Microbiology

By Dr Karin Bottcher Volume 21 Issue 3 – Summer 2020 High content screening (HCS) has played a significant role in infectious disease research and drug discovery to date and can be a strong tool in the age of COVID-19 and beyond. With a focus on viral diseases, this article will describe how HCS has […]

Image: Pille-Riin Priske Avacta has begun work with the UK government’s CONDOR programme to evaluate and clinically validate the high throughput COVID-19 bead-assisted mass spectrometry (BAMS) laboratory assay developed with Adeptrix. The COVID-19 National Diagnostic Research and Evaluation Platform (CONDOR), recently funded by the National Institute for Health Research, UK Research and Innovation, Asthma UK […]

9 July 2020 Image: Science in HD So far there are no approved drugs for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease In an effort to combat a growing worldwide epidemic of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), scientists have discovered a new target and a new therapy that has shown promising results in preclinical mouse models, according to […]

30 June 2020 Image: Glen Carrie In lab tests, virus-like DNA structures coated with viral proteins provoke a strong immune response in human B cells, by Ann Trafton, MIT News Office By folding DNA into a virus-like structure, MIT researchers have designed HIV-like particles that provoke a strong immune response from human immune cells grown in a […]

Image: Volodymyr Hryshchenko Taconic Biosciences has announced an exclusive agreement with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) to distribute humanised ACE2 mice for coronavirus research. The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, uses the ACE2 receptor to enter cells, causing infection. Due to differences between the mouse and human ACE2 receptors, normal laboratory […]

13 May, 2020 The UK headquartered clinical development organisation, specialised in topical and transdermal drug delivery, has expanded its testing models to support pharmaceutical development programmes targeting coronavirus treatments. MedPharm said these models allow companies to assess therapeutic effectiveness in nasal, airway (bronchial) and deep lung (alveolar) epithelia against members of the coronaviridae family. The work is […]

By Dr Alexander C. Maue It has become quite evident that the microbiome has the potential to impact drug discovery in vital ways. In addition to impacting study reproducibility and variability, the microbiome may influence drug efficacy or serve as a therapeutic agent. To capitalise on the microbiome’s potential to improve human health, biotech and […]

2030 Life Sciences and Health in the Digital Age (Part 1) By Dr Steve Arlington and John Wise One of the key ways in which The Pistoia Alliance works with its members is to help them not just deal with the problems of today, but also to look ahead, to anticipate how the industry is […]

Cell Therapy – Preserving Cell Integrity and Viability To Drive Discovery Mary Kay Bates Cell therapy is poised to play a pivotal role in the development of precision and personalised medicines that will transform healthcare for millions of patients worldwide. Involving the direct use of whole cells or cellular material in patients, cell therapy is […]

Antibiotics & Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) – A Global Perspective Professor Anthony Coates and Dr Yanmin Hu Antibiotic resistance is at a crossroad. In the world today, deaths in low income countries from Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) are predicted to rise dramatically by 2050. We know how to stop this disaster, and some steps are being taken […]