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Drug Discovery & Development Community News Round-Up

SelectScience
29 Jun 2014
Kerry Parker
CEO

Product news

Read about the latest news in the Drug Discovery & Development community this month:

Screening for Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Active Compounds
HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) have been used to treat neurological symptoms, as well as cancers, parasitic conditions and inflammatory diseases. In order to find compounds that are potential inhibitors of HDAC activity (Class I and II), a chemiluminescent Proof-of-Concept Screen was performed on the PHERAstar FS microplate reader from BMG LABTECH.

Screening and Identification of Potential Genotoxic Degradation Impurities using Q-TOF LC/MS with Advanced Software Solutions
Pharmaceutical manufacturers are required to monitor and identify genotoxic impurities at low levels. This application note demonstrates a quick and reliable software-assisted solution for screening and identifying trace-level potential genotoxic epoxide degradants from atorvastatin using MS/MS data. The method demonstrates mass-based fraction collection of a genotoxic impurity for further characterization. It is standard practice to study the stability profile of a drug substance under predetermined stress conditions. Oxidative degradation of some drugs during handling or storage can lead to the formation of genotoxic impurities.

PathHunter® β-Arrestin Human and Ortholog GPCR Assays
This application note describes the suitability of the DiscoveRx PathHunter β-Arrestin human and ortholog GPCR assay kits for automation in 384-well plate format, with liquid handling and detection integrated in a single instrument, the Tecan Fluent laboratory automation solution.

Targeted Lipidomics of Oxylipins (Oxygenated Fatty Acids)
Discover how to quickly analyse those lipidomics targets, using a high-throughput assay of over 100 oxylipins, including prostaglandins, prostacyclines, thromboxanes, dihydroprostaglandins, and isoprostanes, in both human and mouse plasma.

Could ‘Onion’ Vesicles Revolutionize Drug Delivery?
A research group led by Professor Virgil Percec, of the Department of Chemistry in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences, has successfully replicated the vesicle-like properties of a cell membrane. Such a structure opens up possibilities of releasing drugs over longer periods of time, with a new dose in each layer, or even putting a cocktail of drugs in different layers so each is released in sequence.

Revolutionary Nanoparticle Based Drug Delivery – Targeted Cancer Therapeutics Interview
Interview - Scientists have recently developed nanoparticles that deliver one or two chemotherapy drugs, but it has been difficult to design particles that can carry any more than that in a precise ratio. In a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, chemistry researchers from MIT have shown that they can load nanoparticles with three commonly used ovarian cancer therapeutics.

JumpStart! - Modernizing the Drug Review Process
The JumpStart service is a new Food and Drug Standards (FDA) initiative aimed at modernizing the drug review process. Medical reviewers are using this service to quickly and thoroughly assess data from drug clinical trials, ensuring safe and effective products are approved for public use.

