Future Science Group: Recent Episodes
Future Science Group
In this podcast episode, the speakers discuss how the findings from the EMBARK clinical trial could translate into real world practice.
This podcast focuses on the real-world implications of these EMBARK findings for clinical practice.
This podcast features two of the investigators from the international, randomized, Phase III EMBARK trial (NCT02319837) in conversation. EMBARK evaluated the efficacy and safety of enzalutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy and enzalutamide monotherapy, as compared with androgen deprivation therapy alone, in patients with nonmetastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer and biochemical recurrence at high risk for metastasis. In this podcast, the second in the EMBARK series, the speakers discuss the key efficacy and safety findings from the trial, consider some of the patient-reported outcomes and their implications for quality of life, and review some of the implications for clinical practice.
In this interview, discover discuss key findings from the DESTINY-Breast09 trial and their implications for clinical practice, including practical advice for oncologists exploring treatment sequencing strategies with T-DXd.
In this podcast, Deborah Ojutalayo discusses targeted gene therapies for frontotemporal dementia caused by mutations in the GRN gene.
In this podcast, Guillermo explores the development and diverse applications of citrate-based biomaterials, pioneered by his lab, Ameer Labs. He highlights the versatility and potential of these biomaterials, providing examples such as their use in bone and cartilage regeneration. Guillermo also delves into exciting advancements in tissue and regenerative engineering that aim to address significant challenges in the field.
In this podcast, Baba delves into his expertise in hematology, sharing what inspired his journey into this field of research. He also discusses the Academy for Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia (ASCAT) Conference, which he founded to unite experts and professionals working to tackle hematological disorders like sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
Hello and welcome to the latest episode of OCTalks, the podcast series from Oncology Central. I am Jade Parker, Senior Editor of Oncology Central. Today I am joined by Leanne Bailey who is Branch Director of the Community Outreach Research and Engagement branch of the NCI’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. In this interview, we will discuss contributing factors to early onset cancers, how are certain groups disproportionately affected and initiatives that are seeking to reduce disparities in cancer care. Thank you for joining us, LeeAnn.
D and Product Enablement at DNA Genotek, to explore the potential of first void urine biomarkers in clinical diagnostics. Discover how this non-invasive sampling method is transforming HPV screening and opening new possibilities for early disease detection in oncology and infectious diseases. Learn about the science behind first void urine collection, its advantages over traditional sampling methods, and how innovative devices like the Colli-Pee™ are supporting more accessible healthcare for underserved populations worldwide.
In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, host AJ Hinton is joined by two science educators who are striving to instill a love of science and a sense of belonging within K–12 students through outreach initiatives and programs. Yelena Janumyan is a postdoctoral fellow at the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach at Vanderbilt University (TN, USA). Since receiving her PhD, Yelena has taught science and math in schools; however, she is now turning her attention back to research. At the time of recording, Zachary Conley was also a postdoctoral fellow at the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach at Vanderbilt University. Before joining the Collaborative, he was working toward his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Baylor College of Medicine (TX, USA).At the Collaborative, Yelena and Zachary were co-instructors for the Day of Discovery Program, an initiative for middle school students to participate in a research-based STEM curriculum one school day per week. Content•Introductions: 00:00–02:39•More about the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach and their Day of Discovery initiative: 02:40–05:27 •Why should we care about this initiative? 05:28–07:45•How do your science classes differ from standard classes? 07:46–09:34•How does this program support and inspire students? Plus, personal motivations for instructing this program: 09:35–12:46 •Expanding the horizon of career prospects, belonging and scientific exploration: 12:47–18:15•Navigating STEM careers, from mentors to research: 18:16–22:36•A lesson in leadership: 22:37–24:15•How can we improve education for all? 24:16–29:52 •How can scientists and teachers work together to improve STEM education? 29:53–32:27 •Closing thoughts: 32:28–36:27
In this podcast, Director of GLP bioanalysis Lan Li reviews immunoassays versus mass spectrometry-based methods as tools for protein biomarker quantitation. Focusing specifically on mass spectrometry approaches, Lan explores various methodologies, such as top-down, middle-down and bottom-up, as well as the sample preparation procedures required. Lan concludes by reviewing the current challenges impacting protein biomarker quantification and how QPS Holdings, LLC is developing solutions to overcome them.
In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, AJ Hinton is joined by Ulises Ricoy, who was the Director of Outreach Initiatives at the University of Arizona (AZ, USA) at the time of this recording. Ulises has championed low-cost approaches to basic neuroscience research as well as educated underrepresented groups in STEM academia.In this episode, Ulises shares his journey to STEM, including how he developed his research and the value of diverse perspectives within that research. He also shares why not everyone is cut out to be a mentor and where to start with tackling representation in academia.Since the recording, Ulises has pursued other opportunities outside of academia.Contents: ●Meet Ulises and what drives his research 00:55–23:41●Why encouraging professional–personal balance can support diverse recruitment 23:42–43:00●What makes a mentor 43:01–55:38●Closing 55:39–56:46
In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, host AJ Hinton is joined by Brielle Ferguson, Assistant Professor in Genetics and Neurology at Harvard (MA, USA), and Angeline J. Dukes, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota (MN, USA). Brielle is a researcher studying the biomarkers of cognitive dysfunction and Angeline shares her time between teaching and leading DEI initiatives at the University of Minnesota.In this episode, Brielle and Angeline share why visibility is so important in representation and the valuable lessons they’ve learned about being a mentee and a mentor. They also discuss their journey towards launching Black in Neuro and what unmet needs remain.Contents:●Meet Brielle Ferguson 01:00–02:04●Meet Angeline J. Dukes 02:05–03:14●Welcoming – and retaining – under-represented groups on campus 03:15–07:47●Prioritizing yourself to push for progress 07:48–12:56●The power of visibility in enabling authenticity 12:57–18:57●Why mentorship is a must, and the mentors who made a difference for Brielle and Angeline 18:58–27:08●The genesis and goals of Black in Neuro 27:09–34:28●Building community and addressing funding disparity 34:29–39:15
Identity in STEM Education (PRISM) Research Lab. He describes how his research examines equity through pedagogy to disrupt racism and cisheteropatriarchy for broadening opportunities among historically marginalized populations in STEM.In this episode, Luis discusses why amplifying marginalized experiences as knowledge sources is vital to challenge the status quo in STEM pedagogy, in addition to his perspectives about leadership as a researcher. He also shares his experiences of being an openly queer man of color as a form of resistance and the ethos of his equity-minded mentorship in the academy.ContentsMeet Luis 00:41–02:54The evolving definition of ‘STEM’ and variation of disciplinary cultures in the sciences 02:55–04:48Expanding opportunities for historically marginalized groups in STEM through pedagogy 04:49–07:35A glimpse into pedagogy in postsecondary calculus for STEM educational equity 07:36-12:25Sustaining professional energy by nurturing aspects of personal life 12:26–16:30The leadership challenges of making space for multiple voices whilst maintaining a collective vision 16:31–22:04Passion for amplifying and validating experiences of intersectionality to foster a sense of belonging in STEM 22:05–25:25Learning and growing alongside research mentees in equity-minded advising 25:26–29:54Being out as a form of resistance, especially in STEM environments 29:55–33:13Mentorship: paying it forward, facilitating connections and embracing equity 33:14–39:16Closing 39:17–40:37
In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, host AJ Hinton is joined by Haysetta Shuler, an academic consultant in industrial–organizational psychology (I–O psychology) and a DEI mentor. Haysetta is an experienced administrator at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and she is passionate about increasing the involvement of Black students in STEM.In this episode, Haysetta discusses the value of I–O psychology and how students at HBCUs can be supported with hands-on experience, mentorship and network building. She also shares her tips for choosing a mentor or mentee and the value of saying less and listening more. Contents●Meet Haysetta 00:55–04:36●Spotting, seizing and maximizing opportunities 04:37–08:27●Generating evidence on the positive impacts of improving work–life balance 08:28–13:12●Preparing students at HBCUs for their next steps through Project Strengthen 13:13–24:37●The impact and remaining need for HBCUs 24:38–31:41●Engaging students and their families to secure the Black STEM pipeline 31:42–35:59●Being led by student needs when developing programs 36:00–40:03●Building a strong, sustainable and effective mentor–mentee relationship 40:04–47:07●What the future holds for STEM, I–O psychology and Project Strengthen 47:08–58:09
In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, host AJ Hinton is joined by Corey Reynolds, a Regional Medical Scientific Director in industry. Corey’s background ranges from academics to industry consulting; he applies these varied experiences to mentoring the next generation of Black scientists.In this episode, Corey explains his current role as a medical science liaison (MSL) and how it varies from his experiences in academia. He also discusses the crucial need for more Black scientists in every stage of the scientific process, from student labs to clinical trials.Contents ●Meet Corey 00:56–05:50●Understanding and securing a MSL role 05:51–09:11●The differences between MSL and academic roles 09:12–12:36●Dealing with uncertainty in an industry role 12:37–16:25●Mentoring Black students at different institutions 16:26–19:19●Black in Physiology as a place of sanctuary and mentorship 19:20–26:22●The impact of winning awards 26:23–28:49●Encouraging collaboration 28:50–32:29●Corey’s life outside of work 32:30–33:53●Reversing the downward trajectory of diversity in higher education 33:54–40:42●Championing increased clinical trial diversity 40:43–44:24To learn more about Black in Physiology, listen to our podcast with founder Clintoria Williams.
In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, host AJ Hinton is joined by Clintoria Williams, Principal Investigator in the Kidney PathoPhysiology Research Group at Wright State University (OH, USA). Clintoria is a physiologist who is passionate about ‘lifting while climbing’ and is a co-founder of Black in Physiology. In this episode, Clintoria shares her journey in mentorship, sharing her tips for balancing your professional and personal life, and turning every experience into an opportunity for learning. She also shares highlights from last year’s Black in Physiology Week, an online and community event that celebrates achievements, and provides resources and support.Contents:●Meet Clintoria Williams and her research: 0:00–2:02 ●Promoting equity and inclusion in your space: 2:03–5:35●Getting the most out of mentoring for both mentors and mentees: 5:36–9:10●Balancing professional and personal commitments: 9:11–14:50●The birth and growth of Black in Physiology: 14:51–21:40●Championing Generation Now and preparing Generation Next: 21:41–26:16●Taking time to celebrate your strengths and turn weaknesses into opportunities: 26:17–28:43●Leading with the 'why' in research and communication: 28:44–31:08●Her journey towards being a mentor and a leader: 31:09–35:34●The power of bringing your true self everywhere you go: 35:35–38:00●Highlights from the most recent Black in Physiology Week and what's to come in the future: 38:01–42:59●What's next for Clintoria and her team of Zinc-sperts? 43:00–46:33●Clintoria's advice for her younger self: 46:34–47:46●Wine recommendations to stay fearless from Clintoria and AJ: 47:47–49:50
In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, AJ Hinton is joined by Alberto Vasquez, Academic Coordinator for the Center for Research in Educational Equity and Teaching (CREATE) at University of California, San Diego (CA, USA). Alberto is a biologist and educator, applying his lived experience to support students from underserved communities.At CREATE, he spearheads the university’s efforts to increase STEM diversity, access and interest to disenfranchised communities throughout Southern California. In this episode, he offers advice for students to look beyond the mirror to find a mentor, how to advance equity by building strong relationships and why you should consider ‘different normals’.
From sensitivity to selectivity: transforming mass spectrometry imaging with targeted solutions
This International Women’s Day, we’re joined by Lindsay Davies, Chief Scientific Officer at NextCell Pharma (Stockholm, Sweden), to discuss the evolving role of cell therapies in treating autoimmune diseases.In this podcast, Davies breaks down the science behind NextCell’s mesenchymal stromal cell therapy for type 1 diabetes and explores how these cells could be applied to other autoimmune conditions. She emphasizes the importance of tailoring cell therapies based on disease type, stage and patient profile to achieve the best outcomes.The conversation also highlights how growing evidence of sex-related differences will could increasingly shape decisions in the development and testing of cell therapies.
During the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) PharmSci 360 2024 conference, Bioanalysis Zone caught up with industry experts across numerous disciplines to discuss their involvement with AAPS and their research. In this interview, we spoke to Priyata Kalra about her talk on the use of GenAI within biomedicine.
In this episode, we sit down with Megan Cooley, Associate Director of Bioanalytical Services at ICON (KS, USA), to explore the cutting-edge world of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) quantitation using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Megan delves into the capabilities of Triple Quadrupole and Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry, offering her expert insights into whether HRMS is essential for ADC PK studies. We also tackle the challenges and limitations of HRMS in ADC quantitation and discuss the potential for AI to create more specific and stable ADCs. Finally, Megan highlights ICON’s extensive experience with large molecule applications and their innovative approach to supporting complex LC–MS analyses.
In this interview, we discuss the potential of AI in increasing healthcare system efficiency, how medical devices are making procedures less invasive and what those working in the field of medical devices can do to help regulation catch up with innovation.
In the sixth episode of The new frontier podcast, we're joined by Catherine Vrentas, Life Sciences Lead at Booz Allen Hamilton (VA, USA). Cathy explains how biomarkers can be used to predict the therapeutic outcome and efficacy of CGTs and the biomarkers in particular that have shown strong predictive value. We delve into the common challenges of working with biomarkers in CGTs and how biomarker kits can be adapted for CGT work.
Challenges and solutions in monitoring assay performance for vaccine development: an interview with Atul Chaudhari
We caught up with Principal Scientist Lindsay Denhoff (ICON; Dublin, Ireland) to discuss immunogenicity considerations for therapeutic proteins and the current analytical methodologies for detecting and characterizing anti-drug antibodies (ADAs). Lindsay shares some industry best practices for achieving high-quality ADA assays, as well as some of the advantages and limitations of singlicate ADA analysis compared with alternative techniques. We finish the interview with a look to the future where Lindsay discusses the emerging trends she's spotted in the field of immunogenicity and offers her predictions for how they may shape the future of therapeutic protein development.
In this Tech Blast episode supported by Sartorius (Göttingen, Germany), we speak with David Apiyo – Manager of Applications Development at Sartorius (MN, USA) – about epitope binning, why it's performed and the best ways to conduct it. Plus, learn more about Sartorius' biolayer interferometry platforms and their application in epitope binning.
In this interview, we spoke to John Chappell, Senior Global Scientific Support Manager at Gyros Protein Technologies (Uppsala, Sweden) about his experience working with the Gyrolab platform for oligonucleotide assays. John discusses the advantages of using Gyrolab for oligo quantification in biological fluids and shares his thoughts on the next steps for these assays.
In the fifth episode of The New Frontier podcast, we're joined by Paul Byrne, Senior Director of Genomics from ProtaGene (MA, USA). Paul describes his experience working with qPCR vs digital and digital droplet PCR assays and advises on their pros and cons, as well as when it's best to use each. We discuss how these assays can be optimized for cell and gene therapy targets and get a peek into the tips and tricks he's picked up over his 30 years of experience.
In this episode of The New Frontier podcast, we're joined by Daniel Schulz-Jander, Senior Director of Mass spectrometry Bioanalysis at QPS Netherlands (Groningen). Daniel explains how he uses immune-precipitation and immunoaffinity LC–MS techniques for his work relating to macromolecular pharmaceuticals like gene therapies, as well as their benefits and challenges. Daniel also covers bottom-up, middle-down and top-down approaches and their suitability for his work in clinical support versus research and discovery.
Breaking down barriers for women in tech: an interview with Tina Marshall by Future Science Group
What disparities exist in cancer screening and how does this impact patient outcomes? Listen to our latest podcast episode with Kilan Ashad-Bishop (American Cancer Society) to find out about the intersection between science, health, and society.
In this episode, we spoke to Senior Director Johanna Mora about her experience with immunogenicity testing for cell and gene therapies (CGTs) and how she prepared for the expansion of BMS's portfolio to include CGTs. We discuss the importance of having diverse teams with a broad range of experiences to solve complex problems, as well as the role of artificial intelligence in improving our efficiency and spotting patterns in the data.
In the first episode of this series, we spoke to Executive Director and Global Head of Regulatory Services Kimberley Buytaert-Hoefen about her experience with cell and gene therapy (CGT) approvals and the barriers to getting these important therapeutics to the patient. Kim advises early regulatory interaction and collaboration to improve the success rate of applications and emphasizes the importance of global harmonization of regulatory standards. We discuss key barriers to CGT approvals including manufacturing and immunogenicity and Kim voices her excitement for the newly approved CRISPR-Cas9 technology to treat sickle cell disease.
In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review their publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In the final episode of series one, we're joined by Hetal Sarvaiya and Yuting Wang from AbbVie (MA, USA), who talk about the challenges of having an international team working on their perspective article and the inspiration behind their work. The pair talk passionately about their paper and how the unique nature of AbbVie's global team has helped shape their work.
In this Tech Blast episode supported by Sartorius, we speak with Derrick Christopher Campos, Product Manager at Sartorius (TX, USA), about Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). This tried-and-true technique allows researchers to do label-free protein characterization; in this podcast, Derrick discusses how Sartorius improves upon multi-cycle kinetics with their OneStep® gradient injection.
In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review their publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In episode four, we're joined by Senior Scientist and Technical Specialist Ashley Phillips. Ashley's publication assessed the performance of next-generation trypsins for rapid protein LC-MS bioanalysis, effectively reducing a two-day process into just one day's work. As the paper's lead author, Ashley outlines the experimental design, the challenges associated with data storage and how he and the team are now applying the best-performing trypsin in their workflows.
In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review their publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In episode three, Digital Editor Ellen Williams is joined by Clinical Instructor and Education Coordinator Camilla Linder and Biomedical Laboratory Scientist Miguel Gambell Barroso. The collaborative publication details an inventive method for determining hematocrit in dried blood spots using image analysis to avoid sample damage. Camilla and Miguel discuss the origins of the work, the challenges involved and even hint at a unique use for their method.
An interview with Walt Szablowski: how should healthcare systems handle cybersecurity breaches? by Future Science Group
In this episode of Talking Techniques, Ritwika Biswas, Field Scientist at Sino Biological US Inc. (PA, USA), walks us through the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) development process and how T and natural killer (NK) cells can be utilized to carry these modular synthetic molecules. Ritwika also addresses the safety and efficacy of these cell therapies as well as the ethical considerations around them.
