Future Science Group

Unveiling bioanalytical datasets for the successful development of ADCs

Bridging science and safety: exploring toxicology studies and regulatory requirements

This International Women's Day, we're joined by Lindsay Davies, Chief Scientific Officer at NextCell Pharma (Stockholm, Sweden), to discuss the evolving role of cell therapies in treating autoimmune diseases. In this podcast, Davies breaks down the science behind NextCell's mesenchymal stromal cell therapy for type 1 diabetes and explores how these cells could be applied to other autoimmune conditions. She emphasizes the importance of tailoring cell therapies based on disease type, stage and patient profile to achieve the best outcomes. The conversation also highlights how growing evidence of sex-related differences will could increasingly shape decisions in the development and testing of cell therapies.

During the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) PharmSci 360 2024 conference, Bioanalysis Zone caught up with industry experts across numerous disciplines to discuss their involvement with AAPS and their research. In this interview, we spoke to Priyata Kalra about her talk on the use of GenAI within biomedicine.

In this episode, we sit down with Megan Cooley, Associate Director of Bioanalytical Services at ICON (KS, USA), to explore the cutting-edge world of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) quantitation using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Megan delves into the capabilities of Triple Quadrupole and Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry, offering her expert insights into whether HRMS is essential for ADC PK studies. We also tackle the challenges and limitations of HRMS in ADC quantitation and discuss the potential for AI to create more specific and stable ADCs. Finally, Megan highlights ICON's extensive experience with large molecule applications and their innovative approach to supporting complex LC–MS analyses.

In this interview, we discuss the potential of AI in increasing healthcare system efficiency, how medical devices are making procedures less invasive and what those working in the field of medical devices can do to help regulation catch up with innovation.

In the sixth episode of The new frontier podcast, we're joined by Catherine Vrentas, Life Sciences Lead at Booz Allen Hamilton (VA, USA). Cathy explains how biomarkers can be used to predict the therapeutic outcome and efficacy of CGTs and the biomarkers in particular that have shown strong predictive value. We delve into the common challenges of working with biomarkers in CGTs and how biomarker kits can be adapted for CGT work.

Carlon Fitzpatrick AI Summit by Future Science Group

Challenges and solutions in monitoring assay performance for vaccine development: an interview with Atul Chaudhari

We caught up with Principal Scientist Lindsay Denhoff (ICON; Dublin, Ireland) to discuss immunogenicity considerations for therapeutic proteins and the current analytical methodologies for detecting and characterizing anti-drug antibodies (ADAs). Lindsay shares some industry best practices for achieving high-quality ADA assays, as well as some of the advantages and limitations of singlicate ADA analysis compared with alternative techniques. We finish the interview with a look to the future where Lindsay discusses the emerging trends she's spotted in the field of immunogenicity and offers her predictions for how they may shape the future of therapeutic protein development.

In this Tech Blast episode supported by Sartorius (Göttingen, Germany), we speak with David Apiyo – Manager of Applications Development at Sartorius (MN, USA) – about epitope binning, why it's performed and the best ways to conduct it. Plus, learn more about Sartorius' biolayer interferometry platforms and their application in epitope binning.

In this interview, we spoke to John Chappell, Senior Global Scientific Support Manager at Gyros Protein Technologies (Uppsala, Sweden) about his experience working with the Gyrolab platform for oligonucleotide assays. John discusses the advantages of using Gyrolab for oligo quantification in biological fluids and shares his thoughts on the next steps for these assays.

In the fifth episode of The New Frontier podcast, we're joined by Paul Byrne, Senior Director of Genomics from ProtaGene (MA, USA). Paul describes his experience working with qPCR vs digital and digital droplet PCR assays and advises on their pros and cons, as well as when it's best to use each. We discuss how these assays can be optimized for cell and gene therapy targets and get a peek into the tips and tricks he's picked up over his 30 years of experience.

In this episode of The New Frontier podcast, we're joined by Daniel Schulz-Jander, Senior Director of Mass spectrometry Bioanalysis at QPS Netherlands (Groningen). Daniel explains how he uses immune-precipitation and immunoaffinity LC–MS techniques for his work relating to macromolecular pharmaceuticals like gene therapies, as well as their benefits and challenges. Daniel also covers bottom-up, middle-down and top-down approaches and their suitability for his work in clinical support versus research and discovery.

Breaking down barriers for women in tech: an interview with Tina Marshall by Future Science Group

What disparities exist in cancer screening and how does this impact patient outcomes? Listen to our latest podcast episode with Kilan Ashad-Bishop (American Cancer Society) to find out about the intersection between science, health, and society.

