The Dish’s Weekly Biotechnology News Wrap Up – June 12, 2020
Podcasts:
Check out our podcast channel. We have over 40 great podcasts covering drug discovery, stem cell culture, upstream and downstream biomanufacturing and more! Click below to download from iTunes or Google play:
Webinars:
COVID-19 Serology Assays and Cell Therapy Strategies
June 30, 2020, 10:00 am PDT, 1:00 pm EDT
COVID-19 is a highly pathogenic disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). An assembled panel of experts will discuss a variety of current strategies for both serological testing and cell therapies to combat tissue damage caused by COVID-19.
In Case You Missed It, Recent Articles on Cell Culture Dish and Downstream Column:
Spheroid Models: Getting Started and Culture Tips
It has been well established that three-dimensional (3D) cell culture is better at replicating the physiological interactions between cells and their environment than traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture. In fact, many types of mammalian cells have the ability to self-aggregate into 3D aggregates called cellular spheroids when cultured in suspension or in a nonadherent environment. Common examples of spheroids include embryoid bodies, mammospheres, hepatospheres, and neurospheres. Perhaps the most widely utilized spheroid model is the multicellular spheroid model (MCTS) formed from cancer cells, which is commonly used as avascular tumor models to gain mechanistic insight into cancer invasion and metastasis and as an anti-cancer therapeutic screening tool. The heterogeneous population of proliferating and non-proliferating cells is exposed to a gradient of oxygen emulating the physio-chemical gradients found in solid tumors, therefore, making them more predictive in vitro models than 2D cultures. Additionally, they are also relatively easy, fast, versatile, and are inexpensive enough to enable high-throughput screening, which makes them attractive models for many applications…Cool Tool – The Addition of Allegro™ STR 500 Enables Seamless Single-Use Bioreactor Scalability from 50 to 2,000 L
Large-scale biomanufacturing frequently relies on single-use bioreactor systems for efficient manufacturing and scale-up. However, one challenge has been predictable scale-up from process scale bioreactors to larger manufacturing volumes. Pall has met this challenge with the Allegro STR bioreactor product line, which includes 50, 200, 1000, 2000 and the new 500 L bioreactor. The consistency in design, engineering and performance across all volumes enables predictable scale-up. In addition, the Allegro STR 500 bioreactor system leverages the usability and process assurance features seen in the entire Allegro STR bioreactor product range…Multistem – A Stable, Off-the Shelf Regenerative Medicine Has Demonstrated Promise in Treating Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome or ARDS
In this podcast and accompanying article, we talked with Dr. Gil Van Bokkelen, Chairman and CEO, Athersys about recent clinical breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and manufacturing challenges. We also discussed Multistem and how it has been demonstrated to help patients with ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome)…3D Model Systems: Spheroids, Organoid and Tissue Model Systems
Here, we look to demystify Spheroid and Organoids and discuss the distinct differences between them and their utility in scientific research as well as more advanced 3D tissue model systems like organ-on-a-chip technology…COVID-19 Therapeutics in Clinical Trials: The Antivirals
As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic spreads around the world in early 2020, scientists, doctors, and clinicians are rushing to find effective therapies for COVID-19 disease. Approved and investigational medications with a spectrum of activities are being examined as to whether they can be repurposed for COVID-19. Due to the magnitude of the effort by the medical community, it is difficult to keep track of the numerous therapeutic approaches. We scanned clinicaltrials.gov and found roughly 50 medications, world-wide, that have been in trial, currently are in trial, or are soliciting applicants for study. The medications include a broad array of activities which include antivirals, antiviral cell mediators, immunomodulators, and others. They are being evaluated singly, or in combinations, and usually across multiple clinical sites…