Research and development - Articles

Thermo Fisher Scientific (US) and Tecan Group (Switzerland) are Leading Players in the Lab Automation Market
Introduction In the fast-paced world of scientific research and discovery, time and precision are of the essence. Laboratories across the globe are constantly seeking ways to optimize their workflows, reduce manual errors, and enhance overall efficiency. This quest for progress has led to the rapid growth of the Lab Automation Market, offering innovative solutions that redefine the way science is conducted. From pharmaceuticals to biotechnology, from academics to industrial applications, Lab Automation has become an indispensable tool, empowering researchers and scientists alike. The global lab automation market is projected to reach USD 7.1 billion by 2028 from USD 5.1 billion in 20…

In this article Paul Vanden Branden, Director at SciMed, an exhibitor at Lab Innovations 2023 and member of the show’s advisory board, discusses ways that laboratories can update experimental methods and solvent selection to be more sustainable without harming results.
Research labs are complicated environments and it is not always clear what can be done to improve sustainability. To date, most of the discussion around sustainability has focussed on the energy efficiency of instruments and equipment, such as fume hoods and cryogenic freezers. While this is important, it means that things like chemical and solvent selection are overlooked. Here Paul Vanden Branden, Director at SciMed, an exhibitor at Lab Innovations 2023 and member of the show’s advisory board, discusses ways that laboratori…

In recent years, bioconjugation has emerged as a powerful strategy for improving drug delivery and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. By linking drugs to various biological entities, such as proteins, antibodies, nanoparticles, or targeting moieties, bioconjugation enables precise and targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to desired sites. This article aims to provide an overview of different bioconjugation strategies employed for various drug classes, highlighting their advantages, challenges, and potential applications.
Bioconjugation involves the covalent linkage of drugs or drug carriers to biological macromolecules, thereby enhancing their stability, solubility, and pharmacokinetics. This conjugation strategy allows for targeted delivery, sustained release, and controlled distribution o…

During the research and development process of pharmaceutical preparations, comprehensive and reliable interaction studies are essential.
Pharmaceutical formulations consist of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients. Appropriate excipient selection is critical to the final quality of pharmaceutical products. When designing pharmaceutical preparations, the choice of excipients should not only consider the dosage form factors and excipient functions but also the interaction and compatibility between APIs and excipients. Therefore, during the research and development process of pharmaceutical preparations, comprehensive and reliable interaction studies are essential. These studies not only serve as a foundat…

Arterial stiffness is a novel cause of premature heart damage among adolescents, according to a new follow-up study. The study was conducted in collaboration between Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in the US, the University of Bristol in the UK, the University of Exeter in the UK, and the University of Eastern Finland, and the results were published in Atherosclerosis.
Arterial stiffness is a novel cause of premature heart damage among adolescents, according to a new follow-up study. The study was conducted in collaboration between Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in the US, the University of Bristol in the UK, the University of Exeter in the UK, and the University of Eastern Finland, and the results were published in Atherosclerosis. Left ve…

The Karl Fischer method is suitable for the determination of all kinds of substances: chemicals, oils, pharmaceuticals and food, etc.
The Karl Fischer method is an analytical method for the determination of moisture proposed by Karl Fischer in 1935. It is suitable for the determination of all kinds of substances: chemicals, oils, pharmaceuticals and food, etc. At present, Karl Fischer titration has developed into a moisture analysis method widely used in the world. In this article, we will discuss how the Karl Fischer moisture detection test can be applied to complex samples. Insoluble samples In the moisture detection of some samples, laboratory personnel may often encounter that some samples are difficult to dissolve or have poor solubility, resulting in the inability…

Alkaloids possess significant medicinal, pharmaceutical, and ecological importance, making them a subject of extensive research by leading companies.
In the realm of organic chemistry, one class of compounds has captured the scientific community's attention for decades - alkaloids. These naturally occurring compounds are known for their diverse chemical structures and profound biological activities. Many alkaloids have been discovered and studied extensively over the years, with more than 20,000 known alkaloids identified to date. Alkaloids possess significant medicinal, pharmaceutical, and ecological importance, making them a subject of extensive research by leading companies. In this article, we will delve into the intriguing world of alkaloids, exploring their sources, structures, and at…

