Validating the Feasibility of Using Stem Cells for Drug Discovery
Chemical Online (12/04/07)

French firms AFM and INSERM collaborated on I-STEM, a firm poised to verify the applicability of human embryonic stem cells for therapeutics in cell therapy and drug discovery to treat monogenic diseases. I-STEM plans to utilize High-Throughput Screening via automated systems to conduct up to five screenings annually on human embryonic stem cells. Velocity11 will provide the firm with a flexible system with significant operational speed to meet the needs of contamination risk management. I-STEM called for strict contamination prevention measures, including a class 100 ULPA filter, as well as the use of filtered air. Velocity11's software will manage the BioCel 1800 Automation System, which will run liquid handling through its VPrep Pipetting systems. The 96LT pipetting head will handle stem cell culturing, while the 96ST head will handle compound management. An automated bar-coding system will make plate tracking easier.
Back to the top.

High Transparency When Producing With Effective MES
Engineer Live (12/04/07)

As a 2004 Forrester Research survey revealed, the production area remains a problem for many companies, considering their lack of transparency, questionable demand forecasts and missing communication structures. However, manufacturing execution systems (MES), which offer a level of transparency into all value-added production processes, have the potential to offer some solutions for improving production and quality of products. The MES strategy should involve the identification of components throughout production from incoming to outgoing goods, including all repair loops and returns, as well as the identification and capture of products with mandatory tracing requirement by issuing serial numbers. MES issues unique serial numbers, and can quickly determine if the wrong material is loaded at a machine. They also use interlocking to guard against work outcome and sequences that can cause problems for the process as soon as there are irregularities. Siemens offers the Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) approach as a continuous product spectrum and automation environment--starting from basic automation via visualization and process solutions to the standardized MES software solution. The TIA products can be used in a wide range of industries, and they have universally configured interfaces to each other.
Back to the top.

Laboratory-Based Hematology Diagnostics Dominate Even as POC Based Tests Make Strong Gains
News & Observer (12/04/07)

According to a new report from Frost & Sullivan, hematology diagnostics in European markets are expected to grow steadily. Indeed, hematology is the starting point for all diagnostic procedures, and hemoglobin assays and complete blood counts are the most frequently ordered tests. However, the European market for hematology diagnostics is both competitive and limited to specialized companies, and the market's stagnation is hampering both prospective entrants and incumbents. Nonetheless, there is a mounting demand for swift tests with different technologies, such as point-of-care (POC) systems, automated instruments, and integrated analyzers. According to the report analyst, POC hematology diagnostics is being embraced slowly, perhaps due to a lingering preference for laboratory-based tests, but is predicted to play a larger role in the market in the future. Meanwhile, most analyzes have been available for over 20 years, which leaves the door open to novel technologies. Indeed, older instruments are increasingly being replaced by sophisticated analyzers that facilitate swift and effective sample analysis. hematology test rates are also being boosted by Europe's aging population, and POC instruments are giving patients the freedom to perform the tests independently. An important industry challenge is to expand its end-user base, which mostly comprised of hospitals, emergency units, and intensive care units.
Back to the top.

Litigation on a Chip
Albuquerque Journal (12/03/07) P. 1 ; Webb, Andrew

The Nanodetex-Sandia National Laboratories suit settled for an undisclosed sum, though Nanodetex will pay $2 million in penalties related to the defamation of Defiant Technologies. Nanodetex sued Sandia for failing to hand over the necessary technologies to turn the "lab-on-a-chip" device into a system of sensors for subways and other public spaces in need of toxin detectors. The technology would "sniff" the air to detect toxins in a commercialized device. Defiant was sued after the initial lawsuit had been filed against Sandia, claiming Defiant entered into a licensing agreement that violated Nanodetex's exclusive rights to the sensor technology. Defiant indicated Nanodetex abused the process and defamed the firm in its countersuit. The competitor also said it merely sought a license for the lab-on-a-chip technology because Sandia announced it was ready to be licensed.
Back to the top.