In this episode of Talking Techniques, Ritwika Biswas, Field Scientist at Sino Biological US Inc. (PA, USA), walks us through the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) development process and how T and natural killer (NK) cells can be utilized to carry these modular synthetic molecules. Ritwika also addresses the safety and efficacy of these cell therapies as well as the ethical considerations around them.
In this Tech Blast episode, we explore preparing 3D cell cultures with Sartorius’ (Goettingen, Germany) Sandra Söderholm, Application Development Specialist, and Maria Voutilainen, Product Manager. Sandra and Maria give us an introduction to 3D cell cultures and how to prepare them, and then delve into a foundational technique that is often overlooked: pipetting. We discuss pipetting techniques, common mistakes and their pipetting dos and don’ts.
Contents: Introduction: 00:00–01:30 An introduction to 3D cell cultures: 01:30–02:48 Preparing 3D cell cultures: 02:48–03:25 Don’t overlook your pipetting technique: 03:25–05:45 Common pipetting mistakes and how to overcome them: 05:45–08:30 Reproducibility of 3D cell cultures: 08:30–10:30
In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review their publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In episode two, Ellen is joined by Research Assistant Gaudry Troché to discuss conventional sampling and microsampling for the comparison of pharmacokinetic study profiles of insulin. Gaudry discusses life as an early career scientist, his plans for the future and his poster presentation at the Health Benefits and Leadership conference in Las Vegas.
In this episode of Talking Techniques, Ritwika Biswas, Field Product Scientist at Sino Biological US Inc., walks us through the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) development process and how T and natural killer (NK) cells can be utilized to carry these modular synthetic molecules. Ritwika also addresses the safety and efficacy of these cell therapies as well as the ethical considerations around them.
In this episode, supported by Fortis Life Sciences, we delve into the relationship between mitochondria, inflammation and cancer, discussing the new techniques that are bearing fruit in this field, such as spatial analysis. Our expert insight for this episode comes from Phillip West, Principle Investigator of the West lab at Texas A&M Medicine (TX, USA). Philip explains the role mitochondria can play in cancer and heart disease, reveals some of his most exciting discoveries of late and provides technical tips for investigating this field. Listen on to discover how his use of spatial techniques has helped uncover mechanisms linking mitochondrial damage to the stifling of the immune system in the tumor microenvironment and the latest breakthroughs at the intersection of mitochondria and cancer. Contents: Introduction: 00:00-01:30The innate immune system, in inflammation and disease: 01:30-04:20The role of mitochondria in innate immunity: 04:20-07:00Categorizing DAMPS and their role in cardiovascular disease: 07:00-08:40Mitochondria and cancer: 08:40-11:55Techniques for the investigation of mitochondria: 11:55-15:20Best practice techniques for spatial studies: 15:20-17:35Discoveries made using spatial approaches to mitochondrial investigations: 17:35-19:55The latest developments in the intersection of mitochondria, cancer and inflammation: 19:55-22:20What is one thing you would ask for to improve your understanding of this field? 22:20-24:20
In this Tech Blast episode supported by CN Bio (Cambridge, UK), their Lead Scientist Emily Richardson and Principal Bioengineer Dharaminder Singh talk us through organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technologies. From what they are and how they work to what kind of data they provide and their future applications, Emily and Dharaminder provide all the information you need to understand the basics of OOC.
In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review the publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In this first episode, we're joined by early career Researcher Anthony Breton to discuss volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS®) as an alternative to venepuncture for the assessment of essential and toxic elements.
Mixed reality technologies in medical and surgical applications: an interview with Taylor Kantor
In this episode, sponsored by Zymo Research, we explore the microbiome and how long-read sequencing techniques are changing our approach to the field and the exciting discoveries that they have led to. To do this we speak to Kris Locken, Molecular Biologist in the Research & Development department of Zymo Research (CA, USA), and Jeremy Wilkinson, Global Marketing Specialist for Microbial Genomics at PacBio (CA, USA).Find out how microbes compare to nuts and what this means for the challenges of metagenomic sample preparation, how long reads can stack up vs short reads for metagenome assembly and much more, all in this latest episode of Talking TechniquesContents:Intro: 00:00-01:55What is metagenomics and why is it important for microbial studies? 01:55-03:55How has long-read sequencing impacted metagenomics? 03:55-06:05Long-read vs short-read sequencing workflows: 06:05-07:15Addressing barriers to long-read sequencing: 07:15-08:45Sample preparation for long-read sequencing: 08:45-12:20Development of long-read sequencing to improve accuracy and capabilities: 12:20-14:40Best practice for assembly and analysis: 14:40-17:40Exciting examples of the benefits of long-read sequencing: 17:40-20:00What would you wish for to improve the ability long-read sequencing in microbiomics: 20:00-21:40
In this Tech Blast episode supported by Thermo Fisher Scientific (MA, USA), Associate Product Manager Jon Flasher talks us through gene expression analysis, some of its challenges and the tools available to streamline the process. Listen to learn more about how Thermo's TaqMan Gene Expression Assays can be used to address research questions around cancer, biomarker identification, hereditary diseases, neurological diseases and the body's response to pathogens like COVID-19.Products mentioned in this podcast are for research use only, not for use in diagnostics.
In this episode of Editor’s Picks, hear about how researchers have taken biotechnology to a whole new level, moving individual cells with sound waves, and geckos are more socially intelligent than we thought….
Hello and welcome to the latest episode of OCTalks, the podcast series from Oncology Central. I am Jade Parker, Senior Editor of Oncology Central. Today I am joined by Heather Beasley who is a post-doctoral scholar at Vanderbilt University (TN, USA). Heather’s research focuses on calcium signaling in breast cancer, as well as the dysregulation of bone metabolism due to comorbidities such as hypercalcemia.
This episode, our second recorded at Neuroscience 2022 (13-19th April 2022; San Diego, CA, USA), delves into the importance of open data in neuroscience and the FAIR guidelines, which encourage researchers to make their data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable.Sharing her considerable expertise in this area is one of the authors of the FAIR guidelines, Maryann Martone, who provides some key examples of the successes that open data practices have delivered so far and cautionary tales for how current practices are damaging the field.Listen on to find out how to implement open data practices, how they can help your lab and why Maryann sees it as our responsibility to resolve!Contents:Introduction: 00:00-02:00Introducing open neuroscience and the meaning of FAIR 02:00-03:00Exposing outdated paradigms in science: academic targets, publications, reproducibility and data accessibility: 03:00-06.30Incentivizing open data and reassigning value restructuring academia: 06:30-08.40The impact of FAIR within labs: 08:40-09:50Challenges of establishing and barriers to Open and FAIR neuroscience 09:50-12:00The reception of these guidelines in the field: 12:00-16:50Examples of the impact of open data in the spinal cord injury community: 16:50-18:10Marryann’s experience of enacting changes early in her career: 18:10-21:20Judging value in scientific research and understanding your purpose: 21:20-24:20The importance of investment: 24:20-26:30The impact of industry on lab data: 26:30-27:50Practical tips for addressing your lab data: 27:50-31:10Key tips for preparing data for an open-source repository 31:10-33.15The FAIR data principles explained: 33.15-37:50
In this Tech Blast episode, we discuss lab automation with Gregory Lee, Automation Manager at Zymo Research (CA, USA). We explore the types of tasks that can be automated, Greg’s three Ts to consider when thinking about automation ¬– technical, throughput and turnaround time – and his top tips for implementing automation. Greg also shares common pitfalls labs fall into when attempting to deploy automation, reminding us to never forget about the box.Contents:•Introduction: 00:00–00:40 •What does automation look like in a lab setting? 00:40–01:40•What tasks can be automated? 01:40–02:30•Greg’s three Ts: 2:30–03:50•The benefits of automation: 03:50–05:15•Greg’s top tips for implementing automation: 05:15–07:00•Common pitfalls – it’s not all about the instrument: 07:00–08:10•Think outside the box, but don’t forget it exists: 08:10–09:05•Is automation our future? 09:05–10:45
On this month’s episode of Editor’s Picks, we’re celebrating the 40th birthday of PCR, saving the northern white rhinoceros from the brink of extinction and connecting the dots between HPV, the vaginal microbiome and race.
In this episode of Talking Techniques, we head to the Ecuadorian rainforest to chat about the use of sequencing in conservation with Zane Libke, a field researcher based at Sumak Kawsay In Situ (Pastaza, Ecuador). Zane discusses how he turned his fascination with nature into a career, his current work using nanopore sequencing technologies to find undescribed species and helping train future field researchers.We also explore the benefits of fighting biodiversity in a more local-centric way and using research to protect the area from exploitative companies.Contents:Intro: 00:00–01:35Zane’s work at Sumak Kawsay In Situ: 01:35–05:05Turning a fascination with nature into a career: 05:05–08:20The importance of sequencing for conservation: 08:20–12:25Technologies being used to sequence in the field: 12:25–14:15Portable nanopore sequencing with the MinION: 13:15–15:35Exporting samples means exporting opportunity: 15:35–18:40The sequencing workflow: 17:40–24:50Data processing: 24:50–27:45Using these technologies to find undescribed species: 27:45–32:20Fighting biodiversity loss in a more local-centric way: 32:20–34:55Using research to protect the area from exploitation: 34:55–38:50What the future holds: 38:50–43:22
In this special episode of Talking techniques, one of two recorded at Neuroscience 2022, we speak to Tim Harris (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, VA, USA). Tim is the creator of Neuropixels, neural recording probes inserted into the brains of animal models, which allow researchers to collect signals from hundreds of individual neurons in different brain regions simultaneously over extended periods of time.Here, he shares the story behind his creation and details how they have changed the data collection landscape in Neuroscience. Tim also considers every inventor’s greatest concern: has his invention led to purely positive outcomes for the field? By enabling the collection of huge datasets have Neuropixels led to studies that bury findings in vast swathes of data or have they enabled researchers to collect enough information to discover the emphatic truth?Listen now to find out Tim’s opinions on these contentious debates in neuroscience and get key tips for utilizing neuropixels! Contents:Introduction: 00:00-03:00Tim's symposium on the capabilities of Neuropixels: 03:00-04.00Key takeaways from the symposium: 04:00-07:45The story of the development of neuropixels: 07:45-13:50Best practice tips for utilizing neuropixels: 13:50-15:15Challenges of utilizing neuropixels: 15:15-15:50Addressing the challenge of big data and sharing uncertainty: 15:50-17:30How neuropixels have accelerated neuroscience data generation: 17:30-19:30
In this In the Zone podcast, we explore how precision oncology is currently utilized in the bioanalytical field, the use of liquid biopsies to support these studies and the major challenges impacting drug development.
Hello and welcome to the latest episode of OC Talks, the podcast from Oncology Central. I am Jade Parker, Senior Editor of Oncology Central. Today I am joined by Laetitia Decroix Guilloux, Vice President of Oncology and EMEA Commercial Strategy Lead at Janssen, to discuss the patient journey through lung cancer, examine the lung cancer paradigm, and how the cancer research community can holistically address unmet needs in cancer.
In this Tech blast episode, we talk CAR-T cell development for cancer immunotherapies with Ritwika Biswas, Product Scientist for Sino Biological. We cover some of the latest developments in the field, the advantages of CAR-T over other immunotherapies and selecting the perfect CAR-T antigen, amongst a whole host of different aspects in the field. ContentsIntroduction: 00:00-00:30Core principles of cancer immunotherapy: 00:30-02:00Explaining cancer immunity: 02:00-03:20Distinguishing CAR-T from native T cells: 03:20-04:40CAR-T antigen targets: 04:40-06:00Techniques for engineering CAR-T cells: 06:00-08:00Introducing off the shelf CAR-T cells: 08:00-09:45Addressing challenges in off the shelf CAR-T: 09:45-11:30Current status of CAR-T therapies: 11:30-12:55Advantages of CAR-T cell therapy over other immunotherapies: 12:55-15:25The future of CAR-T: 15:10-18:10
In this interview we explore what minimal residual disease (MRD) is in hematological malignancies and how MRD is currently monitored. The interviewees also explain their recent research published in Nanomedicine, which investigates a novel tool to monitor hematological malignancies.
This month on Editor’s Picks, hear about the impacts of aerobic exercise on tumor microenvironments, the science behind female pleasure, how bacteria could be used to make whipped cream and the bacteria that could survive 280 million years on Mars!
In this Tech Blast episode supported by Sartorius (Göttingen, Germany), we talk to Daryl Cole about cell-line development (CLD), some of its challenges and a possible solution: the Octet Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI) system. Daryl Cole is a Scientist in the Bio Applications Team at Sartorius with extensive experience in a range of fields; he offers insights into the possible applications of CLD and how to get the most out of the Octet BLI system.
In this episode of Editor’s Picks, we bring you the latest news in the life sciences including DishBrain, a dish of neurons that can play a computer game of table tennis, and click chemistry, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year.
In this podcast, we spoke with Katja Piltti from University of California, Irvine (USA) to learn about the importance of quality control in regenerative medicine. We discussed how automated cell culture monitoring and quality control can address changing needs in the transition from preclinical research to cGMP production.
Organoids are transforming the way we approach the drug discovery pipeline. In this Tech Blast episode, Ritwika Biswas, Product Scientist at Sino Biological (Beijing, China), explains why drug discovery needs new methods and how organoids can help.Find out the importance of growth factors in the development of organoids for drug discovery, the challenges associated with their use and the impact of organoid biobanks on the field in this 15-minute overview of the landscape of organoids in drug discovery. Contents:Introductions: 00:00-00:28Reviewing the drug discovery process: 00:28-02:45Traditional methods used for target validation and drug screening: 02:45-05:20Challenges associated with traditional methods: 05:20-07:00How organoids can be used to address these challenges: 07:00-09:30The importance of growth factors in organoid development: 09:30-10:50 Challenges in the utilization of organoids in drug discovery: 10:50-13:30Organoid biobanks: 13:30-14:40The impact of organoids in precision medicine: 14:40-16:20
In this Tech Blast episode, we discuss multiplex PCR methods, their challenges and advantages, and the tools being developed to advance multiplexing capabilities. Marco Bianchi, Product Manager at Bio-Rad Laboratories (CA, USA), provides an insight into what role multiplexing plays in research.
In this month's episode of Editor's Picks, we’ve got articles on magnetic synthetic cells, the synthesis of the most complete artificial microbiome yet and how a key protein in human fertilization was identified.
In this episode of the Talking Techniques podcast, we explore microbiomes and the techniques used to profile them. Get an overview of the different techniques’ working principles, their pros and cons and the different applications that they are best suited to.
Providing an expert insight into this field is Annabelle Damerum, Microbiome R&D Scientist at Zymo Research. Annabelle reveals some key tips best practice when profiling the microbiome and details the importance of an emerging aspect of the field: the vaginal microbiome.
Contents: Into: 00:00-01:50Why it is important to profile microbiomes. 01:50-04:15Key applications of microbiome profiling: 04:15-06:10Techniques used to profile the microbiome and their working principles: 06:10-09:20Targeted sequencing: 06:10-08:00Shotgun metagenomics: 08:00-09:00Metatranscriptomics: 09:00-9:15The strengths and limitations of these techniques: 09:12- Targeted sequencing: 09:20-10.15Shotgun metagenomics: 10:15-11:25Metatranscriptomics: 11:25-11:50Matching techniques with applications: 11:50-13:30Tips for best practice for using these techniques: 13:30-16:25What is one thing you would ask for to improve the ability of microbiome profiling techniques: 16:55-18:10Investigating the vaginal microbiome: 18:10-20:55Conclusions and closing: 20:55-22:10
As the cell and gene therapy industry expands further into commercialization, researchers, developers and manufacturers are growing increasingly aware of the need for specialized ancillary materials in the production of therapeutics. High-quality ancillary materials are often neglected during the early stages of development due to perceived cost, but conversion at later stages of development can be prohibitive and detrimental to program success.
In this podcast, in association with Sexton Biotechnologies (now part of BioLife Solutions; WA, USA), Steve Elimann of Orbsen Therapeutics (Galway, Ireland) and Steven Thompson of Sexton Biotechnologies discuss the challenges of variability in producing cell therapeutics, and how using consistent reagents from reliable manufacturers can tackle this challenge. We also dive deep into the importance of gaining and maintaining trustworthy partners early in your cell therapy journey and how this can influence the overall success of your final product.
In this special episode of Talking Techniques, brought to you from the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies Forum (FENS; 9th–13th July 2022), an expert panel discuss their research into the relationship between the gut–brain axis and addiction.
The panel features Benjamin Boutrel (Lausanne University Hospital; Switzerland), Lorenzo Leggio (NIH Intramural Research Program; MD, USA) and Nathalie Delzenne (University of Louvain; Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium), who discuss their current research into the role of the microbiota in alcohol addiction, if this work could be translated into the clinic, and if similar processes are at play in other addictions, such as food and cocaine.
The discussion also features an audience Q&A, which explores the microbial relationship between mother and fetus, and social factors in addiction.
Contents:Introduction: 00:00–01:35Introduction to panelists: 01:35–03:40Techniques being used to investigate the relationship between the gut and addiction: 03:40–06:55Translating this research to the clinic: 06:55–11:40Parallels between alcohol addiction and other addictions, such as food, cocaine and tobacco: 11:40–17:05Microorganisms as drivers of behavior: 17:05–18:30The hot topic of gut health: 18:30–20:30Future directions for the research, including microbiota transfers, precision medicine and avoiding alcohol dependence: 20:30–24:35Audience Q&A – microbial elements between mother and fetus, and social factors in addiction: 24:35–29:15
In this Tech Blast episode, we discuss all things organoids with Ritwika Biswas, Product Specialist at Sino Biological US Inc (PA, USA). Ritwika provides an overview of what are organoids are, how reconbinant growths factors are utlized in their development, the benefits 3D organoid systems offer over 2D cell culture systems and the various applications organoids can be used for.
Ritwika also explores the challenges that remain in organoid research and how these can be overcome, as well as what the future holds for these models.
Contents: Introduction: 00:00–00:30 What are organoids? 00:30–01:05 Existing organoids: 01:05–02:00 Generating organoids and cell culture methods: 02:00–04:30 Applications of organoids: 04:30–06:10 Comparing 3D and 2D culture systems: 06:10–07:40 Reproducibility, matrigels and increasing complexity: 07:40–09:50 The future of organoids: 09:50–12:20
Hello and welcome to today’s latest episode of OC Talks Podcast by Oncology Central. My name is Jade Parker, Senior Editor of Oncology Central, and I am joined by Volkmar Mϋller from University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. Today we are going to discuss HER2-positive breast cancer including the unmet needs of the disease, and our hopes for the future.