AI-driven early disease detection: an interview with Jim Kean by Future Science Group

In this episode, we spoke to Senior Director Johanna Mora about her experience with immunogenicity testing for cell and gene therapies (CGTs) and how she prepared for the expansion of BMS's portfolio to include CGTs. We discuss the importance of having diverse teams with a broad range of experiences to solve complex problems, as well as the role of artificial intelligence in improving our efficiency and spotting patterns in the data.

In the first episode of this series, we spoke to Executive Director and Global Head of Regulatory Services Kimberley Buytaert-Hoefen about her experience with cell and gene therapy (CGT) approvals and the barriers to getting these important therapeutics to the patient. Kim advises early regulatory interaction and collaboration to improve the success rate of applications and emphasizes the importance of global harmonization of regulatory standards. We discuss key barriers to CGT approvals including manufacturing and immunogenicity and Kim voices her excitement for the newly approved CRISPR-Cas9 technology to treat sickle cell disease.

AI and the UK Biobank: an interview with Mahesh Pancholi

In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review their publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In the final episode of series one, we're joined by Hetal Sarvaiya and Yuting Wang from AbbVie (MA, USA), who talk about the challenges of having an international team working on their perspective article and the inspiration behind their work. The pair talk passionately about their paper and how the unique nature of AbbVie's global team has helped shape their work.

Virtual reality therapies for mental health: Marta Matamala-Gomez

An interview with Namshik Han: predicting protein structure with AI

In this Tech Blast episode supported by Sartorius, we speak with Derrick Christopher Campos, Product Manager at Sartorius (TX, USA), about Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). This tried-and-true technique allows researchers to do label-free protein characterization; in this podcast, Derrick discusses how Sartorius improves upon multi-cycle kinetics with their OneStep® gradient injection.

In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review their publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In episode four, we're joined by Senior Scientist and Technical Specialist Ashley Phillips. Ashley's publication assessed the performance of next-generation trypsins for rapid protein LC-MS bioanalysis, effectively reducing a two-day process into just one day's work. As the paper's lead author, Ashley outlines the experimental design, the challenges associated with data storage and how he and the team are now applying the best-performing trypsin in their workflows.

In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review their publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In episode three, Digital Editor Ellen Williams is joined by Clinical Instructor and Education Coordinator Camilla Linder and Biomedical Laboratory Scientist Miguel Gambell Barroso. The collaborative publication details an inventive method for determining hematocrit in dried blood spots using image analysis to avoid sample damage. Camilla and Miguel discuss the origins of the work, the challenges involved and even hint at a unique use for their method.

An interview with Walt Szablowski: how should healthcare systems handle cybersecurity breaches? by Future Science Group

In this episode of Talking Techniques, Ritwika Biswas, Field Scientist at Sino Biological US Inc. (PA, USA), walks us through the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) development process and how T and natural killer (NK) cells can be utilized to carry these modular synthetic molecules. Ritwika also addresses the safety and efficacy of these cell therapies as well as the ethical considerations around them.

In this episode of Talking Techniques, Ritwika Biswas, Field Scientist at Sino Biological US Inc. (PA, USA), walks us through the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) development process and how T and natural killer (NK) cells can be utilized to carry these modular synthetic molecules. Ritwika also addresses the safety and efficacy of these cell therapies as well as the ethical considerations around them.

AI Summit 2023: an interview with Phalgun Lolur by Future Science Group

Brain-computer interfaces and neuroethics with Uthman Ali by Future Science Group

Brain-computer interfaces and neuroethics with Uthman Ali by Future Science Group

In this Tech Blast episode, we explore preparing 3D cell cultures with Sartorius' (Goettingen, Germany) Sandra Söderholm, Application Development Specialist, and Maria Voutilainen, Product Manager. Sandra and Maria give us an introduction to 3D cell cultures and how to prepare them, and then delve into a foundational technique that is often overlooked: pipetting. We discuss pipetting techniques, common mistakes and their pipetting dos and don'ts. Contents: Introduction: 00:00–01:30 An introduction to 3D cell cultures: 01:30–02:48 Preparing 3D cell cultures: 02:48–03:25 Don't overlook your pipetting technique: 03:25–05:45 Common pipetting mistakes and how to overcome them: 05:45–08:30 Reproducibility of 3D cell cultures: 08:30–10:30

In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review their publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In episode two, Ellen is joined by Research Assistant Gaudry Troché to discuss conventional sampling and microsampling for the comparison of pharmacokinetic study profiles of insulin. Gaudry discusses life as an early career scientist, his plans for the future and his poster presentation at the Health Benefits and Leadership conference in Las Vegas.

