Articles

Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. However, as cancer treatments continue to improve and diagnoses happen sooner, more and more patients are experiencing remission. To further increase survival rates and reduce unnecessary treatment, scientists and clinicians are turning to ultra-sensitive molecular analysis to inform treatment decisions and predict and detect relapse.

As technology advances, a digital transformation has begun in laboratories around the world. Driven by the need to improve data quality and increase the value derived from the investment in generating those data, data management systems, devices, and their workflows are becoming more connected and integrated, ushering in the age of the digital laboratory. The digital laboratory is one where paper lab notebooks are replaced with fully digital data, complete with rich metadata, and generated using integrated workflows. Such data are easy to find, reuse, and reproduce. Further digitization and workflow integration to operate laboratory instruments will advance the burgeoning digital laboratory.

A new and simplified anion exchange chromatographic process for the purification of both live and inactivated cell grown H1N1 influenza viruses was established with a recently developed anion exchanger. The resin is designed with an optimized surface extender and pore size for superior accessibility and large biomolecule binding capacity, aiming to overcome common drawbacks of existing ion exchangers for virus purification.

Understanding how T cells respond to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical in developing long-term therapeutic approaches, as well as helping inform strategies for future pandemics. Learn how one team at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in San Diego, California, has been using novel T-cell activation assays to understand how our immune system responds to SARS-CoV-2.

Do you think you know western blotting? Test your knowledge with a crossword puzzle.

Inadequate quality control assays shouldn’t limit cell and gene therapy applications. Instead, quantifying the potency of cell and gene therapies is essential for successful therapeutics. In this article, we describe multiple leading potency assays developed using Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) technology, including an assay that quantifies transgene integration and expression in one step.

Gene editing is only useful if it’s successful. Read how scientists are leveraging the unparalleled accuracy and specificity of ddPCR technology to optimize quality control in gene editing projects, including HIV detection and CAR-T cell generation.

Cell and gene therapies have seen record growth due to their potential to address the underlying causes of genetic and acquired diseases. Non-viral delivery methods are increasing in popularity due to their safety, cost-effectiveness, reduction in manufacturing time, and flexibility compared to viral vector delivery methods. Electroporation is a simple, broadly applicable method capable of delivering molecules to a wide range of cell types for either cell or gene therapy. This article outlines the top advantages of using electroporation in cell and gene therapy and why it might be a good approach for your own research group.

Disparate systems, distributed teams, and overly complex technologies are a recipe for inefficiency in research and development (R&D) laboratories, especially in drug development. With the pressure to meet challenging deadlines and strict regulations, it is easy for working practices to become disconnected. To improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of data generation, acquisition, and management, R&D organizations are looking to streamline their lab practices by investing in technologies that automate data generation, accelerate data collection speed and storage, and enhance the quality and reliability of the information produced. Lab automation presents exciting opportunities for future research, promising novel advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), liquid handling robotics, and cloud-based data workflows.

Circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in the global population led to the emergence of new variants threatening to undermine vaccine effectiveness. Understanding the immune response and its neutralizing abilities at both the patient level and globally could not only help prevent outbreaks but also mitigate the outcome for future pandemics.