In this Tech Blast episode, BioTechniques' Digital Editor, Annie Coulson, discusses single domain antibodies with ProSci’s Andy Lee, Lead Scientist of the Single Domain Antibody Program, and David Eling, Director of Business Development. Andy and David describe what single domain antibodies (sdAbs) are, including their unique characteristics, such as their small size. They then go on to explore the applications of sdAbs, from increasing resolution in imaging studies, to developing antidotes for snake venom.
Listen to this episode to get an overview of sdAbs, how they could be incorporated into your research and their link to llamas.
Contents: Introductions: 00:00–01:25 What are single domain antibodies? 01:25–3:05 Applications of single domain antibodies: 03:05–05:05 Unique characteristics of sdAbs: 05:05–07:55 sdAbs for SARS-CoV-2: 07:55–08:35 sdAbs for therapeutics and diagnostics: 08:35–11:25 Unique applications, including biosensors and animal feed: 11:25–12:50 Working with researchers to develop sdAbs: 12:50–13:25 The future of sdAbs: 13:25–15:50 Closing remarks: 15:50–16:20
In this Tech Blast episode, our Digital Editor Annie Coulson talks with Carlo Messina, Senior Director for Oncology in Global Development and Medical Affairs at Roche (Basel, Switzerland), about the use of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) in cancer research.
CGP can obtain more information about a tumor from a smaller biospecimen compared with other genomic profiling techniques and gives oncologists more tools for treating patients. Carlo talks about the applications of CGP, including detecting genomic aberrations in the bloodstream, and the future of this technique.
In this episode, supported by BrandTech, returning guest Rob Vries, CEO of HUB organoids (Utrecht, The Netherlands), fills us in on the advancement of 3D cell cultures and organoids over the last 2 years, starting off by documenting how the pandemic impacted their development and uptake.
We also discuss how the recent FDA Modernization Act, removing the requirement for drug candidates to be tested on animals, has impacted the drive for improved models, the key techniques available to analyze them and what still needs to change for 3D cell cultures to fully replace animal models in the lab.
Listen today to find out which resources can help you begin to work with 3D cell cultures, their most exciting recent applications and how issues of reproducibility are currently being addressed in the field.
Contents:Intro: 00:00-00:50How COVID-19 impacted the uptake and development of 3D cell cultures: 00:50-02:05Key developments in 3D cell culture technology in the last 2 years: 02:05-03:00Intestinal organoids and the investigation of irritable bowel syndrome: 03:00-5:50Evaluating assembloids: 05:50-08:35Complexity vs clinical relevance: 08:35-10:45The impact of 3D cell cultures in precision medicine in cancer: 10:45-12:40The impact of the FDA’s Modernization Act on 3D cell culture uptake: 12:40-14:45What needs to improve in organoid technologies to fully replace animal models? 14:45-16:10Changing inbuilt reliance on animal models: 16:10-18:30Key techniques to analyze organoids: 18:30-19:50Developments in imaging technology that have improved the analysis of organoids: 19:50-21:15Current challenges in 3D cell culture implementation and reproducibility: 21:15-24:15Improving access to 3D cell cultures: 24:15-25:55Resources to help people implement organoids into their work: 25:55-27:15Searching for the holy grail in 3D cell cultures: 27:15-28:00
In this episode of Editor’s Picks, presented by guest-host Grace Tyrrell, learn about how the need for vaccine refrigeration could be on the way out, a new chemical approach that may aid in the fight against antibiotic resistance and the use of AI algorithms as a potential cure for drug-resistant epilepsy.
Welcome to OC talks, a podcast series exploring the latest advancements in oncology. I’m your host, Jade Parker, Oncology Central’s Senior Editor. In this episode, supported by Sengenics, we will be exploring the importance of autoantibodies in the development of cancer as well as how they can be used in the early detection of tumors.
Joining me for this episode is Field Application Scientist Joseph Miseirvitch from Sengenics, a precision medicine company working to improve patient outcomes for physiologically relevant, data-guided decision making.
In this episode of Talking Techniques, supported by Bio-Rad, we discuss a key component of many gene therapies: recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) and their production. These viruses act as efficient, accurate delivery vesicles for the gene therapy’s plasmid.
Speaking to Associate Director of Biopharma Product Marketing at Bio-Rad Laboratories, Mark White, we take a look the different expression systems used for their production and compare their advantages, before looking at some of the challenges involved in the production rAAVs, such as host cell contamination.
Discover the tools that can help minimize host cell contamination and differentiate between nuclease resistant and nuclease reactive contaminant DNA and find out about some of the most exciting developments in rAAV technologies.
Contents:The role of rAAVs in gene therapies: 00:40-02:15 The production of rAAVs and gene therapies: 02:15-03:30 Why are HEK cells so popular for cell therapy production? 03:30-05:45 HEK vs SF9 Insect cell expression systems: 05:45-06:45 Challenges in cell therapy expression systems: 06:45-08:05 Host DNA contamination: 08:05-10:30 The risks of host DNA contamination: 10:30-12:45 Key techniques to minimize host DNA contamination: 12:45-14:40 The advantages of ddPCR in gene therapy production: 14:40-17:50 Distinguishing between nuclease resistant and nuclease reactive host cell DNA: 17:50-19:10 The most exciting developments in rAAV technology: 19:10-20:20 What is one thing you would ask for to improve rAAV and gene therapy development 20:20-26:38
In this episode of Editor’s Picks, hosted by our Assistant Editor Aisha Al-Janabi, learn about recent concerns over the validity of a pivotal Alzheimer’s disease study, how researchers answered a question about the heart dating back to the 1600s and a laser-based diamond sensing technology that improves magnetoencephalography precision.
In many regions of the world, HPV and its association with cervical cancer is a well-known but rarely considered issue, after the rollout of the HPV vaccine in the late 2000s. However, while this rollout significantly impacted cervical cancer rates where it was implemented, it was not universal and in many areas of the world HPV induced cervical cancer remains a critical issue.
Cervical cancer is the leading cause of death for people with a cervix living in poverty in low-resource regions and on the continent of Africa, it is estimated that in 2020 as many people with a cervix died of cervical cancer as COVID-19.
In this episode of Talking techniques, supported by Oxford Nanopore, Senior Investigator Michael Dean and Post-baccalaureate Fellow Nicole Rossi, from the NIH’s National Cancer Institute (MD, USA), discuss their research into the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer. Expounding on the points mentioned above, they reveal the tremendous insights into cancer and immunology still to be gained, document the key tools used in their studies and explain how their work can be translated into more effective immunotherapies and treatments for cervical cancer.
ContentsIntroduction: 00:00-01:40How big an issue does HPV present to the world? 01:40-03:30HPV’s association with cancer: 03:30-05:15Why does HPV target DNA repair mechanisms? 05:15-06:00Key goals of research into HPV: 06:00-07:15Challenges of HPV research: 07:15- 08:20Solutions available to deal with these challenges: 08:20-09:30The most exciting discoveries in HPV using long-read sequencing: 09:30-11:00HPV16- the most oncogenic variant: 11:00-11:40Translating research into clinical results for HPV: 11:40-12:45How effective is the current HPV vaccine? 12:45-13:30What would you ask for to improve research into HPV and cancer? 13:30-14:30How big an issue is vaccine rejection? 14:30-15:40Final thoughts: 15:40-17:00
Recently, the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAIH) published "The Lifecycle of an AI System in Healthcare", a whitepaper defining what healthcare is and provides guidelines on implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in this setting.
In this episode of Talking Techniques, we speak with Oscar Rodriguez, a board member at AAIH and one of the authors of this whitepaper, to find out more about what the lifecycle of AI is, the importance of having guidelines when applying AI or ML in healthcare and what the future holds for this type of computer modeling. Contents: Intro: 00:00 - 00:45What are some of the ways that AI is used in healthcare? 00:45 - 5:04What are the current limitations of using AI in healthcare settings? 5:04 - 9:28The lifecycle of an AI system: 9:28 - 14:04How did you develop these guidelines for AI in healthcare? 14:04 - 17:28Summary of the guidelines from the white paper: 17:28 - 19:09Do you think some of these guidelines could be applicable to AI outside of healthcare? 19:09 - 19:53Why is it important to have guidelines like these for AI and machine learning in healthcare? 19:53 - 22:11Why did you decide to focus on COVID-19 case studies? 22:11 - 23:05How do you think the pandemic has changed the way AI is used in healthcare? 23:05 - 26:26What's next for AI? 26:26 - 30:03
Recently, the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAIH) published "The Lifecycle of an AI System in Healthcare", a whitepaper defining what healthcare is and provides guidelines on implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in this setting.
In this episode of Talking Techniques, we speak with Oscar Rodriguez, a board member at AAIH and one of the authors of this whitepaper, to find out more about what the lifecycle of AI is, the importance of having guidelines when applying AI or ML in healthcare and what the future holds for this type of computer modeling. Contents: Intro: 00:00 - 00:45What are some of the ways that AI is used in healthcare? 00:45 - 5:04What are the current limitations of using AI in healthcare settings? 5:04 - 9:28The lifecycle of an AI system: 9:28 - 14:04How did you develop these guidelines for AI in healthcare? 14:04 - 17:28Summary of the guidelines from the white paper: 17:28 - 19:09Do you think some of these guidelines could be applicable to AI outside of healthcare? 19:09 - 19:53Why is it important to have guidelines like these for AI and machine learning in healthcare? 19:53 - 22:11Why did you decide to focus on COVID-19 case studies? 22:11 - 23:05How do you think the pandemic has changed the way AI is used in healthcare? 23:05 - 26:26What's next for AI? 26:26 - 30:03
Welcome to our newest podcast series, Editor's Picks, where we'll round up the latest life science news from BioTechniques. In this bitesize podcast, we've got everything from the history of cephalopods in neuroscience research to recent advancements against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Mitigation strategies for the biological matrix supply chain: an interview with Mark O'Dell by Future Science Group
In this episode, supported by Zymo Research, guest host Georgia Bickerton explores NGS data and how bioinformatic pipelines and workflows can be optimized to make NGS data more accessible. To do this she speaks with Jeffry Bhasin, Director of Informatics at Zymo Research, who discusses the key issues of reproducibility in bioinformatics, the selection of methods available to analyze different datasets and to investigate different aspects of these data.
Listen today to discover the techniques available to help increase the portability and reproducibility of fine-tuned bioinformatics workflows and to streamline the application of these workflows. Bhasin also reveals how these 'workflow management' technologies can enable more global, collaborative approaches to bioinformatics workflow construction and begin to increase the automation and accessibility of bioinformatics workflows.
The key diagnostic and prognostic information locked away in cell-free nucleic acids (cfNAs) has become increasingly accessible due to developments in genetic and epigenetic profiling techniques. These advances have engendered the rise of liquid biopsy techniques, which capture and analyze cfNAs from samples such as blood, saliva, urine and feces, in diagnostics and basic disease research.
However, challenges remain in the detection and analysis of these nucleic acid fragments, in part due to their low abundance and fragile nature. In this episode, Ayla Maunighan-Peter, Epigenetics Product Specialist at Zymo research (CA, USA), details the utility of these molecules, the challenges associated with their development and implementation of liquid biopsies and their use in both basic research and diagnostic spaces.
For an insight into how cfNAs can be used to identify novel drug targets, impact diagnostics development and be used to help soothe the organ shortage crisis, listen today!
Contents: Intro: 00:00-00:40What are cfNAs? 1:50-02:35The role of cfNAs in Liquid biopsy: 02:35-04:25Markers analyzed in cfNAs: 04:25-06:10Epigenetic analysis of cfNAs: 06:05-07:55Techniques for epigenetic analysis of cfNAs: 08:00-08:55Introducing fragmentomics: 08:55-11:05Challenges in the development of liquid biopsy: 11:05-14:40How is the field trying to adapt to these challenges? 14:40-16:10Applications of cfNAs in basic research: 16:10-17:30The most exciting findings concerning the role of cfNAs in disease: 17:30-20:05One thing to improve our understanding and use of cfNAs: 20:05-21:10Conclusions: 21:15-22:15
The key diagnostic and prognostic information locked away in cell-free nucleic acids (cfNAs) has become increasingly accessible due to developments in genetic and epigenetic profiling techniques. These advances have engendered the rise of liquid biopsy techniques, which capture and analyze cfNAs from samples such as blood, saliva, urine and feces, in diagnostics and basic disease research.
However, challenges remain in the detection and analysis of these nucleic acid fragments, in part due to their low abundance and fragile nature. In this episode, Ayla Maunighan-Peter, Epigenetics Product Specialist at Zymo research (CA, USA), details the utility of these molecules, the challenges associated with their development and implementation of liquid biopsies and their use in both basic research and diagnostic spaces.
For an insight into how cfNAs can be used to identify novel drug targets, impact diagnostics development and be used to help soothe the organ shortage crisis, listen today!
Contents: Intro: 00:00-00:40What are cfNAs? 1:50-02:35The role of cfNAs in Liquid biopsy: 02:35-04:25Markers analyzed in cfNAs: 04:25-06:10Epigenetic analysis of cfNAs: 06:05-07:55Techniques for epigenetic analysis of cfNAs: 08:00-08:55Introducing fragmentomics: 08:55-11:05 Challenges in the development of liquid biopsy: 11:05-14:40How is the field trying to adapt to these challenges? 14:40-16:10Applications of cfNAs in basic research: 16:10-17:30The most exciting findings concerning the role of cfNAs in disease: 17:30-20:05One thing to improve our understanding and use of cfNAs: 20:05-21:10Conclusions: 21:15-22:15
In this Tech Blast episode, we discuss preclinical models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with Gareth Guenigault, Lead Scientist of Services at CN Bio (Cambridge, UK). Gareth provides an overview of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) therapeutic landscape and explains how incorporating organ-on-a-chip models into drug discovery workflows can improve this landscape.
Get Gareth’s expert insight into the field and discover how to develop liver-on-a-chip NASH models, tips for analyzing the resultant data, and the future of organ-on-a-chip technologies.
Contents: Introduction: 00:00–00:30 Pathology and prevalence of NASH: 00:30–01:50 Challenges faced when developing drugs for NASH: 01:50–03:40 An overview of organ-on-a-chip models: 03:40–05:05 Liver-on-a-chip models for NASH: 05:05–07:05 Incorporating organ-on-a-chip into drug discovery workflows: 07:05–08:45 Accessing liver-on-a-chip and NASH models: 08:45–09:45 The NASH-in-a-box workflow: 09:45–10:45 Gareth’s tips for analyzing the data: 10:45–12:15 The future of organ-on-a-chip technology: 12:15–13:55
In this episode, we discuss recombinant proteins: what are they and what are they used for?
BioTechniques Editor Tristan Free speaks to Amy Sheng, Technical Account Manager at Sino Biological, who explains the history of recombinant proteins and how protein modeling techniques such as AlphaFold are changing their development.
Find out how monoclonal antibodies have been used through the COVID-19 pandemic and how we may overcome challenges in production, upscaling and more in this episode of Talking Techniques.
Contents:Introduction 00:00-01:26What are recombinant proteins and what are they used for? 01:26 – 02:42How were they first developed? 02:42 – 03:50Since initial development has recombinant antibody development progressed today? 03:50 – 05:57What are the advantages of utilizing the more traditional mouse monoclonal antibodies? 05:57 – 07:11Are recombinant antibodies used in more specialist applications and are they more likely to be used in therapeutics? 07:11 – 09:47How have AI systems like AlphaFold impacted the development of recombinant antibodies? 09:47 – 12:07How has antibody production changed and what’s next? 12:07 – End
In this Tech Blast episode, we discuss generating, standardizing and sharing microbiome data with Raul Cano, Chief Scientific Officer at The BioCollective. Raul provides a brief overview of the reproducibility crisis and explores how the use of standards and databases can address the challenges it poses.
Get Raul’s insight into the field and discover the steps that can be taken to make microbiome research accessible and reproducible.
Contents: Introduction: 00:00–00:40 Overview of the reproducibility crisis: 00:40–02:25 The importance of standards for microbiome data: 02:25–05:05 Sharing microbiome data: 05:05–07:10 Comparing microbiome databases: 07:10–08:20 The significance of metadata: 08:20–08:50 How databases can enhance the use of standards: 08:50–10:05 Databases help standardize microbiome research: 10:05–10:45 Benefits of sharing data: 10:45–11:40
In this '3D and tea' interview, we speak to Dolores Serrano and Katerina Lalatsa all about the potential of utilizing 3D printing in cancer studies.
Flow cytometry for CGT assay development: an interview with Richard Cuthbert by Future Science Group
In this podcast, Andrew Hall (Labcorp, UK) discusses the evolution of large molecule bioanalysis workflow automation as well as the present challenges facing the industry.
Bioanalytical assays for gene therapy programs: an interview with Catherine Vrentas by Future Science Group
In this episode, supported by Zymo Research, we discuss the epigenetic clock: what is it? How are researchers using it and what are some of the key tools available to study it?
Elucidating the link between epigenetics and aging is Keith Booher, Director of Services at Zymo research including aging and epigenetics research services. Keith reveals how our behaviors and environment, such as diet, exercise and air quality, can impact our epigenetics and the impact that the epigenetic clock has played in the development of new therapeutics.
Find out how you can reverse your biological age, the implications of aging populations the latest developments in epigenetic research and more in this episode of Talking Techniques.
Contents: Introduction: 00:00-02:15The issue with population aging: 02:15-03:30Introducing epigenetics: 03:30-04:20The link between epigenetics and aging: 04:20-05:50The impact of exercise on epigenetics: 05:50-06:40The epigenetic clock: 06:40-08:00What can the epigenetic clock tell you about someone’s health: 08:00-10:05Can you reverse the epigenetic clock? 10:05-12:00The latest experiments in epigenetics and aging research: 12:00-14:10Finetuning exercise using the epigenetic clock: 14:10-15:30Challenges in epigenetics and aging research: 15:30-17:00Key technologies in epigenetics and aging research: 17:00-18:05Where are the main developments coming from? 18:05-19:30Aging and lobsters: 19:30-20:45How will the field develop in the next 5 years? 20:45-22:00What would you ask for to improve your understanding of the epigenetic clock? 22:00-23:00The most exciting aspects of aging intervention: 23:00-24:00
In this podcast Barry Jones (Director, LC–MS Biologics and Biomarkers at Q² Solutions) and Adriane Spytko (Manager, LC–MS Biologics at Q² Solutions; both NY, USA) discuss hybrid assays using both LBA and LC−MS techniques. They share their thoughts on bottom-up LC−MS methods and the concern about detecting analyte that is not intact as well as future projects that bridge LC−MS and LBA.
