A recent study designed to assess biopharmaceutical innovation in
the member states of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development has found that, in terms of innovation and
biotechnology industry development, Belgium...
Hamilton launches two new products, which are set to aid the
facilitation of automation in laboratories, placing tedious and
time-consuming processes in the hands of cutting edge and
cost-effective technology for automation.
US scientists have shown that microRNA (miRNA) plays an essential
role in the development of the fruit fly. The discovery means that
miRNA could emerge as a new target for interventions aimed at
treating disease, or as a therapeutic...
Lonza has started a SF 14 million (€9m) expansion of its biologics
manufacturing facility in Slough, UK, in response to what it said
was increasing demand for mammalian cell production for clinical
trials, reports Phil Taylor.
Dynal Biotech has announced two product releases from its new
proteomic preparation range, which use magnetic bead chromatography
technology to prepare for mass spectrum analysis without the
requirement of columns.
The use of DNA as a vaccine has been an exciting but elusive
prospect in drug development for many years, held back by problems
with effectivness and difficulties in production. But this could be
about to change, reports Phil Taylor.
According to a recent report, the global bioinformatics market is
currently estimated at about $1.4 billion (€1.1 billion). It is
expected to grow at an average annual growth rate of 15.8 per cent
to reach nearly $3 billion by 2010,...
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.
BioProgress has appointed Richard Trevillion as chief
executive, bolstering its executive management just over a month
after the dosage film specialist issued a trading statement that
sparked a 40 per cent slump in its UK-listed shares,...
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...
According to a new report the therapeutic antibody market is
expected to treble in size by 2010 as significant leaps forward
coupled with safer and more effective humanised and fully human
antibodies are pouring onto the market fulfilling...
Celera Genomics have filed an Investigational New Drug (IND)
application for a novel histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that
has proved effective in inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. The
filing also signifies Celera's transformation...
The contract manufacturing sector lagged behind the rest of the
outsourcing industry serving the pharmaceutical sector in 2004, but
there are encouraging signs for the future, reports Phil
Taylor.
Researchers in the US have found that blocking the COX-1, not COX-2
enzyme, might lead the way to prevent and treat the most common and
fatal form of ovarian cancer.
Millipore has introduced a single-use prefilter for clarification
steps in mammalian cell synthesis that continues the trend towards
increasing use of disposable technologies in the bioprocessing
environment, reports Phil Taylor.
Boehringer Ingelheim and Slovenian company BIA Separations have
collaborated on a new separation and purification system that
should improve the production of plasmid DNA.
A study suggesting combination therapy could stop the spread and
halt the growth of skin melanomas could pave the way for a better
understanding of the disease, and thus, the development of more
effective long-term treatment options...
As the US Food and Drug Administration continues its deliberations
on generic biopharmaceuticals, the industry body representing
generic drug manufacturers has said that the time has now come for
the agency to make some hard decisions,...
A second market research report has found evidence that production
capacity in the market for contract manufacturing of
biopharmaceuticals is now in excess, in contrast to the hitherto
prevailing wisdom that the sector has been suffering...
Hamilton Life Science Robotics has taken Invitrogen's Gateway
Technology one step further by creating an automated cloning system
that monitors and tracks each plate undergoing various processes.
The system aims to further refine...
The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the 'new' EU
countries are rapidly expanding, presenting considerable potential,
although parallel imports remain a challenge.
Integra Biosciences has launched the CELLine disposable flask,
which harnesses membrane technology that is suitable for
recombinant protein expression and high yield monoclonal antibody
production.
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.
Genetix Limited has launched the ClonePixFL, a mammalian cell
imaging and picking instrument that builds upon the success of the
ClonePix adding fluorescent capabilities to its clone picking
abilities.
GE Healthcare has launched the first in a new family of
chromatography media designed specifically to handle the high
volumes used in the bioprocessing sector.
Construction of the UK National Biomanufacturing Centre, an
ambitious project aimed at helping biotechnology start-ups get
their product ideas into clinical trials, is progressing on
schedule and should be ready to start production...
UK packaging equipment supplier Isopak has introduced an all-in-one
system designed to eliminate the difficulties of handling and
packing pharmaceuticals, foods and cosmetics in sachets.
Despite burgeoning demand for biopharmaceutical drugs, little
progress is being made toward the improving efficiency and reducing
costs in conventional biomanufacturing processes using microbial or
mammalian fermentation systems.
US chemicals company Aceto has broken cover and is now racing to
develop a leading player in the market for generic versions of
biologic drugs, even though the regulatory route to approval of
these products is far from established.
Qiagen has announced a new product line for the separation,
purification and handling of nucleic acids, an essential process in
drug discovery, which aims to improve over current applied methods,
which suffer from decreased sensitivity...
The predicted deficit in manufacturing capacity for biologic drugs
that has been tipped to impede the development of the market has
not materialised, with capacity exceeding demand, according to new
market research.
Switzerland-based BioPartners has submitted a second Marketing
Authorisation Application in Europe for a generic copy of a
biologic drug under the recently agreed European Union framework
for so-called 'biosimilar' drugs.
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.
The European Commission has launched an €11.4 million project to
identify ways of improving the production of biologic drugs and
cutting the cost of treatment.
Qiagen has launched an automated viral DNA and RNA purification
solution that provides improved sensitivity in purification and
detection of viral DNA and RNA from serum, plasma, and cell-free
body fluids.
Canada's SemBioSys Genetics has been granted a US patent on a
vaccine production system that uses genetically modified seeds as
biological factories of vaccine antigens.
Invitrogen, which supplies reagents, services and software for the
life science market, has continued its acquisitive streak with the
announcement that it is paying $35 million (€27.5m) for a UK firm -
DNA Research Innovations - specialising...
The contract manufacturing market for biologicals will more than
double over the next six years, but production costs are higher
than necessary because 'downstream' processing is being ignored.
A study performed at Tufts University in the US, commissioned by
the Nordic Council of Ministers, has downplayed the impact of the
controversial REACH legislation on the European chemicals industry.
Filtration separation specialist Pall has introduced a new filter
technology that improves the effectiveness of bioburden reduction
in pharmaceutical production and cuts costs.
Invitrogen, a provider of life science technologies, has entered
into new licensing agreements to supply its Gateway Technology and
clones to worldwide genomic research centres. This will allow
scientists and laboratories to share...
Dutch biotech firm Qiagen has announced the acquisition of key
assets of Molecular Staging (MSI), which includes the Whole Genome
Amplification (WGA) technology, designed to eliminate limitations
created by scarce quantities of DNA...
Representatives of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries
presented strong opposition to the concept of biogenerics at a
recent meeting convened by the US Food and Drug Administration. As
expected, their argument centred...
Italy's Marchesini has introduced a new packaging system that can
handle safety syringes, which are underused in Europe compared to
the US despite their proven benefits in reducing needlestick
injuries, reports Phil Taylor. It...
The European Union is sponsoring a new initiative aimed at
producing pharmaceuticals in genetically modified crop plants such
as maize, and hopes to start the first clinical trials of a product
by 2009. But the news has been met with...