Breaking News on Drug Discovery

Biochips help reduce the need for animal testing

20-Dec-2007 - US researchers have developed a new biochip technology that could dramatically reduce the need for animal testing during drug development safety studies.

Mapping the 'human embryome' in BioTime

19-Dec-2007 - BioTimes' subsidiary, Embryome Sciences, is planning to build a relational database that will help identify the hundreds of cell types that can be made from human and mouse embryonic stem cells.

Affymetrix simplifies genetic copy number analysis

18-Dec-2007 - Affymetrix has launched a new analysis tool for determining genetic variations in whole-genome association and cytogenetic studies that is up to 10 times more sensitive than competing platforms.

Oxford Genome Sciences advances on Amgen deal

18-Dec-2007 - Oxford Genome Sciences (OGeS) has taken a step closer to shedding its service provider skin and morphing into a pharma firm after entering a new cancer collaboration with Amgen, one of the world's largest biotech firms.

Curiox' mini-bioassay tech to aid cheaper drug development

17-Dec-2007 - Curiox Biosystems has developed a miniaturisation platform that enables cheaper and more efficient bioassays to be conducted, potentially slashing the costs of life science and drug discovery research.

New cell line to tackle drug resistant cancer

13-Dec-2007 - The creation of a new 'super cell' that can stand firm against one of the newest types of cancer therapy could shed new light on how to treat patients if they become resistant to these drugs.

BioWa and Lonza agreement for potent antibodies

12-Dec-2007 - BioWa and Lonza are joining forces to develop a new technology platform to produce more potent antibodies with enhanced cell-killing powers.

Mini synchrotron to ease structural analysis?

12-Dec-2007 - Researchers have developed a miniature synchrotron that could enable researchers to conduct protein crystallography experiments in their own university and 'revolutionise the way science is done'.

Carl Zeiss licenses 'record-breaking' fluorescence technology

11-Dec-2007 - Microscopy expert-Carl Zeiss has licensed a new fluorescence microscopy technique that enables scientists to determine the precise intracellular location of proteins of interest.

ACD/Labs takes the stress out of NMR spectral analysis

10-Dec-2007 - ACD/Labs has unveiled a new programme designed to help synthetic chemists reduce the amount of time required to spend on NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) data analysis.

Microfluidics promises a bright future for cell-based assays

06-Dec-2007 - UK researchers have published results that show that microfluidic devices can provide robust quantitative pharmacological information from low numbers of single cells.

Separating mixtures in an NMR machine

05-Dec-2007 - Canadian researchers have devised a method of extracting the complete proton NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra for a component of a mixture without the need for physical separation.

'Technology Pioneers' elected to World Economic Forum

29-Nov-2007 - The World Economic Forum has announced this year's 'Technology Pioneers', firms which have developed a life-changing technology innovation that has the potential for long-term impact on both business and society.

Xenome and Amylin team up to poison metabolic diseases

27-Nov-2007 - Xenome, which specialises in extracting therapeutic peptides from the venom of poisonous animals has penned a deal with Amylin Pharmaceuticals to find drugs that tackle metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Nano-flares light the way for in-cell mRNA detection

27-Nov-2007 - Researchers have developed a nanoparticle signalling system that can be used as cellular 'nano-flares' that enable the visualisation and quantification of RNA in living cells.

Exploring protein interactions in 'technicolour'

26-Nov-2007 - A triple-colour bioluminescent assay has been developed that promises to speed-up high content screening (HCS) analysis by enabling multiple-target monitoring.

Mr Gene designs and orders constructs in minutes

22-Nov-2007 - Geneart has launched the first fully on-line gene construct design and ordering system, dubbed Mr Gene, which is targeting the emerging 'low-price' segment of the synthetic biology market.

Weekly Comment

No embryo required: human stem cells from the skin

21-Nov-2007 - A startling breakthrough has allowed scientists to create human stem cells from just reprogrammed skin cells, with no embryo and thus, perhaps no ethical dilemma.

Cisbio licenses 'universal' kinase assay platform

21-Nov-2007 - Cisbio has licensed BellBrook Labs' ADP immunodetection technology for use in its HTRF screening system that will enable researchers to study the activity of any protein kinase.

Evolution study finds 300 new genes

21-Nov-2007 - A supercomputer designed to root out genes that have been conserved over millions of years of evolution has discovered 300 new human genes.

Simultaneous measurement of multiple cytokines

20-Nov-2007 - Researchers at Randox, UK, have developed a biochip that enables the simultaneous measurement of 12 human cytokines from human serum samples enabling cytokine studies to be conducted faster.

Caliper launches combo drug testing services

19-Nov-2007 - Caliper Life Sciences has launched new testing services that will help researchers weed out unsuitable combination drug therapies in the preclinic.

Stem cell breakthrough avoids the embryo controversy

15-Nov-2007 - US researchers have developed a way of creating primate embryonic stem cells that avoids the need to use fertilised embryos, potentially leading to more ethical ways of curing degenerative diseases.

Preclinical services news in brief

15-Nov-2007 - In this week's review of activity within the preclinical research services arena, news has emerged involving GATC Biotech, NextGen Sciences and Genedata.