New System Would Use Rotating Magnetic Field to Detect Pathogens
Pharma Investments, Ventures & Law Weekly (12/02/07)

Researchers from Purdue University and Duke University have created a procedure that selectively separates tiny magnetic particles using a magnetic field, a technique that holds great potential for medical diagnostics. Indeed, the technique can diagnose the incidence of numerous diseases within a single sample because various pathogens can be linked to specific-size magnetic particles, which can then be selectively separated by size via the new method, explains Gil Lee of Purdue. In the new procedure, magnetic particles are scattered in a liquid positioned in a container housing a microchip, which contains an array of metal disks. Three energized electromagnets surround the container to generate a magnetic field. As the magnetic field rotates, the particles travel from disk to disk until they are parted from the rest of the sample. Only particles of certain sizes are separated when the magnetic field is rotated at different speeds, which means pathogens connected to those particles can be divided from the sample by adjusting the rotation speed, explains Lee. The system, called non-linear magnetophoretic separation, can concurrently separate and distinguish pathogens with a substantially greater sensitivity than the "solid phase immunoassays" frequently used for human diagnostics.
Back to the top.

Micro Microwave Does Pinpoint Cooking for Miniaturized Labs
Pharma Investments, Ventures & Law Weekly (12/02/07) P. 1422

The smallest microwave oven in the world has been created by National Institute of Standards and Technology and George Mason University researchers, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering. The so-called micro microwave measures 7 micrometers across and almost 4 millimeters long, and it is made of a glass substrate and a polymer block separated by a thin-film microwave transmission line. The device, designed for lab-on-a-chip devices, heats tiny drops of liquid in a microfluidic channel via electromagnetic fields.
Back to the top.

Robot Surgeons From Baghdad to Mars Are Closer Than You Think
Popular Mechanics (12/07) Sofge, Erik

Silicon Valley-based SRI International and the University of Cincinnati recently held a series of tests aboard a nose-diving DC-9 aircraft to compare how well a remote-operated robot surgeon and a human surgeon could make incisions and apply sutures to simulated tissue during periods of zero gravity and sustained acceleration of 1.8 g's. Although SRI has not released the results of the tests, Dr. Ken Kamler--a Popular Mechanic Advisory Board member and a participant in one of the tests--said the robot did just as well as the human surgeon while its compensation software was engaged. Kamler noted that when the robot's compensation software was turned off, it was nearly impossible for the machine to tie a knot. By focusing on adaptive algorithms such as the robot's compensation software, SRI is hoping to move away from remote telesurgery and closer to autonomy. SRI is planning to build a system for NASA that could perform surgery on an astronaut on Mars, where communication delays of 20 minutes or more would make telesurgery impractical. In addition, SRI is developing a robotic operating room that could fit on an air vehicle flying over a battlefield.
Back to the top.

Discrimination and Analysis of Phytoplankton Using a Microfluidic Cytometer
IET Nanobiotechnology (12/01/07) Vol. 1 , No. 6 , P. 94 ; Benazzi, G. ; Holmes, D. ; Sun, T.

To understand the environmental parameters that are affected by the oceans, such as climate change and pollution, it is important to study phytoplankton, explains G. Benazzi of the University of Southampton. Typically, phytoplanktons are identified and analyzed at the single cell level via conventional light-field and fluorescence microscopy, however that method is labor intensive. Flow cytometry is now utilized as a tool in phytoplankton analysis, as it facilitates swift and quantitative measurements; however the technique is costly and has other drawbacks, such as portability. In response, Benazzi and colleagues created a microfluidic (lab-on-a-chip) device that enables high-speed analysis of single phytoplankton. The tool gauges fluorescence and the electrical impedance of individual particles. The researchers tested the system with a mixture of three algae and then contrasted the results with measurements from a commercial flow cytometer. The researchers found that the microfluidic flow cytometer can differentiate and describe the various taxa. As well, impedance spectroscopy can measure the biophysical properties of the phytoplankton, reports Benazzi.
Back to the top.