In this episode of Talking Techniques, supported by Resolve BioSciences, we explore the realm of spatial biology, with a particular focus on the techniques involved in this approach to biological exploration, and the exciting insights gleaned from these techniques that have led to this approach being labeled Natures Method of the year 2020!
Stefano Pupe, Postdoctoral Researcher at German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, takes me through this field, revealing – amongst other fascinating insights – the neuroscience studies that can now be conducted on live mice to monitor their neurological cell expression profiles as they perform specific behaviors. We also discuss the potential immortality complexes that could be driving a large amount of investment into the field and highlight some of the challenges to watch out for when conducting spatial biology studies.
ContentsIntroduction 00:00-02:20 The concept of spatial biology 02:20-03:30 The key techniques involved in spatial biology: 03:30-05:10 What does the combination of transcriptomics and proteomic profiling enable you to determine: 05.10-06:00 Unique insights from spatial biology: 06:10-07:20 Spatial biology in the characterization of cells from the medial septal: 07:20-8:20 First impressions of working with spatial biology: 8:10-09:20 How many omic datasets you can generate from one tissue sample? 09:20-10:45 The impact of spatial biology in diagnostics: 10:45-11:50 Exciting breakthroughs in neuroscience from spatial biology: 11:50-14:00 Predicting neuronal activity with spatial data: 14:00-15:55 Developments in microscopy pairing with spatial biology: 15:55-18:05 The challenges of working with a new technique: 18:05-19:45 The role of automation in resolving with vast data sets 19:45-21:45 Why Facebook and Google are looking assisting with spatial biology: 21:45-24:15 What would you ask for to take spatial transcriptomics to the next level? 24:15-25:40 Challenges of reproducibility in an emerging field: 25:40-29:05 Final comments: 29:05-30:25
In this episode of Talking Techniques, we introduce a new podcast series, produced by BioTechnques and hosted by the enigmatic Antentor Othrell Hinton Jr, Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at the Vanderbilt University, and bring you a sneak peek of the first episode of the series.
In this podcast series, Antentor will discuss all things diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM, meeting with different guests each episode from across the spectrum of fields and people in the research community. Each episode will keep science at its core, exploring each guest's research and finding out how they encourage open and productive environments in their working communities.
In episode one, dive into the discussion around mentoring practices and with our first guest, Christina Termini Assistant Professor a the Fred Hutch Cancer Research center (CA, USA)
Contents: Introduction: 00:00-02:40 Christina's Research in hematopoietic stem cells and cancer treatments. 02:40-05:45 Molecular regulators of the hematopoietic system: 05:45-06:20 Building mentoring networks and addressing microaggressions: 06:20-09:00 Isolation in academic spaces and countermeasures: 09:00-10:35 The community of scholars and the 1000 Black scientists lists: 10:35-17:00 What are you drinking? 17:00-17:40 Mental health in mentoring: 17:40- 20:45 The work of the American Society of Cell Biology developing mentors: 20:45-23:00 Equalling opportunities with virtual and non-traditional faculty interviews: 23:00-26:50 Building the 100 Latinx list: 26:50-29:30 Contact Tina! 29:30-31:55 Coming up on STEM Tea! 32:10-34:54
In this episode, supported by BioRad, we explore cell proliferation monitoring and its role in drug discovery, guided by the expert advice of Rachel Preston, Product Development researcher at Bio-Rad.
We discuss techniques available to monitor cell proliferation, their advantages and disadvantages and the importance of selecting the right combination of techniques for different experimental targets. Rachel also provides some tips for best practice and some pitfalls to avoid regarding DNA damage and highlights the importance of good quality antibodies in cell proliferation assays.
Don’t miss out on the most exciting applications of cell proliferation today, and find out what still needs to be improved for cell proliferation assays to continue driving drug discovery forward; all in the first episode of Season 3 of Talking Techniques!
Contents: Intro: 00:00-00:34Why measure cell proliferation in drug discovery? 00:34-2:20Techniques involved in the detection of cell proliferation: 02:20-04:20The advantages and disadvantages of different techniques: 04:20-06:50 Selecting the most appropriate technique: 06:50-09:30How do you account for DNA damage in these assays? 09:30-11:00The best combination of techniques for drug screening studies: 11:00-12:00The biggest developments in technologies for cell proliferation monitoring: 12:00-14:15 Exciting findings of cell proliferation studies in cancer research: 14:15-15:35What element of cell proliferation detection and monitoring would you choose to improve? 15:35-17:40Closing remarks: 17:40-19:10
In this Tech Blast episode, is Jay Lemke, Senior Research Scientist at Promega, provides a brief overview of Sanger sequencing, its history, working principle and development over the last half century.
Jay reveals which lab practices are still are best completed with Sanger sequencing and explains why the technique remains so prevalent today, even in the era of next-generation sequencing.
Get Jay's top tips for best practices when working with sanger and much more throughout the episode!
Contents: Introduction: 00:00-00:40 A brief history of Sanger sequencing: 00:40-01:00 Sanger sequencing working principle: 01:00-03:00 How has sanger developed since it was invented? 03:00-05:10 The advantages of Sanger in an era of NGS: 05:10-07:00 Best applications of Sanger sequencing: 07:00-08:45 Top tips for success with sanger: 09:30-10:10 Challenges of working with sanger and addressing them: 10:10-11:35 What would you improve about sanger sequencing? 11:35-12:25
Find out about current treatment options for thyroid cancer such as the recent approval of selpercatinib for patients with an alteration in the RET gene in this interview with Kate Newbold who is a clinical oncologist consultant at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London (UK).
In this episode, we explore the field of synthetic biology. Discover the history of the field and its origins in the production of biofuels, before fracking burst onto the scene forcing a pivot in direction towards chemical production. Find out about the key techniques that have brought synthetic biology into the realm of immunotherapies and cancer research, which have even welcomed in a return to applications focussed on tackling the climate crisis, such as lab-grown meat.
To investigate this space, I speak with Merrit Savener, Biopharma Technical Account Manager at Molecular Devices (CA, USA) and Adam Clore Technical Director of Synthetic Biology at Integrated DNA Technologies (IA, USA). Merrit and Adam provide their insight into the most exciting applications of synthetic biology, the regulation surrounding it, how they would wish to improve the field, revealing the true impacts that this field can deliver in addressing some of humanity's biggest issues.
Contents:Introduction: 00:00-02:30Explaining synthetic biology: 02:30-03:45Origins of synthetic biology: 03:45-05:25Key current applications of synthetic biology: 05:25-07:30 Key methods involved in synthetic biology: 07:20-09:30Challenges in synthetic biology for product production: 09:30-12:35Regulating synthetic biology: 12:35-14:55What would you change to improve synthetic biology? 14355-16:55Most exciting applications of molecular biology: 16:55-20:40 The future of synthetic biology: 20:40-22:45Making electronics manufacturing more sustainable with synthetic biology: 22:45-23:15Changing perceptions in synthetic biology: 23:15-25:30
In this Tech Blast episode, Tim Bolus, Compliance Program Manager at Molecular Devices, provides a 15-minute in-depth exploration of the regulatory landscape of drug discovery and development. Tim examines the good lab and manufacturing processes essential to successful drug discovery, development and production.
Get Tim's insight into the field and discover how to best prepare your lab to pass the FDA's regulations and hear some firsthand cautionary tales!
Contents: Introducing GXP: 00:40-2:20 Why is GLP important in drug development? 2:20-05:55 Why is GMP important in the manufacturing processes late down the line? 05:55-07:15 Examples of GXP going wrong and the ramifications: 07:15-10:30 Solutions to ensure GXP: 10:30-11:40 Aspects of GLP that need improving: 11:40-13:40
We are talking all things DNA methylation in this episode, providing a brief explanation of epigenetics and the technologies involved in the study of DNA methylation, before exploring the application of these techniques in the study of infectious diseases and cancer.
Revealing all of this information is my guest Chloé Goldsmith, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Canberra University, whose research focuses on DNA methylation, Hepatitis B Virus and the link between lifestyle and the epigenome. Chloé explains the strengths and weaknesses of the different techniques used to explore DNA methylation and highlights the advances in long-read sequencing that are dramatically improving this aspect of epigenomic research.
Chloé also discusses some of the most interesting insights that she has gained by taking a single-cell and single-molecule approach to her research and highlights some of the recent findings in the field that have caught her attention and broadened our understanding of epigenetics in disease.
Listen today to find out what functions remain to be improved for more insightful epigenetic studies and for some key insights into the future of the field.
Contents:Introduction: 00:00-01:45 Introducing the epigenetics and the different types of epigenetic regulation: 00:45-02:55 Techniques involved in the exploration of DNA methylation: 03:55-05:50 Challenges of bisulfite conversion techniques: 05:50-07:15 Recent developments in DNA methylation technologies: 07:15-09:40 Long reads vs short reads for epigenetic studies: 09:40-10:45 Epigenetics in infectious disease research: 10:45-13:15 Lifestyle, the epigenome and HBV: 13:15-16:00 Epigenetics in cancer research: 16:00-18:05 Recent developments in our epigenetic understanding of disease: 18:05-19:40 One area of technology that needs to be improved: 19:40-21:50 Aspirations for the field: 21:50-23:25
In this episode, supported by Roche, we explore a vital aspect of many next-generation sequencing studies: target enrichment. Here, regions of interest are selectively amplified before sequencing takes place. More specifically we examine some of the new technologies improving this key step and their impact on oncology research.
My guest for this episode is Brian Godwin, Director of Reagent and Assay Development at Roche sequencing. Brian reveals the myriad of ways that poor target enrichment can impact a study while highlighting its importance at the foundations of many research efforts. Discover the key limitations of some target enrichment techniques and the new technologies that are improving this step, leading to a new suite of applications in oncology research, where damaged or degraded DNA samples are common.
Listen today for an overview of the target enrichment process, the most exciting applications of this technique future potential of this step.
Contents:Intro: 00:00-01:30Why conduct target enrichment? 00:40-02:45Established technologies for target enrichment: 02:45-04:10Challenges of working with these technologies: 04:20-06:40The impact of these challenges on sequencing results: 06:40-07:35New technologies to address these challenges: 07:35-09:25Primer extension in PCR and target enrichment: 09:25-11:40Exciting applications of primer extension target enrichment: 11:40-13:25Improving target enrichment in oncology and its impact on the field: 13:25-16:15If you could ask for one thing to enable primer extension target enrichment to make the greatest possible impact on the NGS and oncology communities, what would it be? 16:15-18:00
In this episode, we roam the world of recombinant proteins and their production, discussing the challenges of their production, and recent evolutions in protein engineering that have brought the field into a golden era of innovation.
I'm joined by recombinant protein engineering expert Yuning Chen, R&D Manager at Sino Biological, who discusses the key applications of recombinant proteins, the aspects of certain products that make them difficult to produce and how these difficulties can be overcome. Yuning also reveals how the manipulation of antibodies has been essential to multiple aspects of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a review of the recent evolutions in protein engineering, from cell-free systems to automation, Yuning describes his vision for the future of the field and reveals his support for the Terminator-style uprising that he believes could revolutionize it.
ContentsThe production of recombinant proteins: 00:48-02:11 The key applications of recombinant proteins: 02:11-03:27 What makes some proteins difficult to produce? 03:27-04:41 Overcoming these challenges: 04:40-5:40 Manipulating antibodies to take part in multiple aspects of pandemic response: 05:40-08:00 The most exciting applications of recombinant proteins: 08:00-09:50 Developments in high throughput and automated protein engineering: 09:50-11:00 Cell-free protein engineering: 11:00-12:40 The benefits of cell-free systems: 12:40-13:40 What is next for recombinant protein production? 13:40-16:15 The dream of automation for the recombinant protein production: 16:15-18:50
Analysis of nitrosamine impurities: an interview with Javier Jimenez-Villarin by Future Science Group
PCR has evolved rapidly over the last few years, an evolution that has been dramatically accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. New technologies and approaches have been brought to the fore and the full range of applications for which this technique can be applied have been highlighted, from diagnostics to basic disease research and immunology.
This episode explores this evolution, looking at how challenges presented by the pandemic forced the hand of researchers to think outside the box and build on lesser-known PCR technologies. Here, Eddy van Collenburg, Market Development Specialist at Bio-Rad, provides his insight into how ddPCR rose to prevalence during this time and explains how the technology is being used to enable trade, detect new variants and is being used outside of the pandemic.
Discover the key role that ddPCR can play in gene therapy research, liquid biopsies, cancer research, single-cell studies and more, in this fascinating overview of the development of PCR and where the technique can go in the future.
Contents: Introduction: 00:00-01:30Why was qPCR established as the gold standard for detection? 01:30-03:40Limitations of qPCR during the pandemic 03:40-05:05New varieties of PCR for faster results: 05:05-05:40New varieties for more accurate results: 05:40-06:45ddPCR working principle and advantages: 06:45-09:00Nonclinical ddPCR applications for COVID-19: 09:00-10:45ddPCR in variant detection: 10:45-12:05ddPCR in gene therapy research: 11:05-12:30Liquid biopsy and cancer research: 12:30-15:20Combining ddPCR with NGS in research: 15:20-16:15What are some of the applications of ddPCR that you find most exciting? 16:15-17:10 Applications of ddPCR in single-cell studies 17:10-21:00Improvements in ddPCR: 21:00-21:45 Tips for best practice when using ddPCR: 21:45-22:50What would you ask for to improve ddPCR? 21:50-24:20
Love it or hate it, western blotting forms the bedrock of countless studies across numerous disciplines. Explore its history, development and applications in this episode all about the marmite of life science techniques.
Guiding me through the hand wringing, hair follicle destroying history and process of western blotting, and hopefully explaining the beauty and potential of the technique - is Kenneth Oh, Senior Project Manager at Bio-Rad Laboratories.
Kenneth reveals some of the latest developments in western blotting. Revealing how researchers are now able to validate the success of each stage of a western blot and work with smaller samples, Kenneth provides key tips for ensuring each of your western blots is a triumph.
Contents: Intro: 00:00-01:15 History of western blotting: 01:15-3:50 What makes western blotting so tricky? 03:50-05:30 Stepwise optimization: 05:30-06:50 Stain-free western blotting: 06:50-08:50 The different variants of western blotting: 08:50-10:20 The right blot for the right application: 10:20-11:30 The most exciting developments in western bloting:11:30-13:35 New horizons for western blotting: 13:35-15:25 The impact of multiplex-western blotting: 15:25-16:30 Tips for best practice: 16:30-18:10 The future of western blotting: 18:10-20:30 Yearning for automation: 20:30-21:30
Uncover the history of molecular therapeutics, the staggering current applications and developments of these therapeutics and what their future could hold, in this episode of Talking Techniques.
To explore the field of molecular therapeutics and provide an insight into their production, is Aaron Clauson, Product Manager at Zymo research. First, we cover the ins and outs of targeting the therapies and how to select the correct type of molecular therapeutic to begin developing a drug for a specific disease, before looking at some of the setbacks and safety errors that have occurred during the development of molecular therapeutics and how researchers have learned from these tragic events.
Aaron also highlights the vital role of plasmids in almost all molecular therapeutic development, detailing the importance of keeping plasmid solutions and transfections free of endotoxins, revealing key solutions for avoiding these contaminants.
Listen today to get all you need to know about molecular therapeutics, from their inception to their most exciting examples and how we can better communicate their benefits to the public in order to avoid mistrust and confusion - as has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contents:What counts as a molecular therapeutic? 01:45-02:40Well known molecular therapeutics 02:40-05:00What can molecular therapeutics achieve that synthetic chemicals can’t? 05:00-05:55Targeting molecular therapeutics and picking the right type of therapeutic 05:55-08:25Selecting the appropriate molecular therapeutic 08:35-11:00Setbacks and safety concerns in gene therapies 11:00-15:45Preventing off-target effects in gene therapies 15:45-17:35Challenges in the development of molecular therapeutics 17:35-19:05 Plasmids in molecular therapeutic development 19:05-23:55 Avoiding endotoxins: 23:55-27:45What fields do you find most exciting? 27:45-28:50Better communication of gene therapies to the public 28:50-32:00 “security agencies detecting molecular therapeutics” 29:10Improving molecular therapeutic development: 32:00-37:10
This episode centers on the critical role that high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) plays in the production of adeno-associated viral (AAV) therapies, the latest advances in AAV design and the next steps in their development.
Filling me in on all things HPLC and AAVs is Bella Neufeld, Director of R&D at Teknova. Bella reveals the essential validation and quality control steps required for the production of successful and safe AAV therapies and the role that both HPLC and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LCMS) play in these steps. We also explore the latest development targets for these therapies, looking at how AAVs can be targeted to specific sites and tissues before descending into the treacherous topic of reproducibility in the field.
Listen today to find out the latest tips for best practice when working with HPLC, LCMS the advantages of LCMS over other analytical techniques to assess empty and full capsids and the key principles of AAV production!
ContentsIntro: 00:00-01:25Explaining HPLC and its benefits: 01:25-03:30Developing adeno-associated viruses: 03:30-05:25 Chromatography in validation vs production of AAVs: 05:25-06:15Quality control vs hands on time: 06:15-07:35 Challenges in AAV production: 07:35-08:55Examining the level of empty and full capsids: 08:55-10:00The role of LCMS in determining and validating AAV contents: 10:00-11:30 Tips for best practice when using HPLC: 12:30-13:10The future of HPLC: 13:10-14:20Latest advances in AAV development: 14:20-15:50Targeting AAVs: 15:50-17:20Reproducibility issues in AAV development: 17:20-19:35Outro: 19:35-21:10
As the transition from 2D to 3D cell cultures, or organoids, as the gold standard for modeling basic biology and disease continues, these models are being utilized in ever more intricate and impactful ways.
This episode covers the rise of organoids and their advantages over 2D cell cultures, before exploring just how representative these models are becoming and their new applications in drug discovery. To find out all this and more, I speak to Oksana Sirenko, Senior Scientist at Molecular Devices, who works extensively with the company's organoid model development programs.
Oksana reveals the potential of these models in cancer therapeutics, driven forward by new patient-derived organoids, and notes the challenges presented by imaging these thicker, 3D models. We also explore the potential discoveries that can be unlocked by combining organoids with organ-on-a-chip models.
