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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.

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, trends point to a transition for the SARS-CoV-2 virus into an endemic agent. As major surveillance infrastructure scales back, it will be critical to maintain a cost-effective, simple, and rapid strategy for detecting and monitoring the spread of new variants. The key to such a strategy? Wastewater, where all disease agents leave their unique signature.

For this article, we spoke with Vera Dreyfuss of evitria AG, an antibody expression services provider based in Switzerland, about the role that the NGC Chromatography System has played in powering the growth and success of the company.

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) pathway is involved in the control of numerous critical cellular processes. PI3K-AKT pathway dysfunction has been observed in several diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune and neurological disorders. In this animation, learn more about the molecular characteristics and function of the PI3K-AKT pathway and how AKT mutation plays a role in tumorigenesis.

Wastewater-based epidemiology indirectly monitors infection rates in a community based on pathogen levels in local wastewater. Because symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals shed viral RNA in sewer systems, analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage networks can provide information about SARS-CoV-2 infections within the community. However, the accuracy of these data depends on the quality of the wastewater testing method. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Droplet Digital PCR has proven that it has the sensitivity needed to detect outbreaks and monitor SARS-CoV-2 variants in communities via wastewater testing.

Enveloped virus and VLP purification can be difficult. Learn about key factors and a cGMP-compatible, low cost, scalable process for retrovirus vector capture.

High-throughput screening (HTS) is a critical component of the entire drug discovery process. Flow cytometry is an attractive alternative to imaging and plate reader assays for HTS in drug discovery, due to its increased sensitivity and multiplexing capabilities. The ZE5 Cell Analyzer eliminates pain points that have hindered the full adoption of flow cytometry for drug discovery.

Most scientists, no matter where they are at in their career, remember the moments of wonder as they navigated lab work for the first time. Whether it’s a band on a gel, a colony on a plate, or a piece of data, those first tangible results come with a feeling of having accomplished something incredible. More than ten years later, we caught up with two scientists who immortalized that feeling in the form of matching protein ladder tattoos, and discussed how their time as undergraduate researchers led them where they are today.

Bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) are an important addition to the immuno-oncology toolbox. Designed to recognize two distinct epitopes, bsAbs have enhanced binding, specificity, and efficacy compared to current monovalent antibody therapeutics, making them exciting candidates for more targeted cancer treatments. Learn about bsAbs and how our tools can help scientists with their research on therapeutic candidates.