Amidst the current initiatives to develop more targeted anti-cancer therapies, immunotherapy has emerged as a highly potent option to selectively eliminate tumor cells with minimal side effects. Immunotherapies essentially make use of the body’s own immune system, or its components, to fight cancer. It is a relatively new concept, currently having achieved pharmacological success with targeted antibody-based therapeutics, including monoclonal and conjugated antibodies.
Amidst the current initiatives to develop more targeted anti-cancer therapies, immunotherapy has emerged as a highly potent option to selectively eliminate tumor cells with minimal side effects. Immunotherapies essentially make use of the body’s own immune system, or its components, to fight cancer. It is a relatively new con…

Dickkopf-1 (DKK1), is a protein that plays a critical role in regulating the Wnt signaling pathway, which is involved in various cellular processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and embryonic development. It is an important antagonist of the Wnt pathway, meaning that it inhibits Wnt signaling by binding to specific receptors and preventing the activation of downstream signaling molecules.
Introduction to DKK1 Dickkopf-1 (DKK1), is a protein that plays a critical role in regulating the Wnt signaling pathway, which is involved in various cellular processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and embryonic development. It is an important antagonist of the Wnt pathway, meaning that it inhibits Wnt signaling by binding to specific receptors and preventing the acti…

A tumor suppressor gene, also known as anti-onco gene, is an essential component of the body's defense against cancer. It usually facilitates apoptosis. With its absence, the human body will be functioning without its “brake” of cell proliferation. Cells are potent to go under abnormal growth processes and finally lead to tumor/cancer.
About Tumor Suppressor Genes A tumor suppressor gene, also known as anti-onco gene, is an essential component of the body's defense against cancer. It usually facilitates apoptosis. With its absence, the human body will be functioning without its “brake” of cell proliferation. Cells are potent to go under abnormal growth processes and finally lead to tumor/cancer. Here are some key features and functions of tumor suppressor genes: Inhibition of Cell Growth:…

Structured data is the key building block for data exchange that delivers actionable insights. At Amplexor’s recent BE THE EXPERT 2023 global conference in June, Remco Munnik of Iperion - a Deloitte business, cautioned that there is no time to wait for the regulators. Pharma companies need to act now to see the benefits of data-driven process change.
The fact that Life Sciences is now adopting and seeing value in structured data is a huge turning point for the industry, and this acceptance is becoming increasingly palpable. Once companies are able to see beyond the mandatory detail of the regulations that are helping to drive data-oriented process change, their opportunities for transformation of entire functions and their approaches to product tracking and management will broaden and multi…

Microsphere technology is at the intersection of cutting-edge disciplines such as materials science, polymer technology, medical technology, and microelectronics.
Microspheres are small spherical entities formed by dispersing or adsorbing drugs in a polymer matrix. The particle size is typically between 1 μm and 250 μm, and the largest can reach more than 800 μm. Microsphere technology is at the intersection of cutting-edge disciplines such as materials science, polymer technology, medical technology, and microelectronics. Once injected into the body, microspheres are gradually degraded in the body, allowing the drug to be released slowly at a certain rate, maintaining the drug concentration in the blood at the site of the lesion, thereby prolonging the half-life of the drug and achieving l…

MOFs have been extensively studied and used in the fields of gas storage, molecular separation, catalysis, and sustained drug release during the past 20 years.
Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a type of crystalline porous material with a periodic network structure formed by connecting and bridging inorganic metal centers (metal ions or metal clusters) with organic ligands. Because MOFs have many properties such as porosity, large specific surface area, strong designability, multi-metal sites, etc., they have been extensively studied and used in the fields of gas storage, molecular separation, catalysis, and sustained drug release during the past 20 years. Today, electrocatalytic technology plays an important role in the conversion of clean energy and contributes to the development of sus…

Vaccine excipients can include adjuvants, stabilizers, preservatives, and additives. Each excipient serves a specific purpose in ensuring that vaccines are effective.
Infectious diseases seriously threaten human health, and various infectious diseases may cause millions of severe cases and even death every year. Vaccination has been one of the most effective public health interventions in history, preventing millions of deaths worldwide. However, the success of vaccines relies not only on the antigens they carry but also on additional components known as vaccine excipients. Vaccine excipients play a crucial role in the development and manufacturing of vaccines. These are substances added to the vaccine formulation to enhance its stability, efficacy, and safety. Vaccine excipients can includ…