Stem Cells 2.0: Beyond the Hype, Engineers Look to Build Fast
Popular Mechanics (11/07) Hutchison, Alex

The newest development in stem-cell research occurred earlier in November when it was announced that stem cells has been produced from human skin cells. Although the campaign to recombine cells and cure illnesses such as Alzheimer's continues, the global focus is currently on efficiency. Scientists need to be able to make the new stem cells in big amounts with high purity, while molding them for a particular purpose, employing a process that is simple and repeatable. To that end, bioreactors offer vessels for rapid cell manufacturing, and engineers will be attempting to create new ones that make use of all the new cells. However, University of Toronto biomedical engineer Peter Zandstra notes, "It's not clear how efficient the process is, and it's not clear what the mechanisms underlying the process actually are." A second concern is that the new method can create mutations that cause cancer. There are three approaches that scientists will now pursue regarding stem-cell research, including in silico, which involves scientists trying out new ideas on a computer before going into the lab. In vitro will also be pursued, in which stem cells will initially have a practical effect, while in vivo involves injecting stem cells into the bone marrow of animals, reviving their immune systems.
Back to the top.

Big Cures in Tiny Particles
Chicago Tribune (11/25/07) Van, Jon

Tiny particles devised by engineers to cause human cells to produce their own medicines, resuscitate injured organs, and discharge flares to inform researchers every time they terminate a cancer cell are already functioning in labs and will be ready for commercialization in the next few years. Such inventions, including sending minuscule robot-type machines into human cells to find diseases and treat it, will probably revolutionize medicine in the coming few years, researchers surmise. One such frontrunner is Northbrook, Ill.'s Nanosphere Inc., which is currently selling a regulatory-sanctioned, non-based genetic testing system to hospital laboratories. The tests will inform physicians about exactly the amount of blood thinner that is required to stop clotting in a patient without causing internal bleeding. Although many people are familiar with nanomedicine, not many individuals have really made use of it, notes David Rejeski, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. There are currently over 12 nanomedicine gadgets and medications on the market. In 2007, the pharmaceutical market will sell over $1 billion in medications connected with nanotech, and the Freedonia Group forecasts than the American market for nanomedicine products will expand to $53 billion by 2011. Other companies competing in nanodiagnostics include CombiMatrix Molecular Diagnostics of Irvine, Calif., and Immunicon Corp. of Huntington Valley, Pa.
Back to the top.

PIMS for Saudi Venture
Process Engineering (11/07) P. 38

A multi-million dollar contract to deploy an InFusion-based plant information management system (PIMS) in a refining and petrochemical complex in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, has been awarded to Invensys Process Systems by Petro Rabigh. "These systems provide our customers with the repeatability of information feedback, consistency of business process execution and visibility of information that enables faster and better decision-making," stated Invensys Process Systems Middle East general manager Nabil Kassem. The InFusion-based object- and service-oriented technology offers easy access to real-time data from the process and utilities units, along with simple integration and transfer of data between applications to deliver a scalable and seamless information system. The current integrated system is comprised of a real time database, data reconciliation, a laboratory information management system, alarm monitoring, plant-wide material balance and production accounting, emissions monitoring, and performance management, while additional modules will be implemented later on. The InFusion deployment will feature Invensys' Material Balance Module for unit material balances and data reconciliation, letting engineers efficiently assess volume and mass balances online with the aim of enhancing data quality and reliability. The Rabigh facility is slated to commence operating in the third quarter of 2008.
Back to the top.

Scientists Decode Genome of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Boston Globe (11/21/07)

Scientists have recently a number of mutations in several tuberculosis (TB) strains that may explain how certain strains develop antibiotic resistance. Researchers at the Broad Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University worked together to map the genes of drug resistant strains of TB as well as the normal TB gene. By doing so, they hope to create better drugs with the ability to outwit TB's genetic advances. Other gene features discovered by the team may lead to improving understanding of how TB is spread and developing a faster diagnostic test for the disease.
Back to the top.