In this episode of Talking Techniques, Ritwika Biswas, Field Scientist at Sino Biological US Inc., walks us through the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) development process and how T and natural killer (NK) cells can be utilized to carry these modular synthetic molecules. Ritwika also addresses the safety and efficacy of these cell therapies as well as the ethical considerations around them.

Lance - Interview - FINAL by Future Science Group

Luciano Floridi Interview Final by Future Science Group

In this episode, supported by Fortis Life Sciences, we delve into the relationship between mitochondria, inflammation and cancer, discussing the new techniques that are bearing fruit in this field, such as spatial analysis. Our expert insight for this episode comes from Phillip West, Principle Investigator of the West lab at Texas A&M Medicine (TX, USA). Philip explains the role mitochondria can play in cancer and heart disease, reveals some of his most exciting discoveries of late and provides technical tips for investigating this field. Listen on to discover how his use of spatial techniques has helped uncover mechanisms linking mitochondrial damage to the stifling of the immune system in the tumor microenvironment and the latest breakthroughs at the intersection of mitochondria and cancer. Contents: Introduction: 00:00-01:30The innate immune system, in inflammation and disease: 01:30-04:20The role of mitochondria in innate immunity: 04:20-07:00Categorizing DAMPS and their role in cardiovascular disease: 07:00-08:40Mitochondria and cancer: 08:40-11:55Techniques for the investigation of mitochondria: 11:55-15:20Best practice techniques for spatial studies: 15:20-17:35Discoveries made using spatial approaches to mitochondrial investigations: 17:35-19:55The latest developments in the intersection of mitochondria, cancer and inflammation: 19:55-22:20What is one thing you would ask for to improve your understanding of this field? 22:20-24:20

Intelligent health systems: an interview with Mazin Gadir by Future Science Group

In this Tech Blast episode supported by CN Bio (Cambridge, UK), their Lead Scientist Emily Richardson and Principal Bioengineer Dharaminder Singh talk us through organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technologies. From what they are and how they work to what kind of data they provide and their future applications, Emily and Dharaminder provide all the information you need to understand the basics of OOC.

In our new podcast series, we're joined by a Bioanalysis author to review the publication's biggest challenges, wider implications and next steps. In this first episode, we're joined by early career Researcher Anthony Breton to discuss volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS®) as an alternative to venepuncture for the assessment of essential and toxic elements.

Mixed reality technologies in medical and surgical applications: an interview with Taylor Kantor

In this episode, sponsored by Zymo Research, we explore the microbiome and how long-read sequencing techniques are changing our approach to the field and the exciting discoveries that they have led to. To do this we speak to Kris Locken, Molecular Biologist in the Research & Development department of Zymo Research (CA, USA), and Jeremy Wilkinson, Global Marketing Specialist for Microbial Genomics at PacBio (CA, USA). Find out how microbes compare to nuts and what this means for the challenges of metagenomic sample preparation, how long reads can stack up vs short reads for metagenome assembly and much more, all in this latest episode of Talking Techniques Contents:Intro: 00:00-01:55 What is metagenomics and why is it important for microbial studies? 01:55-03:55 How has long-read sequencing impacted metagenomics? 03:55-06:05 Long-read vs short-read sequencing workflows: 06:05-07:15 Addressing barriers to long-read sequencing: 07:15-08:45 Sample preparation for long-read sequencing: 08:45-12:20 Development of long-read sequencing to improve accuracy and capabilities: 12:20-14:40 Best practice for assembly and analysis: 14:40-17:40 Exciting examples of the benefits of long-read sequencing: 17:40-20:00 What would you wish for to improve the ability long-read sequencing in microbiomics: 20:00-21:40

In this Tech Blast episode supported by Thermo Fisher Scientific (MA, USA), Associate Product Manager Jon Flasher talks us through gene expression analysis, some of its challenges and the tools available to streamline the process. Listen to learn more about how Thermo's TaqMan Gene Expression Assays can be used to address research questions around cancer, biomarker identification, hereditary diseases, neurological diseases and the body's response to pathogens like COVID-19. Products mentioned in this podcast are for research use only, not for use in diagnostics.

In this episode of Editor's Picks, hear about how researchers have taken biotechnology to a whole new level, moving individual cells with sound waves, and geckos are more socially intelligent than we thought….

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of OCTalks, the podcast series from Oncology Central. I am Jade Parker, Senior Editor of Oncology Central. Today I am joined by Heather Beasley who is a post-doctoral scholar at Vanderbilt University (TN, USA). Heather's research focuses on calcium signaling in breast cancer, as well as the dysregulation of bone metabolism due to comorbidities such as hypercalcemia.