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UHPLC and HPLCHigh performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), also known as UPLC, are analytical techniques used to separate, identify and quantitate components of complex mixtures including biological samples such as proteins and lipids as well as chemical mixtures of pesticides, drugs and oils. Both techniques are liquid chromatographic methods but differ by operating pressures (HPLC < 6000 psi < UHPLC ). Components of HPLC and UHPLC systems include columns, detectors, pumps, autosamplers and column heaters. Explore a range of UHPLC and HPLC columns for your specific sample needs including reverse phase, normal phase, ion exchange, HILIC, ion exclusion and size exclusion columns. For more specialized HPLC, explore FPLC, countercurrent LC and simulated moving bed systems. Find the best UHPLC and HPLC equipment in our peer reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.AntibodiesAntibodies are used in techniques such as confocal and fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, ELISA, ELISPOT, immunohistochemistry, western blotting and immunopreciptation. Select specific antigen reactivity, high specific affinity, low non-specific binding, monoclonal or polyclonal, primary or secondary antibodies and associated conjugates such as an enzyme or dye for visualization.Cell / Tissue CultureCell culture or tissue culture is used to study the biology of cells or tissues and to isolate cellular products in an environment which can be manipulated and well defined. Accurately control your culture environment with bioreactors or culture incubators, bind your cells to a surface or together with an extracellular matrix. Distinguish cell types with differential media or proliferate cells with certain characteristics using selective media. Enrich your media with supplements such as growth factors, sera and vitamins. Find the best cell and tissue culture products, kits and equipment in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.ProteomicsProteomics is the systemic bioinformatics study of proteins and amino acids, including their structure, size, function and identification. Tools used in proteomics include chromatography, blotting and gels, protein arrays, mass spectrometry and ELISA and associated analysis software. Analyzers and proteomic systems should be sensitive, high resolution, fast and may be automated for high-throughput.High-Throughput ScreeningHigh-throughput screening (HTS) is an automated drug discovery technique for identification of active compounds against a compound library. Use HTS readers and integrated assay preparation / analysis workstations to screen your compounds. Identify active compounds against various HTS libraries, including membranes, proteins and peptides and HTS cell lines. Find the best high-throughput screening products in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Microplate Readers / DetectorsMicroplate readers are used to automate the detection and analysis of labeled or label-free components in microplates during assays or live-cell monitoring. Microplate readers are generally distinguished by their mode of detection. Types include absorbance, luminescence, fluorescence intensity, fluorescence polarization, TRF / FRET and multimode microplate readers. Microplate readers deliver a high throughput of samples by reading multiple wells simultaneously, with the 96-well format the most commonly used. As a result, microplate readers are often used in the drug discovery, bioassays, research and pharmaceutical industries for screening applications. Microplate loading can also be automated, with robotic microplate stackers to increase throughput. Find the best microplate readers in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.ADME-ToxicologyADME-toxicology (ADME-Tox) studies are used in pharmacology and pharmacokinetics to assess the activity/toxicity of drugs <i>in vivo</i> or <i>in vitro</i>. Find bioassays for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drug molecules including cytotoxicity, transporter/permeability, metabolism and activity assays as well as hepatocytes and cell lines for ADME. Find the best ADME-toxicology products in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Assay AssemblyAssay Assembly is technique used in drug discovery to develop assays to test the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, or other activities of a compound on a cell. Assay assembly requires chip assembly, a delivery system and a detection and analysis method. Beneficial features of assay kits or automated systems include high-throughput, high speed and sensitivity and low signal to noise ratio.Medicinal ChemistryMedicinal chemistry is a broad discipline encompassing the design, identification, synthesis and development of chemicals in drug discovery. It includes a number of techniques covering structural biology, synthetic chemistry and molecular biology. Technologies used in medicinal chemistry include ADME, lab-on-a-chip, high content screening and assay assembly.Cell-Based AssaysCell-based assays are used to monitor the presence, quantity and activities of a desired cellular analyte including drug molecules or biomarkers. This can reveal information on cell health (apoptosis, cytotoxicity, viability and proliferation assays), cell metabolism, cell migration and cell signaling mechanisms. Find the best cell-based assay products, kits and equipment with our peer reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receiving pricing direct from manufacturers.High-Content ScreeningHigh-content screening (HCS), also known as high-content analysis (HCA), is a high-throughput technique used in drug discovery to identify substances that alter the phenotype of cells. HCS uses fluorescent microscopic imaging and automated image analysis to investigate cellular events such as apoptosis, cell viability, GPCR activation, oxide production, neurite outgrowth, and cell signaling. Find the best fluorescent labeling reagents, cellular assays, and high-content imaging systems in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Protein PurificationProtein purification is a vital step in drug discovery, therapeutics, biotech and life science research. The purification process typically involves subcellular or membrane protein extraction with cell lysis kits, separation of proteins from cell debris by filtration or spin columns, and the isolation of proteins of interest from other proteins and impurities with affinity purification (including fusion protein tags and antibody binding proteins A, G and L), immunoprecipitation or chromatographic methods, such as ion exchange, size exclusion and immobilized metal affinity chromatography. All purification methods come in multiple formats for your laboratory needs, including agarose or magnetic beads, resins, columns and filter plates. Find the best protein purification equipment in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.BiomarkersBiomarkers are biological markers which can be measured and evaluated to indicate a biological state. The use of biomarkers in research and diagnosis can indicate a normal or disease state or drug response of cells / tissues. Biomarkers include genetic markers, cell surface markers such as antigens, antibodies or receptors and secreted molecules such as cytokines. An assay system is required for identification of biomarkers. :Clinical TrialsClinical Trials, an essential part of drug discovery process, assess the safety and effectiveness of a new medication or device in the pharmaceutical industry. Clinical Trials are a phased process (Phase 0, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III and Phase IV) which begins after initial preclinical testing.Automated Liquid HandlingAutomated liquid handling equipment is used to mix, dilute and dispense allotted volumes of liquid into microplates and other vessels automatically. The robotic, liquid handling arms can dispense from single channel to 3456 multichannel as well as operate nanoliter dispensing, enabling high throughput of samples. Find the best automated liquid handlers in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.

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Drug Discovery & Development Community News Round-Up