Nov. 22, 2011

Miniaturization of Cell Based Assays- Part 2: Micro Array Study

This article supplements part 1 "Problems and Solutions", published in G.I.T. Laboratory Journal issue 3-4, 2011,
authored by Roger Northwood, Valentin Bruttel, Jonathon Orme, Peter Simpson and Anthony Davies. moreOct. 25, 2011

Location: Singapore

The last time I visited Singapore was in 2005, and when I came back this year - 2011, I hardly recognized it. Only a few years ago I was able to stand next to the Merlion by the Fullerton Hotel and enjoy the view of the open sea. Now it is just amazing to see what has happened there and, for example, to look at the new Marina Bay Sands with its infinity pool or at the Sinapore Flyer, which, with its total height of 165 m, is the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. moreSep. 21, 2011

Oncotyrol, an Example That Translational Research Can Work

Basic research focuses on many issues that are important for human health. However, despite of permanent scientific progress only a few innovative drugs actually reach the patient. Oncotyrol, the Center for personalized cancer medicine in Innsbruck, has developed an appropriate strategy in order to improve the rate at which research is implemented. Equitable distribution of intellectual property rights and risk minimization for the companies are the key factors. moreSep. 13, 2011

Identification and Characterization of Tetracosactide Impurities by CE and RP-HPLC coupled to TOF MS

The peptide tetracosactide (TCS) is a synthetic analogue to human adrenocorticotropic hormone which stimulates the production of cortisol in the adrenal glands. It is applied pharmaceutically for the diagnosis of adrenal cortex dysfunction. moreSep. 07, 2011

Evaluation of New UHPLC Mixed-Mode Hybrid Stationary Phases in Pharmaceutical Analysis

In early beginning of UHPLC (ultra-high performance liquid chromatography) in 2004, when the technique was first commercially introduced, there were only few stationary phases available. Initially they covered mostly reverse-phase separations. Recently, the range of applicability of UHPLC stationary phases has been widely extended including normal phase, ion-exchange and HILIC applications as well 1. The attention has been attracted to mixed mode stationary phases, which allow for multiple retention process to occur simultaneously due to surface modification. moreMay. 10, 2011

Pistoia Alliance - Sequence Services Project

Pistoia Alliance: Many of the activities carried out by researchers in bio-science organizations are similar. For example the activities to determine a gene sequence, identify a signal transduction pathway, search a chemical repository and keep abreast of the scientific literature are all remarkably common. moreApr. 20, 2011

Computational Drug Discovery - Hydration Behavior of De Novo Designed Pharmaceuticals

We report on an accurate computational method to calculate hydration free energies - a key property in predicting the pharmacokinetics of novel pharmaceutical molecules. Introduction moreNov. 10, 2010

Bacteria - Fighters Against Cancer

200 years ago the observation was already described that tumors sometimes shrink when cancer patients undergo bacterial infections. This is the basis for bacteria‑mediated cancer therapy - an alternative therapeutic approach of growing interest. Several bacterial strains are able to colonize solid tumors after systemic administration; a few even induce tumor reduction. Apparently, the virulence of bacteria is crucial for an anti‑tumor effect. Now the major challenge is to tailor bacterial strains that combine safety with therapeutic efficacy. more