With the continuous development of high technology, the rapid analysis and detection technology of modern drugs has also been continuously improved.
Pharmaceutical analysis is a form of using all chemical, physical, biological, microbial and other means and methods to study the chemical properties of drugs. During the testing process, the stability of the drug itself, biological components and clinical drug use must be considered. With the continuous development of high technology, the rapid analysis and detection technology of modern drugs has also been continuously improved. Chromatography technology is a rapid detection method, and with continuous development, chromatographic detection technology is expected to have higher performance, higher stability and faster speed, which can ba…

The latest application of photocatalysis is for disease treatment, and the photocatalytic mosquito trap developed by Akira Fujishima has already been used in areas where malaria is rampant.
Photocatalyst is a general term for semiconductor materials with photocatalytic function represented by nano-scale titanium dioxide. The representative photocatalyst material is titanium dioxide, which can produce strong oxidizing substances under light irradiation, and can be used to decompose organic compounds, some inorganic compounds, bacteria and viruses. Photocatalyst Materials The commonly used photocatalyst semiconductor materials are titanium dioxide. ZrO2, ZnO, CdS, WO3, Fe2O3, PbS, SnO2, ZnS, SrTiO3, and SiO2 are also photocatalyst materials. Since 2000, it has been found that s…

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a 15kDa secretory protein with a 4-alpha-helical bundle structure. As a T-cell related growth factor, IL-2 can enhance the killing activity of NK cells and promote B cells to produce immunoglobulins. In addition, it aids in the development of regulatory T cells (Tregs), thereby producing peripheral T cell immune tolerance, as well as regulating the proliferation and differentiation of activated T cells. This article deliberates these traits and applications of IL-2, as an introductory material in the field of immunotherapy.
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a 15kDa secretory protein with a 4-alpha-helical bundle structure. As a T-cell related growth factor, IL-2 can enhance the killing activity of NK cells and promote B cells to produce immunoglobulins. In addition, it aids i…

Learn about the IL-17 family and its receptor complex in immune responses with Beta LifeScience. Explore our IL-17 series target proteins known for their high purity, variety, and activity. Take a look at these crucial proteins, highlighting their importance in immunity, antibody screening, and function evaluation.
Autoimmune disease target - IL-17 Family IL-17 plays an important role in promoting autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Currently, five large-molecule biopharmaceuticals targeting IL-17/IL-17R are available worldwide, including four IL-17 monoclonal antibodies and one IL-17RA monoclonal antibody, namely Secukinumab(Novartis), Ixekizumab(Eli Lilly), Netakimab(Biocad), Brodalumab(Kyowa Hakko Kirin), and Bimekizumab(UCB). &nbs…

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a highly biologically active functional glycoprotein. It is a specific and potent mitogen for endothelial cells, playing a role in their proliferation, migration, and lumen formation. VEGF is involved in angiogenesis and increases capillary permeability. It can induce abnormal growth of tumor blood vessels, hinder the effective delivery of anti-tumor drugs to tumor tissues, and stimulate the production of new blood vessel growth factors.
Tumors and Blood Vessel Growth Tumor, as an abnormal mass of cells, has blood vessels of various sizes that can be seen everywhere on the surface and deep within it. Nutrients for life are continuously supplied to the depths of tumor cells through these blood vessels. As the tumor continues to grow, nearby bloo…

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of enzymes belonging to the metzincin superfamily. There are 23 different types of secreted or membrane-anchored endopeptidases in the human body. It's been applied to the field of diagnostic research nowadays. This article is a brief introduction to the MMP3 family and its usage.
The MMP Family Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of enzymes belonging to the metzincin superfamily. There are 23 different types of secreted or membrane-anchored endopeptidases in the human body. MMPs are capable of degrading ECM proteins such as collagen, gelatin, laminin, fibronectin, fibrinogen, elastin, and proteoglycans. They were once considered regulators of the extracellular matrix. MMPs have multiple structural domains, including a signal peptide (…