Contents: What are organoids? 02:10-03:20Functions replicated by organoids? 3:20-04:00What are the advantages of 3D over 2D cell cultures? 04:00-05:40Just how representative are these models? 04:40-07:10 Intestinal organoid formation 07:10-08:50The most exciting application of organoids 08:50-10:10Organoids in drug development 10:10-11:20Methodology of organoids in drug screening studies 11:20-13:30Examples of organoids in cancer drug discovery: 13:30-16:00Limitations of patient-derived and regular organoid models: 16:00-17:50Body-on-a-chip concepts and examples: 17:50-22:00Challenges posed by organoids for drug discovery: 22:00-24:20Techniques improving organoid models and analysis: 24:20-25:50Imaging organoid models: 25:50-26:55Tips for best practice when working with organoids: 26:55-28:20Organoid method development: 28:20-31:10One thing to improve organoid models or analysis for drug screening: 31:10-33:07 To find out more about the research and solutions discussed in this episode visit: www.moleculardevices.com/TechTalk8.
In this podcast interview, Jason Evans (Scientist at Q² Solutions; NY, USA) discusses the importance of automation and key advantages of taking an assay from the bench to an automated platform. He also explains the increase in throughput when his lab transitioned to automated assays and the hurdles he faced when automating assays.
Welcome to part 2 of this two-part episode on whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in rare disease research and treatment. In part one we discussed the impacts the technology has had on both improving the clinical diagnosis and management of rare diseases and on drug development and basic research studies.
This episode goes beyond the technology's capabilities and into the debates surrounding how, when and why they should be used. What needs to change for the technique to be applied equitably? And how does reality stack up against science fiction in terms of people's perceptions of ubiquitous WGS.
To do this I speak with David Dimmock, Senior Medical Director of the Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine (CA, USA); Christine Stanley, Chief Director of Clinical Genomics, Variantyx (MA, USA); and Take Ogawa, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Psomagen (MD, USA). Each of these speakers provides their opinions on the impacts of race, religion and way of life on the application of WGSand how much data is too much data.
Contents: Introductions: 00:00-02:20 Gauging public perceptions of routine WGS 02:20-05:40 The role of industry in improving WGS accessibility and capabilities: 05:40-07:35 The appropriate use of pre-symptomatic and predictive risk findings: 08:00-11:15 Debating the discovery of untreatable diseases: 11:15-12:45 The impact of data biases in gene sequencing and the lack of gene references for different populations: 12:45-14:45 The impact of religion and lifestyle on ethical considerations in the use of WGS data: 14:45-16:00 Dealing with unintended findings or results that impact relatives: 16:00-16:45 The value of WGS in pharmacogenomic variant findings and challenging the ACMG59 list: 16:45-19:20 Striking the balance between fully utilizing WGS for all potential findings and ensuring maximum participation for all groups: 19:20-22:45 Filtering data to avoid exclusion: 22:45-24:10 Who owns WGS data? 24:10-25:15 Consent conversations: 25:15-26:30 Final comments: 26:30-27:15
Love it or hate it, western blotting forms the bedrock of countless studies across numerous disciplines. Explore its history, development and applications in this episode all about the marmite of life science techniques.
Guiding me through the hand wringing, hair follicle destroying history and process of western blotting, and hopefully explaining the beauty and potential of the technique - is Kenneth Oh, Senior Project Manager at Bio-Rad Laboratories.
Kenneth reveals some of the latest developments in western blotting. Revealing how researchers are now able to validate the success of each stage of a western blot and work with smaller samples, Kenneth provides key tips for ensuring each of your western blots is a triumph.
Contents: Intro: 00:00-01:15 History of western blotting: 01:15-3:50 What makes western blotting so tricky? 03:50-05:30 Stepwise optimization: 05:30-06:50 Stain-free western blotting: 06:50-08:50 The different variants of western blotting: 08:50-10:20 The right blot for the right application: 10:20-11:30 The most exciting developments in western bloting:11:30-13:35 New horizons for western blotting: 13:35-15:25 The impact of multiplex-western blotting: 15:25-16:30 Tips for best practice: 16:30-18:10 The future of western blotting: 18:10-20:30 Yearning for automation: 20:30-21:30
In this episode, we take a look at one of the key steps of infectious disease research, sample collection; exploring the challenges associated with the step and the solutions available to improve infectious disease research around the globe.
Exploring the trials and tribulations of infectious disease sample collection with me is Stanislav Forman, Product Developer at Zymo Research (CA, USA). Stan explains the extreme environments in which sample collection often occurs; revealing the difficult transit and storage requirements – often involving cold chain logistics – that can derail infectious disease studies early on.
Find out how key solutions to these problems have been successfully workshopped with the US military and have even been used in work with NASA to conduct safe sample collection in space. And discover just how successful these solutions can be when faced with the blazing wreckage of a transit vehicle…
Contents Introductions: 00:00-01:20Key challenges of sample collection for infectious disease research: 01:20-02:30Additional challenges presented by COVID-19: 02:30-05:00The emergence of at-home testing: 05:00-07:00Established practices for sample collection and introducing DNA/RNA shield: 07:00-09:00Protecting DNA/RNA samples: 09:00-11:00Working with NASA on sample collection and protection in space: 11:00-14:20Protecting samples in a blazing transit van: 14:20-15:25The impact of inactivating and preserving sample collection products on infectious disease research: 15:30-16:30Areas for improvement in sample collection: 16:30-17:30Closing statements: 17:30-19:20
Explore the realm of epigenetics and gene expression, discovering the different omic ‘lenses’ used to examine these processes and the power of single-cell studies to reveal provide a comprehensive multiomic view of cells and their biology.
This episode features the ever-buoyant Will Greenleaf, Associate Professor of Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine (CA, USA) and head of the Greenleaf Lab. Will takes us through his lab’s work, detailing his attempts to understand the compacting of DNA into cell nuclei and how this impacts gene expression and epigenetic regulation.
Discover the emerging new research focus that Will has coined the “Regulome” – the collection of physical molecular components that control gene expression through factors such as chromatin accessibility.
To explore these new frontiers Will often encounters questions with no technologies available to ask them. So what does he do? Invent the technologies he needs! Find out how his lab came to develop the, now widely used, ATAC-Seq and learn of the new tools that he is looking to develop to solve even more perceptive questions.
This episode has it all, and also reveals the potential of Will’s single-cell multiomic approaches in cancer research, virology and HIV.
Contents: · Introductions: 00:00-02:00 · The exploring the physical genome: 02:00-03:15 · Chromatin accessibility: 03:15-05:15 · Introducing the ‘Regulome’: 05:15-07:15 · The importance of multiomics for the study of gene expression: 07:15-07:55 · DNA methylation and histone organization: 07:55-10:30 · Real-world impact of this research: 10:30-12:30 · Will’s varied career path: 12:30-16:15 · Combining multiomic datasets with computational biology and physics experience: 16:15-18:40 · Single-cell techniques: 18:40-21:50 · Developing ATACC-Seq: 21:50-23:50 · New tools in development: 23:50-27:30 · Insights into the epigenetics of cancer: 27:30-29:35 · Insights into virology and HIV latency: 29:35-32:10 · One wish to help explore the regulome. 32:10-33:00
Cryopreservation of advanced therapy medicinal products: an interview with Brian Hawkins by Future Science Group
This episode, supported by Bethyl, delves into the realm of the tumor microenvironment (TME), exploring the cells that reside there and how they interact to promote tumor growth and metastasis. Discover how immune cells are attracted and manipulated by tumor cells enabling the cancer to invade neurons where they can then travel throughout the body.
Providing an expert's insight into this topic is Moran Amit, Assistant Professor at the MD Anderson Cancer Center (TX, USA). Moran exposes the nebulous interactions in the TME and describes the techniques that he uses to interrogate it, in the hope that by further understanding these interactions we will be able to design more successful, targeted therapies for neurotropic cancers.
Contents: · Introductions: 00:00-01:20 · The key cells of the TME: 01:20-02:50 · How cells of the TME support the tumor: 02:50-05:45 · How cancer cells influence and impact immune cells: 05:45-07:25 · The invasion of cancers into the neurons: 07:27-9:45 · Recruitment of neurons to the TME: 09:45-10:55 · The evolution of neuron recruitment to the TME: 10:55-15:00 · Techniques involved in the study of the TME: 15:00-17:00 · Tips for best practice: 17:00-18:00 · Tumors with neural networks: 18:00-20:05 · Clinical impact of research: 20:05-21:50 · The cancers impacted the most by this research: 21:50-23:25 · The impact of neural invasion on patients and neurons: 23:25-25:30 · One thing to improve our understanding of the TME: 25:30-28:00
Rare diseases present a series of challenges on numerous fronts. From simply deciphering what a patient is affected by to considering how best to manage a rare condition with limited pre-existing medications available for a rare disease, each new development or breakthrough brings clinicians to a new question. While these conditions are, in isolation, rare; in total rare diseases impact 25-30million people in the USA alone.
Supported by Psomagen and featuring four fascinating guests from across the spectrum of topics and focuses in the rare disease space, this episode explores the updates to whole-genome sequencing technology that have improved the "Diagnostic Oddysey" experienced by some patients, enabled more accurate drug development and provides insight into the diagnosis and characterization of undefined rare diseases, before exploring the clinical impact whole-genome sequencing can have on clinical outcomes.
This episode features insight from four field-leading experts in rare disease research, whole-genome sequencing technologies and clinical practice for patients with rare diseases, including: Alan Beggs: Director of The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Sir Edwin and Lady Manton Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard medical school Christine Stanley: Chief Director of Clinical Genomics at VariantyxDavid Dimmock: Senior Medical Director of Rady Children's Institute for Genomic MedicineTake Ogawa: Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Psomagen Contents Introduction: 00:00-02:30Defining the Diagnostic Oddysey: 02:30-06:20Rare disease discovery: 06:20-09:20Techniques involved in Rare disease discovery: 09:20-12:05Whole-genome sequencing updates impacting clinical diagnosis: 12:05-18:30Currently required improvements in techniques for rare disease research and management: 18:30-24:10Explaining long-read and short-read sequencing: 24:10-26:00Developing therapeutics for rare diseases: 26:00-30:00Whole-genome sequencing in animal model validation: 30:00-31:20Improving access to whole-genome available to researchers and clinicians: 31:20-33:40Whole-genome sequencing improving management and outcomes for rare diseases: 33:40-38:27
In this episode, we explore the often overlooked technique of environmental sequencing for infectious diseases and how it is being applied to the response to COVID-19. Taking the state of California and a case study of this application, I speak to Micheal Lisek, Project Manager Environmental Microbiomics at Zymo Research Corp. Micheal outlines the basis of environmental sequencing, predominantly the screening of wastewater for signs of viral RNA, the key techniques involved in the process and challenges associated with it. Micheal also explains the key pieces of information that can be obtained by environmental sequencing and the benefits of the approach vs exclusively using clinical testing. Micheal highlights the value of environmental sequencing for monitoring variants, understanding transmission patterns and identifying outbreaks, providing examples of the information provided to the public health officials in California that were used to successfully manage rising infections and limit the impact of a surge in cases.
Contents Introduction: 00:00-01:58Introducing environmental surveillance for infectious diseases: 01:58-03:30COVID-19 response vs previous environmental sequencing work and how it has prepared people for COVID-19: 03:30-06:18The benefits of wastewater screening over clinical testing: 06:18-07:10Challenges of wastewater testing: 07:10-09:10Monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 variants: 09:10-10:55Understanding transmission patterns: 10:55-12:00Identifying signs of viral vaccine escape and tracing transmission: 12:00-14:50PCR vs NGS techniques for environmental sequencing: 14:50-16:05Tips for best practice when conducting environmental sequencing: 16:05-17:50Practical results of environmental sequencing data on outbreak suppression: 17:50-20:40Investigating mutation rates in the environmental samples: 20:40-23:20Emerging techniques in wastewater surveillance: 23:20-25:10Developing standard protocols and structure for wastewater surveillance: 25:10-28:20
In this podcast, Tristan Free – Digital Editor at RegMedNet – speaks to Abbie Underhill (Scientific Bioprocessing) about the role that sensors have in regenerative medicine, including the biggest challenges behind implementing sensors in cell culture systems.
In Part 3 of our COVID-19 diagnostics and detection miniseries, supported by Roche, we explore the contribution PCR has made towards diagnosis during the pandemic. Providing me with an insight into the world of PCR diagnostics is Tyler Miller, Clinical Pathology Resident and Research Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was instrumental in setting up the testing regimen for the Hospital.
Ty details the attributes of PCR that lead to it becoming the gold standard for diagnostic tests, before explaining the variance in clinical detection rate during a patient's disease course and how this variation correlates with the infectivity of the patient. Ty also delves into the variety of sample collection methods available, how each of these methods compares in terms of sensitivity and their ability to be integrated into exciting novel PCR techniques.
We also look at the work of the Broad Institute in establishing a mass testing effort that involved automation, workflow optimization and hundreds of new staff, which lead to the delivery of 100,000 tests a day, 5% of the USA's COVID-19 testing at the time. All of this rapid work has led to dramatic changes in the PCR technique and process. These changes are perhaps exemplified by PCR testing without RNA extraction and purification, which Ty explains was partly developed due to the limited supplies available to researchers at the beginning of the pandemic.
Contents Introduction: 00:00-02:00Why PCR tests are so valuable: 02:00-03:10Changes in clinical detection rate and infectivity: 03:10-8:00Infectivity and exceptions to the rule: 08:00-09:00Sample collection methods, sensitivity and encouraging testing uptake 09:00-17:00The Broad Institute's mass testing regimen: 17:00-21:00Developments during the pandemic and no RNA extraction PCR: 21:00-27:00Dreams for improving COVID-19 testing: 27:00- 30:00 This episode was supported by Roche sequencing and life science. Follow these links to find out more about the LightCycler 480 System and LightCycler 96 System.
Returning to the contentious topic of the Reproducibility crisis – the inability of many study results to be replicated by different research groups or labs – this episode, supported by Zymo Research, zeros in on the topic within the field of microbiomics.
Speaking to me about the topic is Raul Cano, Chief Scientific Officer at the BioCollective. Raul discusses the crisis and explains why it is prevalent in the emerging field of microbiomics before taking a look at the key role that microbiomics is beginning to play in the field of diagnostics, and how – if we make changes now – lasting improvements can be made in the field.
Raul also lays out the three key areas that are holding back reproducibility in microbiomics and explains the actions that can be taken to improve the situation.
Contents: Introduction: 00:00-02:00Explaining the reproducibility crisis: 02:00-02:55How microbiomics compare to other fields in terms of reproducibility: 02:55-04:05Challenges in reproducibility specific to microbiomics: 04:05-05:45The importance of reproducibility in microbiomics: 05:45-07:00Microbiomics in diagnostics: 07:00-10:00 Three key causes of poor reproducibility in microbiomics: 10:00-11:30Is detailed documentation improving in the life sciences? 11:30- 13:00Actions that can improve reproducibility: 13:00-14:15Fecal references: 14:15-16:05The realities of preparing fecal references: 16:05-18:1 5The reception to the new fecal references: 18:15-20:35References vs Standards: 20:35-22:15Standardizing microbiomics data: 22:15-23:20Assessing reproducibility in previous studies: 23:20-25:15Dreams for reproducibility in microbiomics: 25:15-26:55 This episode is supported by Zymo Research. If you would like more information about the fecal reference mentioned in the podcast, you can visit the product page here.
This International Women’s Day takeover episode, with special guest host BioTechniques’ Senior Digital Editor Abi Sawyer, takes a look at the results of Future Science Group’s (London, UK) survey for the scientific community on gender equality and parity in STEM.
Abi’s guests on this episode are the Vice President of Epidemiology and Clinical Evidence at IQVIA (NC, USA), Dr Christina Mack; the Executive Director for the Pharmaceutical Research Computing Center at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (MD, USA), Dr Ebere Onukwugha; a Lecturer, Science Communicator and Author based in Cardiff (UK), Dr Emma Yhnell; and the Director of the Neuroscience Center Microscopy Core at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (NC, USA), Dr Michelle Itano.
They discuss the results of Future Science Group’s survey, share their own experiences of gender inequality as well as situations where they’ve felt supported, and outline how the STEM community can push further towards gender equality and parity.
Contents:
Introduction: 00:00 – 1:47 Gender inequality, experiences and impact on STEM careers: 1:48 – 10:41 Underlying reasons for gender disparity in STEM: 10:42 – 17:51 Promoting gender equality in the STEM work environment: 17:52 – 30:34 Looking forward: representation and mentoring: 30:35 – 39:32 Conclusions: 39:33 – 40:10
3DMedNet International Women's Day: an interview with Lee-Bath Nelson by Future Science Group
This episode takes a look at the role the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) has played sequencing SARS-CoV-2 and surveying for COVID-19. To do this I speak to two key members of the consortium; Steve Paterson, Professor of genetics at the University of Liverpool and lead for the wastewater working group of COG-UK; and Josh Quick, Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Birmingham and lead at the COG-UK Sequencing working group.
Steve discusses some of the techniques required to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, the challenges that such a vibrant sample can present, and gives his account of the part that wastewater surveillance played in the management of the new variant B.1.1.7.
Josh provides us with further insight into the technologies used to sequence SARS-CoV-2 and explains how he designed the ARTIC protocol for sequencing the virus and why it came to be so widely used. Josh also explains the bizarre act of serendipity that aided in the discovery of the B.1.1.7 variant.
RT-PCR, antigen and antibody testing; each has its niche and each has a flaw. But what are the key differences between each of these tests and when what are the key things to consider when selecting the appropriate COVID-19 diagnostic for you?
In this podcast, supported by Zymo Research, I speak to Senior Scientist in assay development Paolo Piati in order to answer this question. Whether you are a concerned citizen looking for the best test to take to inform your behavior, or a researcher aiming to understand which testing systems you need to set up in your lab – this episode should have the answers for you.
In addition to these key points, Paolo addresses the importance of testing during the rollout of vaccine programs and issues of false negatives in diagnostics, examining what, if anything, can be done to improve the accuracy of testing programs.
In this podcast, Juandem Agendia and Sarah Alexander (NCTC, UK) discuss bacteriophages, the function of the NCTC and the importance of depositing bacteriophages in the NCTC collection to improve accessibility and reproducibility in science.