Robot Travels Through the Bloodstream to Deliver Drugs
EE Times Europe (11/19/07) Ben-Artzi, Amir

Researchers at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology have developed what they call the world's smallest robot, a "submarine" one millimeter in diameter that can move along blood vessels using "arms" working on the inner walls to deliver drugs. The robot is powered by an external magnetic field and can be controlled for a limitless span during medical procedures. "This accomplishment of miniaturization is without precedent, as is the ability to control the robot's activity for unlimited period of time, for any medical procedure," says Oded Salomon, who helped develop the robot. "We hope this discovery can be used to improve the quality of care for diseases and many other conditions."
Back to the top.

With Robotic Bugs, Larger Ethical Questions
Boston Globe (11/16/07) Nickerson, Colin

Research reported in Science describes how European scientists were able to use tiny robots placed in a colony of laboratory cockroaches to manipulate the actions of the insects. The robots, using behavioral modification methods, were able to convince the real insects to follow them into bright areas, a significant achievement considering cockroaches are known for hiding in dark areas. The significance of the research is that even simple robots can significantly influence group behavior. Some scientists believe that it is inevitable that advances in robotics and technology will ultimately alter the fundamental relationship between humanity and technology, and many analysts say now is the time to seriously consider the ethical implications of technological advances. In many Asian countries with highly advanced robotic research, laws are being considered that would regulate how much independence robots should be given by programmers, and even what "rights" should be given to robots. One issue of particular interest is whether robots will be given the ability to make life-or-death decisions involving humans, for example in a hospital or battlefield. "We are embarking on the process of creating the first intelligent species to share the earth with humans since the time of the Neanderthals," says renowned science fiction author Robert Sawyer, who wrote an essay that accompanied the report in Science. "We're racing past the era of robo-vacuum cleaners into someplace quite different and more complex."
Back to the top.

Automating Conception
Popular Science (11/07) Vol. 271 , No. 5 , P. 29 ; Guynup, Sharon

Fertility scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a plastic chip-like incubator that seeks to mimic a natural womb. A research team led by Teruo Fujii used the devices to incubate up to 88 percent of early mouse embryos. They eventually hope to use human embryos. The technology may one day be used to create an artificial micro-uterus that supports healthy human embryos suitable for implantation, says Fuji. In one mouse trial, the scientists placed 10 mouse eggs inside a cage-like object on the top part of a two-level silicon microchip. Uterine cells were used to line the bottom of the cage. Sperm cells were then added, and the fertilized eggs state dividing. Eventually embryos developed, and those with about 100 cells were implanted into female mice. The microchip can be programmed to use pumps to moisten cells with fluid. Minuscule chambers also prevent the nutrients from becoming too dilute. In addition to supporting embryos, the devices could someday be used to grow stem cells, organs, and genetically modified animals.
Back to the top.

Going Live
Scientist (11/07) Vol. 21 , No. 11 , P. 81 ; Katsnelson

Advances in imaging technology have helped create several types of live-cell microscopes, such as wide-field, swept scanning, and two-photon microscopes. One drawback with live-cell imaging is that higher resolutions require more light, which can injure living tissue. Each imaging arrangement has different strengths and weaknesses with regards to cost, light sensitivity, speed, spatial resolution, use of fluorescence filters, photobleaching, and light penetration. Cell biologist Lynne Coluccio at the Boston Biomedical Research Institute prefers the $470,000 Perkins Elmer UltraVIEW spinning-disk microscope with five lasers, citing ease of use and training. Graduate student Anna Barksukova at Oregon Health and Science University uses a $165,000 wide-field system--the Olympus 1X-81 inverted microscope--that was customized with a galvanometer and deconvolution software. The device provides a fast imaging technique of subcellular structures and good spatial resolution. Neurogeneticist Peter Robin Hiesinger uses a $340,000 Leica resonance-scanning confocal with a laser beam that oscillates at a high resonance frequency. This microscope is good for short as well as very long experiments.
Back to the top.

Cross-Industry News ©Copyright 2007 INFORMATION, INC.

Back to the top.