Life Science White Papers are in-depth articles aimed to educate and inform site visitors interested in life science research. Some of these papers are derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships. Such articles are clearly labelled as sponsored content and are only accepted when the content is deemed to add value to the core editorial ethos of News Medical.
The Vi-CELL™ cell viability analyzer from Beckman Coulter has been specifically designed to automate the trypan blue vital dye exclusion technique.
Mammalian cell culture is the initial starting point in the procedures used for much of today’s biomedical research and it is important to preserve healthy cells if subsequent experiments are going to be effective.
The majority of biochemical reactions occur at the phospholipid bilayer membrane, either on or within cells. These membranes affect how proteins fold as well as creating particular microenvironments where the reactions can occur. In order to emulate real biological systems, interactions should be explored in environments that mimic nature as closely as possible. This article shows how KSV NIMA’s analytical systems can be used to produce models of cell membranes and examine the biomolecular interactions that occur.
Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) is an advanced technique that enables real-time screening of protein drug targets and cellular compound interactions. The QCM-D technique is unique in its ability to sense changes in energy dissipation (softness) and can be used to detect both structural and conformational changes in whole cells and molecular layers.
The Québec Consortium for Drug Discovery (CQDM), OSÉO and Alsace-Biovalley have jointly funded a project called the Imaging and biosimulation platform for new central nervous system drugs (BICNSD).
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a new type of drug that are currently the subject of much interest due to their potential application in the targeted delivery of cancer treatments. One of the key factors in the effective design of ADCs is the Drug Antibody Ratio (DAR).
In immunoglobulin biopharmaceuticals, aggregation is a common issue that occurs during all stages of drug development. Since a large number of monoclonal antibody titers are produced in bioreactors, effective aggregate removal techniques are required in manufacturing processes.
Liposomes are synthetic vesicles composed of a lipid bilayer surrounding an aqueous core in which drugs can be contained. These vesicles therefore provide a valuable mechanism for drug delivery in the fields of clinical therapy and research. It is important to monitor liposome size and encapsulation during the research, manufacture, and quality control of these important vesicles.
Hemoglobin is a major protein component of mammalian red blood cells that plays a vital role in transporting oxygen from the lungs around the body. Following the release of oxygen, carbon dioxide attaches to the hemoglobin and is then removed from the body.
For standard techniques in the analysis of macro-molecular interactions, such as ELISA and SPR, a binding partner is required to immobilize the molecule on a surface for the measurement of the binding affinity.
Protein aggregation refers to the clumping together or accumulation of mis-folded proteins. This aggregation can occur during the production, administration, storage, and shipping of therapeutic protein compounds, which can compromise their stability, efficacy, and safety.
Protein structure and function can be accurately studied using intrinsic fluorescence measurements. A better understanding about the activity or conformational states of proteins under various temperatures, pH, and ion concentrations can be achieved by estimating the quantity of fluorescence.
Generally, in protein and peptide analyses, knowing a molecule’s oligomeric state is useful in determining whether the protein exists in its biologically active form. To this end, the first step usually involves separating and characterizing the molecular species using size exclusion chromatography (SEC).
Composition-gradient multi-angle light scattering (CG-MALS) is a biophysical technique that can be used to measure the self-association of macromolecules in solution. This technique allows fast, reproducible, and label-free measurement of this self-association.
Heparin is an injectable anticoagulant that has been used for medical purposes for more than seven decades. However, this agent has come under considerable scrutiny after certain pharmaceutical lots have been found to contain chondroitin sulfate. Therefore, advanced characterization techniques are needed to accurately determine the exact chemical composition of heparin lots.
One of the most common medical problems in the area of ophthalmology is dry eye syndrome. The eyes usually become dry as a result of external influences such as air travel, air pollution, air conditioning and central heating. This often leads to the tear fluid losing liquid and becoming more concentrated. This article describes a simple and fast technique that can be used to ascertain the osmolarity of salt solutions for the preparation of eye drops.
Dental hypersensitivity is a major, common dental condition that occurs in approximately 57% of adults. Among individuals with periodontal disease, the prevalence can reach as much as 98%
Transfection is a process whereby foreign genetic material is introduced into eukaryotic cells. To this end, several transfection techniques have been developed. However, irrespective of the method used, the transfection efficiency is not 100%.
From the late 1990s, a range of image-based automated cell counters have been launched that provide precise data on cell number and viability. These counters essentially use a combination of image analysis software and light microscopy. A digital camera captures magnified cell images and software algorithms are used to precisely detect cells and distinguish them from non-cellular objects such as cell debris.
Yeast is a very important organism in genetics and cell biology research. Together with its unicellularity, its small genome size and low number of genes make it an invaluable modelling system, particularly for the study of cell cycle regulation and signal transduction.