The importance of data management: an interview with Xiaonan Tang by Future Science Group
Brendan Griffin (University College Cork, Ireland)discusses his work in early drug development in this interview with Bioanalysis Zone. Brendan talks about the most common challenges faced as well as key trends in the field of developability. For more content, visit www.bioanalysis-zone.com
In this Technique Blast – a new series that will provide short informative discussions about a specific technique – Digital Editor Tristan Free speaks to Joseph Pesek about high-performance liquid-chromatography and chromatographic separation technologies.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, innovators are finding novel ways to apply 3D-printed solutions to assist the international response to coronavirus.
From meeting PPE demands, to designing novel approaches to unique challenges, the additive community has not been short of opportunity for collaboration and corroboration with multidisciplinary teams exploring options for aiding crises from local to international capacities.
In this podcast, in collaboration with Women in 3D Printing, we invited a panel of experts to take a look at how the additive community has responded to coronavirus, where the limitations lie in integrating 3D-printed devices into a health system under pressure as well as what can be done by the wider 3D printing community to help overcome critical challenges posed by COVID-19.
Meet the experts
Maxine Chan Director of Med Supply Drive UK, NHS Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, PhD Researcher in Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine, Imperial College London (UK) Maxine Chan is an NHS Doctor and Researcher in London with a research interest in innovative bioengineering solutions to treating female reproductive health issues. Chan is also the Director of Med Supply Drive UK (London, UK), an organization of volunteer medics and non-medics who are protecting frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis by providing solutions to PPE shortages.
Brigette De Vet-Veithen VP and General Manager, Materialise Medical Brigitte de Vet-Veithen has been the Vice President of Materialise Medical since June 2016, as a representative of De Vet Management bvba. De Vet-Veithen has almost 20 years of experience in the healthcare and life sciences sector. She has worked in various management roles for Johnson & Johnson (NJ, USA), ultimately serving as Vice President for the EMEA region of Cordis Neurovascular and General Manager of Cordis (CA, USA) in Germany. Before joining Materialise (Leuven, Belgium), she held various leadership roles as a representative of De Vet Management bvba including the role of Chief Executive Officer of Acertys group (Aartselaar, Belgium), a provider of medical devices, software, services and supplies to hospitals and medical professionals. De Vet-Veithen holds a Master of Business Administration with a Major in Engineering from HEC Liege (Belgium) and an MBA from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France).
Kate Hammer Co-Founding Committee Member, SHIELD Collaborative Kate Hammer is an innovation specialist ranging across architecture/engineering, biotechnology, chemical, FMCG, healthcare, information, public health and technology sectors, often working with scientists of all descriptions to realize demanding projects, often at speed.
Kadine James Co-Founder, SHIELD Collaborative Learner, maker, innovator and 3D technology enthusiast, Kadine James is the Creative Tech Lead at Hobs 3D (London, UK) and is a prominent UK tech evangelist. Combining 7+ years’ experience in 3D printing, virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality, James is driven by big ideas, a global mind-set and empowering the use 3D printing in art and architecture. She sets out to create a platform for 3D printing VR/AR/MR learning opportunities for young people to get involved with 3DTech in central London, at Hobs 3D’s hub and incubator for thought leadership.
James is UK Lead of Women in 3D Printing, a global platform which inspires, encourages and supports women working with rapid prototyping technologies – and is one of the first Industry Champions for the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre network (led by Nesta). James is listed as one of the top 100 most influential women in UK Tech.
Integrating patient-relevant outcomes into clinical practice: an interview with Donna Messner by Future Science Group
NCTalks with Gavin Giovannoni: advancements in the treatment landscape for multiple sclerosis by Future Science Group
Comparing real-world and randomized controlled trial data: an interview with Michael Moran by Future Science Group
BioTechniques Digital Editor Tristan Free, speaks to Application Scientist Theresa Thompson and Strategy Director Jay Pasquantonio (both Phoseon Technology) about their UV LEDs. We cover the best wavelengths for disrupting nucleotides and proteins, the challenges associated with some of these wavelengths, and the promising potential of UV LEDs to disinfect inorganic surfaces of SARS-CoV-2. Theresa and Jay also detail the safety procedures required while using this technology and deliver a clear warning against the irradiation of organic matter with UV LEDs.
Estimating the opportunity–cost-based cost–effectiveness threshold: a panel discussion by Future Science Group
In the first installment of this two-part episode with Donald Ingber, Founding Director of the Wyss Institute (MA, USA), we discuss his invention of organ-on-a-chip technology, how he is utilizing them in the fight against COVID-19 and the Wyss Institute's response to the pandemic. Donald touches on the performance of the much-discussed chloroquine in his lung-on-a-chip models. We also discuss the pros and cons of organ-on-a-chip technology verses organoids, exploring their use in combination, before Donald examines the possible replacement of animal models with organ-on-a-chip technology.
In this episode BioTechniques Digital Editor, Tristan Free speaks to Annie Evans, Director of R&D and David Foster, Vice President of Data and Informatics at Metabolon about the latest developments in microbiome studies, including big data analysis, LCMS, alpha diversity and at-home fecal sample collection.
In this episode BioTechniques Digital Editor, Tristan Free, speaks to Paul Brennan, President and CEO of NervGen, about the company's new technique, currently under development, for repairing nerve damage and it's potential for treating Alzheimer's. Paul also covers some of the gaps in Alzheimer's research and wades in on the Tau vs Amyloid Beta debate.
Talking at ASCB 2019 in Washington, Andrea Brand, Head of the Gurdon Institute's Wellcome labs, and BioTechniques Digital Editor Tristan Free, discuss Andrea's work in neural stem cells and brain cancers. Andrea's novel technique for analyzing proteins binding throughout the genome, TADA, which can be employed in live animals, is also explored alongside the integration of genetic and imaging techniques for successful studies.
Hello, and welcome to this episode of OC talks Podcast Series brought to you by Oncology Central. I am Jade Parker, Senior Editor of Oncology Central, a free online platform that unites all aspects of oncology to support a multidisciplinary approach to progression of the field. In this episode today, we will be speaking to Wout Brusselaers from Deep6 AI about how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing clinical trial feasibility and recruitment. Thank you for joining us today, Wout.
Digital Editor Tristan Free and Digital Intern Theo Kemp, speak to Stephen Taylor of The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. Stephen discusses his work in developing novel systems to interpret biomedical data sets and CSyth; the visualization program for DNA folding.
Editor Jennifer Straiton speaks to the winner of the 2019 Future Science Future Star Award, Marjorie Pizarro-Guajardo. Marjorie is a postdoctoral fellow at the Universidad Andrés Bello (Chile) specializing in microbiology. Her work focuses on the development of a strategy to remove Clostridium difficile spores from the host to make a therapy that can improve the clearance of the infection.
Welcome to this episode of OC Talks Podcast Series brought to you by Oncology Central. In this episode today of OC talks we will be speaking to Nandita deSouza from the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital (both London, UK) to discuss the Cancer Research UK funded DISCOVAR trial.
Rob Knight speaks to BioTechniques Managing Editor, Joseph Martin, about the upcoming BioTechniques Online Event: Advancing Precision Medicine 2019, his scientific hero and gives advice for early career researchers.
In this podcast, Jason Causon (Technical Product Manager at SCIEX, Canada) discusses his experience with HRMS and the current research focuses at SCIEX. He also details how SCIEX are using HRMS, the biggest challenges that have had to be overcome and future opportunities that he hopes HRMS software will bring.
In this podcast, Mark Wrona (Principal Scientist at Waters Corporation; MA, USA) discusses his experience with HRMS and the current trends in the field of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK). He discusses the role HRMS plays in the analysis of biopharmaceuticals and compares the advantages of HRMS compared to triple quad.
Szabolcs Szarka (LGC) discusses the challenges, benefits and what the future may hold for HRMS in this podcast, exclusive to the Bioanalysis Zone Spotlight on HRMS in DMPK.
You can find many more resources on HRMS via the HRMS in DMPK Spotlight pages on Bioanalysis Zone.
Hans Kierstead, CEO and founder of Aivita Biomedical, Speaks to Tristan Free, Digital Editor of BioTechniqes. Hans delves into his company's exciting new precision immunotherapy, currently undergoing phase II trials and discusses his 2018 run for US Congress, explaining why he is passionate about the need for scientists in politics.
In this podcast, senior scientists from Alturas Analytics (ID, USA), Katherine Yahvah, Chad Christianson and Michael Williams discuss some of the challenges they have faced and some of the solutions they have successfully implemented.
Joanne Hackett, Chief Commercial Officer at Genomics England, discusses their goals, completing major milestones in genomics research and approaching precision medicine.
Jade Parker, Senior Editor of Oncology Central is joined by Patrick Connor from AstraZeneca to discuss the Lung Ambition Alliance to find out how the Lung Ambition Alliance is looking to one day eliminate lung cancer as a cause of death and double the 5-year survival rate for the disease by 2025.
Date of preparation: July 2019 Date of expiry: July 2020 Document ID: Z4-18671
In this interview, we talk to Mary Lame, Principal Applications Scientist who supports discovery bioanalysis for both large and small molecules, providing application development and support with Waters Corporation (Milford, MA, USA). Mary will discuss the key challenges scientists face developing robust peptide bioanalytical assays and introduces Waters approach for large molecule bioanalytical quantification method development including: pre-analytical sample preparation, as well as offering tips & tricks to help avoid the most common pitfalls working with peptides to help improve peptide assay performance and to streamline assay development. She also discusses how to enable highly sensitive and robust quantification of biomolecules from complex biomatrices.
Georgi Makin, Editor of 3DMedNet, is joined by Jacob Koffler (University of California San Diego; CA, USA) as they discuss how 3D printing is being used in spinal cord injury research. As part of 3DMedNet’s special feature - 3D in focus: applications in neuro R&D – Georgi and Jacob explore 3D printing in neurology and neuroscience.
Find out more: Georgi Makin is the Editor of 3DMedNet (www.3dmednet.com), a community website that unites the diverse and multifaceted world of medical 3D printing with the aim of advancing the field, together.
Jacob Koffler is a Bioengineer Neuroscientist working at the Center for Neural Repair within the School of Medicine at the University of California San Diego. Find out more about his work in the full interview on 3DMedNet: http://bit.ly/2LeBTLF
Find out more about the neuro applications of 3D printing via 3DMedNet (http://bit.ly/2UhRRJc) and discover more about neurology, neuroscience and regenerative medicine via our supporting sister sites, Neuro Central (www.neuro-central.com) and RegMedNet (www.regmednet.com).
BioTechniques Digital and Assistant Editors Abigail Sawyer and Tristan Free talk to Greg Mitchelotti of Metabolon about metabolomics, its potential applications in precision medicine and the new $4 million research collaboration with the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging and other Canadian institutions to identify biomarkers for frailty.
In this interview, hear from Catharina Brandsten, Head of Tissue Establishment and Kristina Runeberg, Site Head, at Takara Bio Europe, about deriving ethical and GMP-grade embryonic stem cells.
Hear more about the recent mass spectrometry product launches from SCIEX announced at ASMS 2019, including the new Acoustic Ejection Mass Spectrometry technology, in this interview with Neil Walsh (SCIEX; MA, USA).
Understanding automation in cell therapy manufacturing: an interview with Markus Gershater by Future Science Group
BioTechniques Digital and Assistant Editors Abigail Sawyer and Tristan Free talk to Theo Roth from the University of California San Francisco Marson Lab (CA, USA). Having recently made headlines for his work in T-cell engineering, Theo takes us through his groundbreaking CRISPR research, its potential impacts in CAR-T cell therapy and further afield, whilst also tackling the evolving ethics in gene editing and the potential benefits of using ssDNA over dsDNA for CRISPR techniques.
In this interview, David Harris (Charles River Laboratories; NC, USA) discusses the current global landscape for cell therapy, associated safety concerns and challenges, and preclinical animal models that are used to evaluate cellular therapies.
Discover more about the development of CAR-T cell therapies, their bioanalytical challenges and specialized antibody reagents that can be ustilized to overcome these in this interview with Michael Schwenkert (Bio-Rad Laboratories).
Abigail Sawyer and Tristan Free, from the BioTechniques digital team, speak to Head of Open Access Publishing at Future Science Group, Francesca Lake about antibodies: their advantages and flaws, pitfalls in their use and selecting the right antibodies for an experiment.
Eric Bonner (Eurofins) discusses the techniques he uses for assessing immunogenicity, key challenges and what the future may hold for the field in this podcast, exclusive to the Bioanalysis Zone Spotlight on immunogenicity.
You can find many more resources on immunogenicity via the immunogenicity Spotlight pages on Bioanalysis Zone: http://bit.ly/2J6w15F
Georgi Makin, Editor of 3DMedNet, is joined by Jade Parker (Oncology Central) and Shana Cook (Milwaukee School of Engineering) as they discuss how patient experience with surgery can be improved with 3D printing, drawing from Shana’s personal experience 3D printing her own tumor from MRI data, following surgical resection of retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma.
Note:
At 5:11, Cook left Benedictine University in May of 2013, rather than March as quoted. At 5:43, the MRI scan revealing the tumor was conducted in 2015, rather than 2013 as quoted.
Find out more: Georgi Makin is the Editor of 3DMedNet (www.3dmednet.com), a community website that unites the diverse and multifaceted world of medical 3D printing with the aim of advancing the field, together.
Jade Parker is the Senior Editor of Oncology Central (www.oncology-central.com), a free online platform that unites all aspects of oncology to support a multidisciplinary approach to progression of the field.
Shana Cook is a Biomedical Engineering Student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, who has ambitions to study medicine to work as a Radiologist. You can read Shana’s full story from diagnosis to today, on 3DMedNet via: http://bit.ly/2E8YyXb
If you enjoyed this podcast, make sure you check out 3DMedLIVE 2019: 3D printing in surgery. The programme is packed with roundtable discussions as well as case studies and ‘beyond the theatre’ conversations. Find out more and book your tickets at: www.3dmedlive.com or join the conversation through our dedicated room on 3DMedNet.
Find out more about the role of exosomes in flow cytometry studies in this interview Joyce Slusser (KCAS; KS, USA).
Find out more about current challenges and recent developments in seen in the field of flow cytometry in this interview with Clara Brando and Ted Baginski (Eurofins; MO, USA).
In this podcast, Hugh Davis (Frontage Laboratories; PA, USA) discusses the challenges associated with gene therapy and what the future may hold for the field.
Abigail Sawyer and Tristan Free from the BioTechniques editorial team talk to Assistant Editor, Jenny Straiton about her recent Tech news piece on Cerebral Organoids and the history of neuroscience.
Find out more about the challenges associated with CAR-T cell immunotherapies and what the future may hold for the field in this interview with Marco Ruella.
Abigail Sawyer and Tristan Free from the BioTechniques editorial team discuss the recently published tech news piece on unsustainability in the lab and the ways that some institutions are trying to address it.
Fake news, the reproducibility crisis and politics are all reasons why the public may distrust science. We spoke to Gareth Mitchell, host on the BBC World Service radio show Click and lecturer in Imperial College London's science communication department, to find out a little bit more about science communication.
In this interview Paul Wyatt, University of Dundee (Scotland) describes the work taking place at the Wellcome Center for Anti-Infectives Research into neglected tropical diseases.
Find out more about working with immunogenicity as well as what the future may hold for the field in this interview with Joyce Slusser (KCAS) - http://bit.ly/2OjaOX7
We spoke to Mark Behlke, the chief scientific officer of Integrated DNA Technologies (IA, USA), about the current limitations of CRISPR/Cas9 techniques and the potential of the novel HiFI Cas9 enzyme to resolve these limitations, as shown in a sickle cell disease-causing mutation.
In line with our October focus on healthcare-associated infections, we spoke to Amy Mathers about her research on the role of hospital plumbing in the evolution and exchange of genes of drug resistance.
Amy discussed her research on sink traps, toilets and wastewater, what solutions hospitals can use and antibiotic resistance in the broader context – including the role of infection prevention and control.
Find out more about the flow cytometry in this Bioanalysis Zone interview with Christoph Eberle (Charles River Laboratories), as part of our 'In the Zone' feature. You can find out more about flow cytometry on the website, at: http://bit.ly/2RuwAKi
In this podcast, Roshaine Wijayatunga, Senior Editor for Oncology at Future Science Group speaks with Barbara Moss, a Patient Ambassador for Europacolon (UK) and Bowel Cancer UK.
At the age of 52, in 2006, Barbara was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer of the colon, spread to the liver, and was told she had 3–5 months to live. Barbara is now an active campaigner and an active member of several organizations in the UK and Europe. Her main wish is for patients to be able to access the medicine that they need, to have choices clearly explained and to be treated personally.
Since Zika broke into the news in 2016, new research has been uncovering more information about this virus – we spoke to Dustin Farr at the recent ASM Microbe meeting where he was presenting a poster on Zika infection in corneal cells.
Find out more about the technologies utilized in drug discovery and what the future holds for biotherapeutic drug metabolism studies in this Bioanalysis Zone interview with Kevin Ray (MilliporeSigma), as part of our 'In the Zone' feature on drug metabolism. You can find out more about drug metabolism on the website, at: https://www.bioanalysis-zone.com/2018/08/13/in-the-zone_inz_drug_metabolism/
The life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operates as MilliporeSigma in the US and Canada.
As part of our focus, we present this podcast where we talk to Mark Savage (Biotransformation and ADME Scientist, Unilabs, UK). Mark introduces what biotransformation is and the technologies used to characterize biotransformation. He discusses how software tools can address certain challenges and bring forward compounds from discovery to development.
At the FENS Forum of Neuroscience (7–11 July, Berlin, Germany), we had the pleasure of speaking with Irene Tracey, who is a Professor based at the University of Oxford (UK). Irene is also the Head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (Oxford, UK), which includes a multidisciplinary taskforce working to understand neuroscience from a basic discovery perspective all the way through to clinical problems. Irene’s research particularly focuses on using neuroimaging to understand pain.
In this NCTalks podcast recorded at the event, Lauren Pulling (Publisher) speaks to Irene to find out more about her talk at FENS, including significant breakthroughs within the field and if we could ever have one standardized measure of pain.
View more podcasts, news and exclusive interviews at www.neuro-central.com
The TAILORx study demonstrated that most women with a specific early-stage breast cancer and midrange score on the Oncotype Dx test do not need chemotherapy after surgery. These findings will spare thousands of women from the harmful effects of chemotherapy. We spoke with Andrew Paramore from Genomic Health (CA, USA)to discover insider details of the trial and what’s next for TAILORx.
