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Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines are a firm favourite with biologics companies because of the extensive developmental work undertaken in recent decades. In this article, Junrui Li divulges how CRISPR technology is now being employed to further enhance productivity.
Researchers have been tracking SARS-CoV-2 by sequencing the genomes of virus samples collected from diagnostic testing. They hope that using next-generation sequencing (NGS) on SARS-CoV-2 will help to accurately diagnose the novel coronavirus, identify mutations and track its history. This article explores the findings of their latest study and what…
This article provides a brief overview of the technical and conceptual advantages of Raman spectroscopy, a label-free imaging technique that is being increasingly used for the purpose of drug evaluation.
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are a class of naturally occurring polysaccharides that play vital roles in cellular functions. GAGs (eg, hyaluronic acid, heparosan, chondroitin, chondroitin sulfate, heparan sulfate and heparin) have also been utilised in biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Animal-sourced GAGs can contain process impurities and contaminants, which may result in adverse…
The use of genetic testing has had a positive impact on patient care, bringing abundant opportunities for diagnosis or predictions of future diagnoses. Pushpanathan Muthuirulan explains how the application of genetic screening can help to customise healthcare for individuals based on their unique genetic makeup.
Recent reports suggest that both clinical and genetic risk factors may contribute to COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. Catherine Ball, Chief Scientific Officer of Ancestry®, discusses results of the company’s COVID-19 Research Study, designed to explore non-genetic and genetic associations with disease outcomes.
Researchers at Ingenza and the University of Plymouth are using a machine learning and high‑throughput screening approach to discover novel antimicrobial therapies. In this article, Nikki Withers spoke to one of the researchers, Jack Kay, to hear about the current threat posed by antimicrobial resistance and how he hopes their…
When it comes to developing antibody drugs, Dr Jerome Boyd-Kirkup and his team are not sticking to the classical playbook. Here, he explains how they use systems biology and immuno-engineering to remove the element of luck from biologic drug discovery and development.
The field of oncology has successfully applied precision medicine approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Success has been driven by a growing understanding of the underlying biology of cancer; the emergence of innovative tools and technologies for biomarker identification and detection; and considerable advocacy by patients, physicians and policymakers that has…
In this article Maria Bernabeu, Group Leader at EMBL, Barcelona, discusses why it is important to research and develop novel therapeutics for cerebral malaria and how her research group intends to develop a 3D blood-brain barrier model for this purpose.
Professor Laurence D Hurst explains why understanding the nucleotide mutations in viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, can have significant implications for vaccine design.
Results of a recent study by researchers at the University of Bristol indicate neuropilin-1 is an important host factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The team suggests that blocking neuropilin-1 may be a valuable therapeutic intervention in the treatment of COVID-19. Nikki Withers spoke to one of the study’s lead investigators, Dr…
COVID-19 is known to infect the lungs; however, the dynamics of viral infection and replication are poorly understood. Alongside the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Professor Lyle Armstrong and colleagues have been working to develop a human lung epithelium model of SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication. In this article, he describes…
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have studied several thousand circulating proteins within the plasma proteome of symptomatic COVID-19 patients and acutely ill non-COVID-19 controls. Nikki Withers discussed their findings and implications of the study with one of the lead authors, Dr Mike Filbin.
In October this year, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, the two scientists who pioneered the revolutionary gene-editing technology CRISPR, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Here, Pushpanathan Muthuirulan discusses the potential for this technology and the importance of using it safely, ethically and responsibly.
