Niche-Disease: Pompe’s Disease by Cheryl Scott Pompe’s disease is a genetic disorder that causes a cellular buildup of the complex sugar glycogen. Its accumulation in organs and tissues impairs their ability to function normally. Since the disorder was identified in 1932 by Dutch pathologist J.C. Pompe, researchers have classified three forms of Pompe disease (also called glycogen storage disease type II or acid maltase deficiency): classic infantile-onset, nonclassic infantile-onset, and late-onset. The disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.…
Author Archives: BPI Staff
Spotlight – March 2015
Niche-Disease: Fanconi Anemia by Cheryl Scott Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare, genetic blood disorder that causes bone-marrow failure. It prevents bone marrow from producing sufficient new blood cells and/or makes it produce faulty blood cells. Although FA is a blood disorder, it can affect many organs, tissues, and systems. Children who inherit the condition are at higher risk of being born with birth defects. It is a complex and chronic disorder that can be psychologically demanding. FA is not…
Ask the Expert – 2D DIGE Western Blots for HCP Detection and Coverage Determination: Advantages of Fluorescence over Colorimetric Detection
with Jamina Fiedler, BioGenes GmbH Biopharmaceutical products must be free of by-products (such as host-cell proteins, HCPs) for approval by authorities such as the US FDA. For that, a clear proof is required of sufficient HCP detection by the HCP assay used. The two-dimensional (2D) DIGE Western blot method is the standard technique for detection of HCP coverage. Colorimetric detection has several limitations that can be overcome by the use of fluorescent detection. Jamina’s Presentation Practical differences between 2D DIGE…
Poster Hall and Awards Set to Launch at INTERPHEX 2015
International Pharmaceutical Expo (INTERPHEX), the premier pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical event dedicated to innovation, technology and knowledge, and sponsored by the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA), and BioProcess International, a monthly magazine devoted to the development, scale-up, and manufacture of biotherapeutics and biodiagnostics, today announced the addition of a Poster Hall held during INTERPHEX 2015 taking place April 21-23, Javits Center, New York, New York. Posters will be available on the show floor on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 21-22 from 9:00am-5:00pm. A…
Spotlight February 2015
Niche-Disease: Amyloidosis by Cheryl Scott Amyloidosis is a family of rare diseases involving a build- up of misfolded (and thus insoluble) amyloid protein in one or more organs. The condition affects different organs in different people, involving different types of amyloid protein. It most frequently affects the heart, kidneys, liver, spleen, nervous system, and digestive tract. Severe amyloidosis can cause life-threatening organ failure, and there is no cure. Some 60 amyloid proteins have been identified, with about half of them…
From the Editor and Spotlight
From the Editor Many publishers are grappling with managing and predicting the course of print and digital publishing. For academic journals with relatively few paid subscribers and/or association members focusing on specialty subject matter, going digital may make good sense — especially if that can lower subscription costs. However, BPI is a hybrid of reviewed journal and trade publication, addressing many reading and advertising preferences. The choice of which content to offer in print and which to duplicate or offer…
Increasing Protein Yield – Optimization of Suspension CHO Transient Transfection
with Dr. Laura Juckem High-efficiency transient transfections of suspension- adapted Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells enable researchers to bridge upstream and downstream processes. This helps to provide confidence that a recombinant protein will have the same properties throughout its development as a biologic. As drug targets become increasingly complex, proper protein folding and posttranslational modifications become more relevant. Early upstream work with the same cell type — e.g., CHO instead of HEK 293 cells — ensures similar product quality from…
Parallel Cultivation of Microorganisms – Using Rigid-Wall Single-Use Bioreactors
with Dr. Sebastian Kleebank In recent years, single-use bioreactor solutions have been successfully established for animal and human cell culture processes. Such technology is under investigation for microbial applications. Sebastian Kleebank is development and application laboratory manager for the Eppendorf line of bioprocess products. His cell culture and microbial laboratory performs parallel cultivations for prototype testing, user training, and software development. Kleebank’s Presentation “The BioBLU 1f bioreactor has a gas-inlet filter for sterile gas supply. It has a fully featured…
December 2014 Spotlight
Editorial Advisor Retires BioProcess International — and the overall industry — will miss retiring editorial advisor Laurie Donahue-Hjelle, formerly associate vice president at Life Technologies, Inc., in Rockville, MD. She earned her BA in biochemistry at the University of CA–Berkeley and a PhD in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at the University of CO–Boulder. For most of the 1990s, Laurie served on the faculty of Texas Tech University’s Health Sciences Center (department of cell biology and biochemistry), where her laboratory…
Ask the Expert: Accelerating Bioprocess Development Using Shake-Flask Metabolic Activity Data
with Dr. Gernot John of PreSens Precision Sensing GmbH Shake flasks are simple, low-cost devices widely used in screening and media optimization. The most widely measured parameter to determine biomass is optical density (OD). It is typically measured offline because no suitable equipment for broad range biomass measurements in shake flasks has been available. But a new, compact, SFR vario device from PreSens Precision Sensing can be placed under shake flasks to measure four parameters online: pH, O2 saturation, oxygen…