramidate and
thio-phosphoramidate oligonucleotides.
BASF Plant Science, the plant biotechnology subsidiary of chemical
giant BASF, has entered into an agreement with Cellectis,
specialists in genome engineering and a recent spin-off from the
Institut Pasteur, that will provide BASF...
Research into genomes of the natural world took a step forward this
week with the announcement from Diversa corporation that it is to
jointly collaborate with the US Department of Energy's Joint Genome
Institute (JGI) to discover...
Amersham Biosciences has launched a new range of ultrafiltration
cassettes, under the Kvick brand, which it claims "help to speed up
bioprocessing timelines by offering an easy way to separate,
concentrate and diafilter biological...
Engineers in the US are one step closer to mass-producing
therapeutic proteins needed by today's pharmaceutical industry.
Researchers claim to have achieved a major milestone in their
efforts to effectively produce human therapeutics...
Researchers have now completed the sequencing of the human genome,
to an accuracy of 99.999 per cent, nearly three years after the
first 'working' draft was published to great fanfare in June 2000.
The achievement comes...
Amersham Biosciences has launched a new DNA Amplification Kit,
GenomiPhi, which it says can simplify the DNA preparation process
and enable high-quality DNA to be prepared from a limited amount of
biological material.
Iceland-based deCODE genetics announced this week that AstraZeneca
has entered into an agreement to purchase its RoboHTC automated
protein crystallography platform, earmarked for AstraZeneca's drug
discovery sites in Alderley...