This episode, our second recorded at Neuroscience 2022 (13-19th April 2022; San Diego, CA, USA), delves into the importance of open data in neuroscience and the FAIR guidelines, which encourage researchers to make their data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. Sharing her considerable expertise in this area is one of the authors of the FAIR guidelines, Maryann Martone, who provides some key examples of the successes that open data practices have delivered so far and cautionary tales for how current practices are damaging the field. Listen on to find out how to implement open data practices, how they can help your lab and why Maryann sees it as our responsibility to resolve! Contents: Introduction: 00:00-02:00Introducing open neuroscience and the meaning of FAIR 02:00-03:00Exposing outdated paradigms in science: academic targets, publications, reproducibility and data accessibility: 03:00-06.30Incentivizing open data and reassigning value restructuring academia: 06:30-08.40The impact of FAIR within labs: 08:40-09:50Challenges of establishing and barriers to Open and FAIR neuroscience 09:50-12:00The reception of these guidelines in the field: 12:00-16:50Examples of the impact of open data in the spinal cord injury community: 16:50-18:10Marryann's experience of enacting changes early in her career: 18:10-21:20Judging value in scientific research and understanding your purpose: 21:20-24:20The importance of investment: 24:20-26:30The impact of industry on lab data: 26:30-27:50Practical tips for addressing your lab data: 27:50-31:10Key tips for preparing data for an open-source repository 31:10-33.15The FAIR data principles explained: 33.15-37:50

In this Tech Blast episode, we discuss lab automation with Gregory Lee, Automation Manager at Zymo Research (CA, USA). We explore the types of tasks that can be automated, Greg's three Ts to consider when thinking about automation ¬– technical, throughput and turnaround time – and his top tips for implementing automation. Greg also shares common pitfalls labs fall into when attempting to deploy automation, reminding us to never forget about the box. Contents: • Introduction: 00:00–00:40 • What does automation look like in a lab setting? 00:40–01:40 • What tasks can be automated? 01:40–02:30 • Greg's three Ts: 2:30–03:50 • The benefits of automation: 03:50–05:15 • Greg's top tips for implementing automation: 05:15–07:00 • Common pitfalls – it's not all about the instrument: 07:00–08:10 • Think outside the box, but don't forget it exists: 08:10–09:05 • Is automation our future? 09:05–10:45

On this month's episode of Editor's Picks, we're celebrating the 40th birthday of PCR, saving the northern white rhinoceros from the brink of extinction and connecting the dots between HPV, the vaginal microbiome and race.

In this episode of Talking Techniques, we head to the Ecuadorian rainforest to chat about the use of sequencing in conservation with Zane Libke, a field researcher based at Sumak Kawsay In Situ (Pastaza, Ecuador). Zane discusses how he turned his fascination with nature into a career, his current work using nanopore sequencing technologies to find undescribed species and helping train future field researchers. We also explore the benefits of fighting biodiversity in a more local-centric way and using research to protect the area from exploitative companies. Contents:Intro: 00:00–01:35Zane's work at Sumak Kawsay In Situ: 01:35–05:05Turning a fascination with nature into a career: 05:05–08:20The importance of sequencing for conservation: 08:20–12:25Technologies being used to sequence in the field: 12:25–14:15Portable nanopore sequencing with the MinION: 13:15–15:35Exporting samples means exporting opportunity: 15:35–18:40The sequencing workflow: 17:40–24:50Data processing: 24:50–27:45Using these technologies to find undescribed species: 27:45–32:20Fighting biodiversity loss in a more local-centric way: 32:20–34:55Using research to protect the area from exploitation: 34:55–38:50What the future holds: 38:50–43:22

In this special episode of Talking techniques, one of two recorded at Neuroscience 2022, we speak to Tim Harris (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, VA, USA). Tim is the creator of Neuropixels, neural recording probes inserted into the brains of animal models, which allow researchers to collect signals from hundreds of individual neurons in different brain regions simultaneously over extended periods of time. Here, he shares the story behind his creation and details how they have changed the data collection landscape in Neuroscience. Tim also considers every inventor's greatest concern: has his invention led to purely positive outcomes for the field? By enabling the collection of huge datasets have Neuropixels led to studies that bury findings in vast swathes of data or have they enabled researchers to collect enough information to discover the emphatic truth? Listen now to find out Tim's opinions on these contentious debates in neuroscience and get key tips for utilizing neuropixels!  Contents:Introduction: 00:00-03:00Tim's symposium on the capabilities of Neuropixels: 03:00-04.00Key takeaways from the symposium: 04:00-07:45The story of the development of neuropixels: 07:45-13:50Best practice tips for utilizing neuropixels: 13:50-15:15Challenges of utilizing neuropixels: 15:15-15:50Addressing the challenge of big data and sharing uncertainty: 15:50-17:30How neuropixels have accelerated neuroscience data generation: 17:30-19:30