This week’s biotechnology news headlines include, four potential blockbuster drugs, Amgen gets EU green light for virus-based cancer drug, biodefense innovation needed, Merrimack gets FDA approval for pancreatic cancer drug, Vertex and CRISPR launch collaboration, WHO recommends pilot for malaria vaccine, and Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc. and Kite Pharma finalize collaboration.
Cell Culture Events
Ask the Expert:
Hematopoietic Stem & Progenitor Cell Culture
The culture of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) is important to assay the quality and functional properties of HSPCs e.g., during the implementation of transplantation or other approaches to treat hematological disorders, such as leukemia. Examples of HSPC culture assays include colony-forming unit (CFU) assays in semi-solid methylcellulose-based media, such as MethoCult™, to identify and quantify HSPCs, and expansion cultures in liquid media, such as StemSpan™, to increase HSPC numbers or generate large numbers of mature blood cells. These culture methods can also used to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of new drug candidates on hematopoiesis in vitro and to generate target cells for reprogramming to generate induced pluripotent stem cells.
In this Ask the Expert Session, we will discuss challenges and techniques for the culture of HSPCs, including the use of serum-free, defined media and supplements that have been developed by STEMCELL Technologies for HSPC culture applications.
This session is sponsored by STEMCELL Technologies and hosted by Dr. Bert Wognum. Dr. Wognum is the Principal Scientist for Hematopoietic & Immunopoietic Products in R&D at STEMCELL Technologies, and currently leads the development of new media and supplements for the expansion, differentiation and detection of HSPCs in culture.
Dr. Wognum obtained his PhD at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Terry Fox Laboratory in Vancouver, Canada, and the Department of Hematology at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He studied the role of hematopoietic growth factors and their receptors in normal hematopoiesis and leukemia and contributed to preclinical studies aimed at improving hematopoietic recovery after cytoreductive therapy and transplantation.
Please take advantage of the opportunity to ask our expert a question and participate in a discussion on serum-free conditions for the ex vivo expansion of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Session Starts Monday!
Webinar:
Increasing Large-Scale Protein Production Using a Novel Supplement Without Affecting Metabolic ProfilesTuesday, November 3, 2015 at 11 AM-12 PM EST
Bio-therapeutics have been a growing area of medicine for many years. Manufacturing
those therapies has been predominantly done by cell factories. The cost and consistency around that process is area for novel techniques used to improve bio-processing.
We investigated the use of Cell-Ess to improve protein yield. When added at the beginning of culture, we were able to increase the yield in titer of antibody protein production by 30% in CHO cells, without increasing proliferation or changes to the metabolite profile. Using the supplement as a feed, increased titer by 25% and extended the window for peak protein production. The supplement was also tested in a single–use bioreactor and a 5 liter Wave bioreactor. Please register for our webinar to see how we did it
Register here – http://view6.workcast.net/register?pak=5504502853813370
Conferences:
November
Bioproduction Summit 2015 – November 2-3, 2015 – Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront – Burlingame, CA Bioproduction Summit 2015 will focus on quintessential topics in Biotech field, such as technology advances in protein production, Cell culture, Bioprocess Development and Novel protein therapeutics. http://www.bioproductionsummit.com
World Vaccine Congress – November 3-5, 2015 – Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel – Brussels, Belgium – For 15 years the World Vaccine Congress in Europe has been the leading event to talk about scientific advances and find new business opportunities within the vaccine sector and this year is no exception. http://www.terrapinn.com/conference/world-vaccine-congress-europe/index.stm
FAST: Functional Analysis & Screening Technologies Congress – November 9-11, 2015 – Renaissance Waterfront Hotel – Boston, MA -Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI) is pleased to announce the Third Annual FAST: Functional Analysis and Screening Technologies Congress. Now in its third year, the FAST Congress brings you the latest technologies and research in cellular screening. – http://www.fastcongress.com/
“A first-in-class drug from Amgen based on a tumour-killing virus was given a green light by European regulators on Friday, paving the way for its approval within a couple of months.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Enabling High Throughput 3D Cell Culture Using Automation”
“Vertex Pharmaceuticals will use gene-editing technology from CRISPR Therapeutics to discover and develop potential new treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF) and sickle cell disease, the companies said today. The collaboration will generate at least $105 million for CRISPR upfront—and possibly more than $2.5 billion in milestone payments.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Exosomes: A Major Phenomenon Flying Under the Radar”