Whilst at the Alzheimer’s Society Annual Conference (22–23 May, London, UK), we had the pleasure of speaking to Wendy Weidner, the Research and Policy Project Lead for Alzheimer’s Disease International, to hear more about her talk on ‘A world without dementia’.
In this #NCTalks podcast recorded at the event, Sharon Salt (Editor) speaks to Wendy to find out more about the work that Alzheimer’s Disease International is carrying out in terms of dementia globally, as well as the key challenges and biggest achievements involved to date.
View more podcasts, news and exclusive interviews at www.neuro-central.com
Irina Armean from the European Bioinformatics Institute discusses the gene ontology (GO) and how machine learning can play a role in evaluating protein protein interactions (PPIs).
Whilst at the Alzheimer’s Society Annual Conference (22–23 May, London, UK), we had the pleasure of speaking to Simon Lovestone, a Professor of Translational Neuroscience at the University of Oxford (UK), to hear more about his talk on ‘Dementia – Big problem; Big Data – Big solution?’
In this #NCTalks podcast recorded at the event, Sharon Salt (Editor) speaks to Simon to find out more about big data in dementia, including an overview of the talk given and how scientists can do more big data research. Listen to our podcast below to find out more.
View more podcasts, news and exclusive interviews at www.neuro-central.com
At the American Academy of Neurology’s 70th Annual Meeting (21–27 April, CA, USA), we spoke to Aleksandar Videnovic, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MA, USA), about what a career in clinical trials involves. Aleksandar is also an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School (MA, USA).
In this #NCTalks podcast recorded at the event, Lauren Pulling (Publisher) speaks to Aleksandar to learn more about how to start a career in clinical trials, common challenges involved, rewarding aspects and advice for those thinking of starting a career in clinical trials. Listen to our podcast below to find out more.
View more podcasts, news and exclusive interviews at www.neuro-central.com
In this latest edition of NCTalks, Sharon Salt (Editor) speaks with Jens Kuhle, a neurologist at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. Jens is the head of the multiple sclerosis (MS) center at the hospital and runs a research group called ‘Translational Biomarkers and Biobanking’.
In this podcast, Jens speaks about monitoring MS using blood neurofilament light protein and how this could impact the way we monitor and treat MS. Jens also discusses how he overcame the hurdle of measuring neurofilament in the blood and what the next steps are for his team.
In this latest edition of NCTalks, Lauren Pulling (Publisher) speaks to Giovanni Baranello, a Pediatric Neurologist working at the Carlo Besta Neurological Institute (Milan, Italy). Giovanni is the principal investigator of the FIREFISH clinical trial, a preliminary study investigating the safety and efficacy of RO7034067 in infants with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy.
In this podcast recorded at the American Academy of Neurology’s 70th Annual Meeting (April 21–27, CA, USA), Giovanni speaks about the FIREFISH trial and the mechanisms of RO7034067. Giovanni also discusses part II of the study and what the next steps include, and where the field could be in 5–10 years’ time.
View more podcasts, news and exclusive interviews at www.neuro-central.com
As part of our Spotlight, we present this interview with Cory Muraco who discusses his interest in chromatography, the technologies he uses and his top three tips for chromatographic method development.
As part of our focus, In the Zone: old vs new technologies, we present this podcast where we talk to Franklin Spriggs (Director of Large Molecule Services, KCAS) about his experience with investing in different technologies, and the key questions that need to be addressed when making any decision between different technologies. To find out more, visit: http://bit.ly/2rwG1fZ
Last week we had the pleasure of attending the American Academy of Neurology’s 70th Annual Meeting (April 21–27, CA, USA), where we spoke to Robert Fox, from the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis at the Cleveland Clinic (OH, USA), about the Phase II SPRINT-MS trial of ibudilast in progressive multiple sclerosis.
In this #NCTalks podcast recorded at the event, Lauren Pulling (Publisher) speaks to Robert, who is the Protocol Principal Investigator in the trial, to learn more about the current landscape that led to this research and potential treatment regimens. Listen to our podcast below to find out more.
View more podcasts, news and exclusive interviews at www.neuro-central.com
Whilst at the Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) Conference (20–21 March, London, UK), Lauren Pulling (Publisher) spoke to Giovanna Malluci, a Professor of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge (UK) and Consultant Neurologist specializing in dementia. Giovanna is also the Associate Director of the Cambridge Center of the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI).
In this #NCTalks podcast recorded at the ARUK Conference, Giovanna speaks about translating innovation from lab to clinic across the UK DRI, promising dementia research themes and what the dementia research landscape could look like in 10 years' time.
View more podcasts, news and exclusive interviews at www.neuro-central.com
In this podcast, Eppendorf Bioprocess Field Application Specialist Ankita Desai discusses the challenges of scaling up a cell therapy.
This week we had the pleasure of attending the American Academy of Neurology’s 70th Annual Meeting (April 21–27, CA, USA), where we spoke to Alexander Rae-Grant, from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Medical School (OH, USA), about the new guideline for multiple sclerosis treatment. Alexander is the lead author of the multiple sclerosis guideline for the American Academy of Neurology.
In this #NCTalks podcast recorded at the event, Lauren Pulling (Senior Editor) speaks to Alexander to learn more about the new guideline, how it compares to the last guideline and how it will affect the treatment practice for multiple sclerosis.
View more podcasts, news and exclusive interviews at www.neuro-central.com
In this latest edition of NCTalks, Lauren Pulling (Editor) chats with Tara Spires-Jones, a Professor of Neurodegeneration at the University of Edinburgh (UK). Tara is Deputy Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Program Lead at the Edinburgh center of the UK Dementia Research Institute. Tara is also Chair of the Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) Grant Review Board, and is active is science communications and outreach – making her a very busy person!
In this podcast recorded at the ARUK Conference in London (21–22 March 2018), Tara shares her recent research into the roles of ApoE4 and clusterin in synapse degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease and the viability of synapse degeneration as a treatment target. Tara also discusses animal models of neurodegeneration, the impact of cuts to neuroscience funding, and the importance of mentorship in science.
View more podcasts, news and exclusive interviews at www.neuro-central.com
The Microbe Directory is a collective research effort aiming to profile over 7,000 microbes in order to provide further information for any researchers carrying out metagenomic analyses. We spoke to two of the Project Leaders, Heba Shaaban and David Westfall about the project, how it’s being used in research and how you can get involved.
Listen to the top stories in infectious diseases this week, including novel CRISPR-based diagnostics, clinical trial in tuberculosis and the latest CDC approvals for the flu vaccine.
Find the full stories: https://www.id-hub.com
Take a look at the top news stories of the week, including the measles vaccine and the sexual transmission of Zika.
In the final part of this 3-part panel discussion, our experts talk through the recent changes in the type of molecules and technologies the field are working with and what new technologies need to emerge to overcome current problems.
In part 2 of this 3-part panel discussion our panelists discuss the exciting topic of regulations as they consider the ICH M10 guidance and where they think the field might be going in the future.
In part 1 of this 3-part panel discussion highlight filmed in Barcelona our panel of experts discuss the issue of outsourcing and what priorities are need considering when making a purchasing
As part of our focus, we present this podcast where Dr Dominic Warrino discusses how immuno-oncology fits into the bioanalytical field and the technologies involved.
In this interview Roshaine Wijayatunga (Senior Editor: Oncology) speaks with David Jayne about colorectal surgery in regards to the development, application and evaluation of new surgical technologies.
In this interview Roshaine Wijayatunga (Senior Editor: Oncology) speaks with Matthew Ellis at the 2017 NCRI Cancer Conference 5–8 Nov 2017 about the future of proteomics and breast cancer research.
In this interview Roshaine Wijayatunga (Senior Editor: Oncology) speaks with Michael Douek at the 2017 NCRI Cancer Conference 5–8 Nov 2017 about novel techniques for breast surgery and reconstruction.
In this World AIDS Day interview we speak to Richard Koup, who was recently an author on a study reporting a trispecific antibody able to target 99% of HIV strains.
www.id-hub.com
One of the major themes from this year’s SfN Neuroscience meeting (Washington DC, USA, 11–15 November 2017) was developments in neuromodulation techniques, including deep brain stimulation (DBS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). One study highlighted by the society came from Nicole Swann (University of California, San Francisco, LA, USA) and colleagues, who presented evidence that a novel implantable device can both provide DBS and record activity at the brain surface, providing feedback and causing the device to moderate stimulation level according to the patient’s levels of dyskinesia.
Whilst at the conference, Lauren Pulling (Editor) sat down with Nicole to hear more about the study and its implications for patients and future research – you can listen to the podcast here. Plus, you can find our round-up of the biggest news from Neuroscience 2017 here: https://www.neuro-central.com/2017/11/20/sfn17-news-highlights-speaker-interviews-neuroscience-2017/
Whilst at SfN's Neuroscience 2017, Lauren Pulling sat down with Kijun Yoon, who discussed the latest updates in Zika research, including his work on a Zika virus protein that may cause microcephaly.
Whilst at Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting (Washington DC, USA, 11–15 November 2017), Lauren Pulling (Editor) sat down with Doris Doudet (University of British Columbia, Canada) to hear more about her recent research, which has demonstrated elevated inflammation in the gut of a Parkinson's disease rat model.
This week we had the pleasure of attending ‘Clearing the brain: protein clearance in neurodegenerative disease’, a 1-day symposium organized by the Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre (LWENC) at University College London (UCL; London, UK). The event saw researchers and clinicians from across the world come together to share the latest research and debate the future of the field, with topics spanning perivascular clearance, fluid biomarkers, glymphatics, lymphatics, and a lively panel discussion.
In this #NCTalks podcast, recorded at the event, we speak to Henrik Zetterberg, a Professor at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and UCL and one of the world’s leading experts in fluid biomarkers for neuronal injury and degeneration. In this podcast, he provides an update on the most promising blood-based biomarker candidates for neurodegenerative disease and tells us what he’s most excited to see in the coming years.
Want to find out more about the event? Catch up on our highlights on our Twitter (@Neuro_Central), plus stay tuned for video interviews with speakers John Hardy (UCL), Jonathan Kipnis (University of Virginia School of Medicine, VA, USA) and Jeffrey Iliff (Oregon Health and Science University, OR, USA) coming soon!
You can also find out more about the LWENC, dementia research at UCL and the event itself via the links below: www.ucl.ac.uk/dementia www.ucl.ac.uk/lwenc www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ucldementiaseminars
Shalini Prasad and Sriram Muthukumar: non-invasive monitoring technologies by Future Science Group
Neuromodulatory techniques have risen in profile in recent years, with these groundbreaking therapies now being used to treat a vast range of conditions from Parkinson’s to pain, and obesity to depression. With these techniques now becoming more refined and more readily-available to patients, we spoke to Ali Rezai, a leading neurosurgeon and Director of The Ohio State University Neurological Institute (OH, USA). Dr Rezai has been involved in the pioneering use of brain pacemakers for treating Parkinson’s disease, depression, OCD and traumatic brain injury, and his current research focuses on developing neuromodulation therapies to treat migraine headaches, asthma, addictions, Alzheimer’s, obesity, post-traumatic stress disorders and autism.
Listen to our latest NCTalks podcast with Dr Rezai to hear more about his work, how neuromodulation can be harnessed to treat ‘alternative’ conditions, and where he hopes the field will progress in the next decade.
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
In this edition of NCTalks, we’ll be exploring the field of neuroregeneration as part of our latest Spotlight focus on Neuro Central.
The limited capacity for repair in the nervous system represents a significant medical challenge - as the field works to address this, we’re learning more and more about innate regeneration, as well as how the regenerative process can be harnessed and exploited to treat neurodegenerative disease and facilitate repair following injury. In this podcast, Lauren Pulling (Editor) speaks to Dr Terry Burns, who practices and leads a research group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in the USA. His research group is developing regenerative strategies to optimize neurological function and quality of life for patients with brain tumors, neurological injuries and neurodegenerative diseases, with particular research focuses radiation-induced brain injury, microglial biology and cell-based regenerative therapies. Dr Burns tells us about his research, as well as the core challenges in bringing basic regenerative research through to the clinic, and where the field could be heading in the coming years.
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
In this podcast discover details of the TONIC trial which has yielded promising response rates in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer treated with nivolumab after induction treatment.
Listen to this podcast to discover more about the UNICANCER-NeoPAL study of letrozole and palbociclib in luminal cancer, data from which was presented at this years 2017 ESMO Congress (8–12th September, Madrid, Spain).
You can view more podcasts plus the latest research, news and interviews at www.oncology-central.com
Listen to this podcast to discover more about CheckMate-153 study, data from which was presented at this years 2017 ESMO Congress (8–12th September, Madrid, Spain).
You can view more podcasts plus the latest research, news and interviews at www.oncology-central.com
In this edition of NCTalks, Lauren Pulling (Editor, NC) chats with Rachelle Doody, Global Head of Neurodegeneration at Roche. Rachelle tells us about her varied career so far, moving from academia to industry, and discusses challenges in the neurodegenerative field, as well as the current pipeline treatments and diagnostics at Roche.
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
At the ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer 2017 (Barcelona, Spain, 28 June–1 July) we had the pleasure of speaking with Vincenzo Valentini from Gemelli ART (Rome, Italy). Listen to the interview now, to find out about the importance of knowledge based oncology and integrating radiotherapy with other treatment modalities such as surgery.
Brain banks are an essential tool for neuropathological studies, allowing us to answer pressing research questions and test new theories. Recent advances in molecular technologies have further expanded the utility of brain banks, while an aging population is increasing interest in dementia and neurodegenerative disorders. But what are the challenges in maintaining, funding and accessing brain banks? How can these be addressed?
Listen our recent panel discussion, held in collaboration with The Drake Foundation, to hear from researchers at Queen Square Brain Bank (London, UK), plus experts from Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimer’s Association, as they discuss the current issues surrounding brain banking.
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
Whilst at the European Neuro Convention (London, UK, 7–8 June 2017), we caught up with Jean-Pierre Lin, a consultant oediatric neurologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (London, UK), and President of the British Paediatric Neurology Association. In this NCTalks podcast, Jean-Pierre tells us about his clinical and research work, which focuses on movement disorders and neuromodulation in children. He also expands on current developments in the field of pediatric neurolomodulation, and the challenges that come with treating children with deep brain stimulation.
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
In this IDHTalks podcast we speak to Mahmoud Ghannoum about the importance of fungi, his work in identifying mycobiome and its implications in health and disease.
At the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC; London, UK, 16–20 July 2017), we sat down with Megan Zuelsdorff, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (WI, USA), to hear more about her work on lifetime stress experiences, racial disparities and cognitive health.
Part of the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP) Study, Megan and colleagues examined the impact of lifetime stressful experiences on cognition. They found that a greater number of stressful events was associated with poorer late-life cognitive function for all study participants. In addition, African Americans experienced over 60% more stressful events than non-Hispanic White participants during their lifetimes, and these experiences were linked to poorer memory and thinking skills in older age. The researchers determined that, in African Americans, each stressful experience was equivalent to approximately 4 years of cognitive aging.
In this interview, we hear more about the study and its implications: "Among African Americans in our study, adverse events across the lifespan predict cognitive function more strongly than established risk factors including age, education, and the APOE-e4 Alzheimer's risk gene," Megan said. "Adversity is a clear contributor to racial disparities in cognitive aging, and further study is imperative."
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
Whilst at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London (AAIC; UK, 16–20 July 2017), Lauren Pulling (Editor, Neuro Central) sat down with Kim Mueller, a researcher from the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute (University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA), whose abstract had been highlighted by the Association as one of note.
The work presented at AAIC investigated whether early memory decline correlates with changes in everyday speech. The results showed that subtle changes in speech – e.g., the use of short sentences, more pronouns, more frequent pauses and filler words – increased in line with development of early mild cognitive impairment, and therefore, further down the line, could be used as a marker for Alzheimer’s disease.
In this podcast, Kim discusses the study and its implications, including how these findings could one day be translated into new – potentially mobile – technology for at-home screening and disease monitoring.
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
Listen to this interview with Philip A Philip from the Karmanos Cancer Center (MI, USA) to discover new strategies and agents for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across oncology at www.oncology-central.com
The plenary sessions at Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC; London, UK, 16–20 July 2017) have featured fantastic talks from leading experts in the field, so far addressing topics including biomarkers, targeting beta-amyloid, genetics, big data and the neurotoxicity of tau.
While at the conference, Lauren Pulling (Editor, Neuro Central) sat down with Julie Williams, Professor of Neuropsychological Genetics at Cardiff University (UK) and the Chief Scientific Advisor of the Welsh Government, to hear more about her work on susceptibility genes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
As part of the Neuro Central Spotlight of neuromodulation, we spoke to Jerrold Vitek, Professor of Neurology and a prominent voice in this ever-expanding field. Dr Vitek is currently the Head of the Neurology Department and Director of the Neuromodulation Research Program at the University of Minnesota (MN, USA), and is the PI for a number of non-human primate and human clinical studies on the neurophysiology of movement disorders and neuromodulation mechanisms.
In this interview, Dr Vitek tells us more about the work of the Neuromodulation Research Center, shares his perspective on how the field of neuromodulation has progressed in recent years, and discusses the challenges associated with refining and developing new neuromodulation therapies for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
In this podcast, Jade Parker, Editor of Oncology Central speaks to Dirk Arnold. Dirk Arnold is Director of the Dept. Medical Oncology at Klinik für Tumorbiologie, Freiburg, Germany. Before taking this position, he was 2010 appointed as Director of the University Cancer Centre in Hamburg (UCCH) and held positions at the University Departments for Oncology and Haematology in Halle-Wittenberg and Berlin.
His major field of scientific interest are gastrointestinal cancers, and here specifically modern therapeutic approaches in biomarker-driven decision processes and multimodal treatment strategies.
In this interview find out about the main treatment options for oligometastic rectal cancer and how we can define a treatment strategy for this disease. Prof Arnold also tells us how he hopes to see the field progress in the next 5-10 years.
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across oncology at www.oncology-central.com.
In this NCTalks podcast, Lauren Pulling, Editor of Neuro Central, is joined by Claude Wischik. Prof Wischik is board-certified in psychiatry and a professor of Old Age Psychiatry at the University of Aberdeen (UK). A pioneer in tau research, he discovered the tau protein compositional structure of Alzheimer’s tangles and established that it was possible to dissolve these tangles with pharmaceutically viable compounds that act as Tau Aggregation Inhibitors. Prof Wischik is also co-founder, chairman and chief executive of TauRx Therapeutics, which aims to develop new treatments for a range of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. In this interview, Prof Wischik discusses his 30 years’ experience in the field, the latest developments at TauRx, and what we can expect from tau research the next 10 years.
You can view more podcasts, plus the latest news and interviews with experts across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com.
How can we bring Parkinson’s disease into the age of personalized medicine? One such approach recently described by Alberto Espay (University of Cincinnati, OH, USA) is to subtype the disease according to the presence of certain biomarkers. This is an approach that he says could “up the ante in our ability to modify the disease”, moving us away from purely dopaminergic strategies that address only the ‘common denominator’ of the disease. We caught up with Dr Espay at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting (Boston, MA, USA, 22–28 April), where he told us more about his call for a biomarker-driven approach to subtyping Parkinson’s, and how this could change the way we both research and treat the disease.
You can find more podcasts, as well as the latest news and expert opinions across neuroscience and neurology, at www.neuro-central.com
Whilst at the AAN Annual Meeting (Boston, MA, USA, 22–28 April) last month, we caught up with Regina Katzenschlager, Medical University Vienna and Danube Hospital (both Vienna, Austria), whose research into the use of apomorphine for Parkinson’s disease was highlighted at the conference as one to watch.
In this interview, Regina tells us more about the recent Phase III trial, which provided evidence that the drug apomorphine, first produced in 1865, could be effective in the management of advanced Parkinson’s disease. Study data demonstrated that patients given apomorhpine infusion had a significantly greater reduction in ‘off’ time compared with those who were given a placebo infusion. Regina also discusses how she anticipates these recent findings could change the way clinicians prescribe apomorphine to patients.
You can find more podcasts, as well as the latest news across neurology and neuroscience, at www.neuro-central.com
Helen McShane discusses her work leading the TB vaccine research program at Oxford University, and shares her thoughts on the challenges facing vaccine development and eradication of this disease.
Listen to this interview with Peter Stern (University of Manchester, UK) to discover more about chemotherapy resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and novel strategies to overcome it.
While at the AAN Annual Meeting (Boston, MA, USA, 22–28 April 2017), we spoke with Dr Michael Alosco, a fellow at Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease and CTE Center(MA, USA), who is currently working on multiple projects looking at chronic traumatic encephalopthy (CTE)in both living and deceased patients. Michael discussed his work, progress towards diagnosis of CTE in life and his thoughts on the latest in CTE research.
You can find more NCTalks podcasts, as well as the latest news, journal articles and interviews with experts across neuroscience and neurology at www.neuro-central.com
Reporting from ECCMID17, we spoke to William Irving about his current work on hepatitis C and his thoughts on the future of this field.
Whilst at the American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Meeting (Boston, MA, USA, 22–28 April 2017), we sat down with Michael Pender (University of Queensland, Australia), who was presenting promising interim findings from a Phase 1 study investigating a novel treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) at the meeting. In this interview, Dr Pender discusses the relationship between MS and the Epstain-Barr virus; a link that has been observed in recent studies, and which forms the basis of this most recent clinical trial. In the Phase I study, researchers removed the T cells from six patients with progressive MS, stimulated the T cells to increase their ability to recognize and destroy Epstein-Barr virus-infected B cells, and the injected these T cells in infusions every 2 weeks over a 6-week period. At this interim point, three participants have showed improvement, with one showing “striking improvement”. In the interview, Dr Pender, lead researcher of the trial, discusses the key findings of the trial, and the next steps following these exciting developments.
You can find more AAN coverage, as well as podcasts on a range of topics across neurology and neuroscience, here: www.neuro-central.com
In this interview, Joop Arends discusses his thoughts on the future of diagnosis and management of hepatitis C, and also gives us his highlights from ECCMID.
In this interview, Greg Roman (Waters Corporation, USA) shares his experience with instrumentation and techniques such as LC–MS and HRMS and explains what drew him to the field.
In this edition of NCTalks, Lauren Pulling speaks to Emery Brown, Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School (MA, USA). Dr Brown has delivered a number of lectures in recent years on deciphering the dynamics of the brain under general anaesthesia, and how the potential of this area may currently be under-utilized. In this podcast we’ll hear more about Dr Brown’s work, how general anesthesia can be used to understand and develop new treatments for neurological and psychiatric conditions, and we’ll look ahead at the future of the field.
In this EpigenomicsNet podcast, Professor Hendrik Stunnenberg (Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands) discusses his work in gene expression, investigating regulatory epigenetic mechanisms and provides a summary of his talk on the epigenome of innate immune cells.
In this EpigenomicsNet podcast, Dr En Li (Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai, China) discusses his work leading Novartis’ research program in Shanghai and provides a summary of his talk on Novartis’ epigenetic research in cancer.
In this EpigenomicsNet podcast, Dr Danette Daniels (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) discusses her work at Promega in the area of functional proteomics and provides a summary of her talk introducing Promega’s technologies to study and characterize protein interactions inside cells, particularly for chromatin analysis.
In this MedChemNet podcast, Professor Paul Fish (University College London, UK) discusses his work in Alzheimer’s drug discovery and the talk he delivered on the discovery of fit for purpose chemical probes to investigate bromodomain proteins and the three new drug discovery institutes funded by Alzheimer’s research UK.
In this MedChemNet podcast, Professor Michelle Arkin (University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA, USA) discusses her work in academic drug discovery and chemical biology and the talk she delivered on the progression of inhibiting protein-protein interactions and utilizing this to potentially re-modulate disease networks to a healthy state.
In this MedChemNet podcast, Dr Gemma Nixon (University of Liverpool, UK) discusses her work in antimalarial, antituberculosis, anti-filariasis and antifungal drug discovery and development and the talk she delivered on the development of the antimalarial E209.
In this podcast Dr Elizabeth Whittaker, Dr James Seddon, Dr Pete Dodd and Professor Beate Kampmann discuss their work in pediatric tuberculosis focusing on the areas of immunology, modelling and drug resistance.
In this edition of NCTalks, we speak to Robyn Klein, a Professor of Medicine, Immunobiology and Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri in the USA. Robyn’s research focuses on the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory diseases in the CNS, specifically the mechanism of leukocyte recruitment into the CNS, and the direct effects of inflammatory mediators on resident neural cells. In this interview, we ask Robyn about her work in this area as part of our Spotlight on neuroimmunology – we’ll discuss Robyn’s research, how inflammatory processes contribute to neurologic disease, and whether immunology and inflammation could be the basis of an eventual preventative treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
You can find more podcasts, articles and news at www.neurology-central.com
Two key themes to come out of the Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) Conference (Aberdeen, UK, 14–15 March 2017) were the celebration of world-class research, and hope for the future of dementia understanding, prevention and treatment, particularly with the forging and strengthening of new partnerships, collaborations and initiatives.
In May 2016, ARUK committed £50 million to support the MRC-led UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI), a new hub of dementia research based at University College London (UK), with additional centers across the UK to be announced imminently. Following an international search, Bart De Strooper was recently announced as the Director of the Institute.
We caught up with Prof De Strooper at the ARUK Conference to find out more about the DRI and his visions for this exciting new venture for dementia research.
You can find more podcasts, interviews and news at www.neurology-central.com
In part 2 of The Changing World of Bioanalysis our panelists discuss what the bioanalytical lab of the future might look like.
Discussions included:
The need for bioanalysts to acquire more biological skills in order to understand newer generation of complex molecules. Convergence of different units of companies and merging of skills. The role of automation in the bioanalytical lab of the future.
In part 1 of this 3-part video filmed at Barcelona our panel of experts discuss the issue of skills gap in the bioanalytical laboratory and the changing nature of the relationship between Pharma and CROs as outsourcing continues to increase.
Discussions include:
- Decreasing current skills gap evident in most bioanalytical labs, particularly in younger generation of bioanalysts.
- Collaborations between industry and academia to produce a newer generation of bioanalysts better able to deal with more challenging bioanalytical problems.
- Training both new and existing staff to deal with more challenging bioanalytical problems (more challenging molecules and newer constructs) and cross training staff within organisations.
- The changing nature of the CRO-Pharma relationship.
In this RegMedNet podcast, Mike Rice explains the make or break impact of biopreservation in the potential commercialization of cell therapies.
Our RegMedNet Podcast talks to Dr Aric Rogers about how he is studying factors such as genetic variations and environmental conditions that can influence life span using roundworms. Dr Rogers provides his thoughts and predictions on how dietary restriction for therapeutic benefits could be adopted for the future.
Our RegmedNet Podcast talks to Dr Sandra Rieger about how the Rieger lab uses zebrafish as a model to study wound healing mechanisms and nerve regeneration in peripheral neuropathy. Dr Sandra Rieger provides her thoughts and opinions on the future of zebrafish in research, and future regenerative medicine therapies.
In this NCTalks podcast, we’re reporting from Neuroscience 2016 in San Diego (CA, USA; 12–16 November 2016). We spoke to Patricia Garcez from the Federal University of Rio Janeiro in Brazil, who presented at the conference her work on Zika virus and its disruption of normal cell division and differentiation.
Zika virus was highlighted as one of the key research themes at the conference and remains a focus for researchers into 2017 as the world continues to face this global health challenge – in this interview, Patricia discusses her work and her hopes for the field in the coming months and years.
In this NCTalks podcast we speak to Jeffrey Cohen, Director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research (OH, USA). Dr Cohen has a large clinical practice and is also Director of Experimental Therapeutics program and is involved in a number of clinical trials. Today, Dr Cohen discusses the use of bone marrow transplantation as a treatment option for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), the subject of a Hot Topics discussion at ECTRIMS 2016 (London, UK, 14–17 September 2016). Is the technique a good option for patients? How could it be improved? What does the future of MS treatment look like? Listen to our podcast to find out Dr Cohen’s opinions on these key issues and more.
In this edition of NCTalks we speak to Mark Frasier, Senior Vice President of research programs at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (NY, USA). Mark co-manages a team of research professionals who are developing a targeted and innovative agenda for accelerating research and drug development for Parkinson’s disease. Mark also supports the Foundation’s priority interest in developing biomarkers for the disease that will accelerating clinical trials for new drugs. In this interview, Mark discusses a recent Editorial (Parkinson’s disease is ready for precision medicine) from the Michael J. Fox Foundation published in Personalized Medicine, and looks ahead to the future of precision medicine for Parkinson’s disease.
You can find more podcasts and interviews, as well as free journal content, at www.neurology-central.com.
As part of attending Neuroscience 2016 #SFN, our team took the time to interview Erica McGrath, 5th year graduate student at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Erica McGrath's work is focused on the Zika infection and the effect it has on neurological development.
In this edition of NCTalks for ADHD Awareness Month, we speak to Edward Hallowell, a child and adult psychiatrist, leading ADHD authority, New York Times bestselling author, world-renowned speaker and the founder of The Hallowell Centers for Cognitive and Emotional Health, located across the USA. Dr Hallowell is a graduate of Harvard College (MA, USA) and Tulane University School of Medicine (LA, USA), and was a Harvard Medical School faculty member for 20 years.
In this podcast we discuss the current outlook on ADHD and its diagnosis and treatment, as well as debates in the field and how the condition continues to shift in perception and treatment.
In this NCTalks podcast, we speak to Dr Reid Alisch, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine (WI, USA). Reid discusses the role of epigenetics in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as how new epigenetic research could change research and treatment practices in the future.
The goal of the field of regenerative medicine is to replace damaged or diseased tissue and thereby find cures for diseases that are currently untreatable. At present, two different approaches appear feasible: one is to stimulate the body's own cells to repair the tissue; and the other is to transplant new cells into the body, but both approaches are classed cell therapies. The drive to move regenerative medicine from the bench to clinic is currently at its strongest and on an international scale, which has resulted in many opportunities and challenges for the field. What will you learn?
The regulatory landscape in the UK The role of the commercial sector Logistics involved in clinical trials The future potential of cell-based therapies
Who may this interest?
Basic researchers in regenerative medicine Clinicians involved in regenerative medicine clinical trials Regenerative medicine investors
3D bioprinting looks set to have a huge impact on the field of regenerative medicine by allowing the artificial generation of tissues and organs through fabrication of scaffolds and 3D tissues, supporting cell or drug delivery, and so on. However, this requires the development and use of biomaterials that meet the physical, chemical and functional requirements for each use. In this interview, Danny Cabrera, co-founder of BioBots (Philadelphia, PA, USA) discusses the development of biomaterials for 3D printing tissues.
In light of the upcoming Regenerative Medicine Special Focus Issue on immunological challenges and opportunities in regenerative medicine, RegMedNet conducted an interview with Professor Paul Fairchild, Guest Editor of the issue. This interview on immunology within the field of regenerative medicine provides a great insight into the interface between stem cell biology and immunology – to bring cell therapies into the clinic we must overcome challenges such as immunogenicity. The work carried out by researchers such as Professor Paul Fairchild, a member of the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (RMP)'s Immunomodulation Hub, will have a huge impact on the field of regenerative medicine.
As the field of 3D printing grows, we are seeing it put to an increasing number of uses in medicine. The technology has been successfully employed to create a number of scaffolds and implants, as well as to generate personalized anatomical models to be used for surgical planning and patient education. Recently, the field has expanded to include the generation of 3D antenatal models. Generated from a fetal MRI scan, these models enable detailed planning for any interventions required after birth, for example when a child is born with a facial disfigurement. In addition, 3D printed personalized medical devices such as breathing masks are now being trialed, in the hope that they may be used in the clinical setting to provide patients with more successful treatments.
In this interview, Kyle VanKoevering, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Michigan (MI, USA), discusses his work utilizing 3D printing for surgical planning for infants and in the construction of personalized masks for sleep apnea.
In recent years, we have seen 3D printing put to an ever-expanding range of uses in the medical field. Products printed with manmade materials include implants, scaffolds, anatomical models and personalized devices and masks. In addition, the area of bioprinting has begun to expand, with researchers now printing live cells in order to encourage regeneration and create tissues and organs. Now, the two areas have become entwined: Michael McAlpine and his research team are developing 3D printers that are capable of printing functional materials and devices that interweave both biological and electronic materials. These new printers could impact regenerative medicine, smart prosthetics and human-machine interfaces by enabling the creation of products with customized geometries, properties and functionalities.
In this interview, Michael McAlpine, Benjamin Mayhugh Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota (MN, USA), discusses his work and the increasing range of uses for 3D printing in the medical field - scroll down for the video and a summary of the questions and their timepoints.
In the third and final part of our panel discussion, we discuss the growing skills gap in bioanalytical laboratories including:
Reality of the skills gap In which technical areas is the skills gap most apparent? Where does the skills gap occur – Pharma and / or CROs? How do we bridge the gap?
In part 2 of this panel discussion, the panelists discuss the divide between investments being made by Pharma and CROs in new bioanalytical techniques and technologies.
Discussions include:
Investments made by Pharma and CROs for new constructs Is there a real divide between CRO and Pharma? If so, why is this occurring? What are the gaps? What are the solutions?
This year Bioanalysis Zone and Bioanalysis attended the 10th WRIB meeting in Florida (USA), where we organized a panel discussion* comprising experts from leading CROs and pharmaceutical companies to assess the current situation and future opportunities in bioanalysis.
To have leading CRO and Pharmaceutical directors’ talk candidly about the key business challenges in bioanalysis is a rare occasion. We want to thank our experts Amanda Wilson, Eric Woolf, John Kolman, Roger Hayes, Stephanie Cape, Surinder Kaur, Stephen Lowes, Scott Summerfield and Neil Spooner for taking part in this special event.
The panelists exchanged ideas and thoughts on various topics including; the future of outsourcing, investments made by pharma and CROs in new bioanalytical techniques and concerns about the skills gap in analytical chemistry.
In this exceptional open dialogue held earlier this year at the 10th WRIB meeting in Orlando (FL, USA), our panel of experts discuss some of the fundamental questions raised with respect to outsourcing in regulated bioanalysis.
In part 1 of this panel discussion, a panel of leading CRO and Pharma Directors assess the current situation of outsourcing in bioanalysis, and discuss the direction of outsourcing of regulated bioanalysis in the future.
Discussions include:
Outsourcing strategies Drivers and business models in outsourcing Scientific exchange and interactions between CROs and Pharmas Sharing and discussing data between CROs and Pharma Cost–effectiveness of outsourcing
In this NCTalks podcast, Alice Weatherston speaks to Lance McCracken, Professor of Behavioral Medicine at King’s College London (UK), about the use of psychological therapies in pain management. In Part 2, we speak to Lance about his work in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and his outlook for the future of behavioral therapies in pain management.
Summary - A lot of your work has focused on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – can you describe this method of treatment? - What benefits does ACT provide? - How does Acceptance and Commitment Therapy compare to more traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? - What ongoing studies going will progress the understanding of ACT and outcomes for patients? - How do you see the field of pain medicine, and particularly behavioral therapies for the treatment of pain, developing over the next 5–10 years?
In this NCTalks podcast, Alice Weatherston speaks to Lance McCracken, Professor of Behavioral Medicine at King’s College London (UK), about the use of psychological therapies in pain management. In Part 1, Lance outlines the role psychological therapies in chronic pain management and the general attitudes and approaches to such therapies across the medical community.
Summary - What are your current research focuses? - What role do psychological therapies play in dealing with chronic pain in patients? - Can psychological interventions be utilized in conjunction with conventional pain medicines such as opioids, or are these mutually exclusive? - Is there reticence towards the use of psychological treatments for pain in the medical community? If so, why is this? - Can psychological treatments be applied to all pain conditions or are some more suited?
In this NCtalks podcast, we speak to Michael Merzenich, a leading professor in neuroplasticity at the University of California, San Francisco (USA), whose team was recently involved in a longitudinal trial into the effect of brain training on cognitive decline and dementia.
In this NCtalks podcast, we speak to Hance Clarke, Director of Pain Services and the Medical Director of the Pain Research Unit at the Toronto General Hospital (ON, Canada).
In this edition of NCtalks, we speak to Michael Merzenich, renowned professor in neuroplasticity.
NCTalks with Michael Merzenich - understanding brain plasticity by Future Science Group
BZTalks: David Griffiths (LGC) on mergers & acquisitions in the bioanalytical field by Future Science Group
BZTalks: Interview with Steven Carr (Broad Institute) on proteomics for personalized medicine by Future Science Group
BZTalks: Chris Beaver (inVentiv Health) on free vs total assays by Future Science Group