This week’s headlines include, French court backs Stem Cell Research, GSK opens trial data, 444 medicines in development for neurological disorders, Pfizer provides Prevnar cheaply for poor countries, Novavax developing H7N9 vaccine, stem cell clinics coming to California, and astrocytes could repair stroke brain damage.

Cell Culture Dish Feature – Ask the Expert:

Our Next Session – Matrices for Cell Culture – How to develop healthy attachment.

Many of the common cell types we use are robust and grow on cell culture treated plastic. However there are many cell types that have difficulty attaching and/or spreading on cell culture treated plastic. In other cases, cells may attach but not differentiate unless the attachment surface correct. To learn more about matrices or if you are using them and have questions, this Ask The Expert topic is your chance to learn more about attachment surfaces and the rationale for using them.

Cell Culture Events:

BioProcess International Conference and Exhibition – September 16-19, 2013

Now celebrating its 10th Anniversary, BPI attracts experts from all bioprocessing and biomanufacturing disciplines and all levels, from research scientist to group leader to senior level executive who share and discuss their challenges in an interactive, learning environment.

Don’t miss the talk “Fast Identification of Reliable Hosts for Targeted Cell Line Development from a Limited-Genome Screening Using Combined C31 Integrase and CRE-Lox Technologies,” by Yongping Crawford, Ph.D., Scientist, Early Stage Cell Culture, Genentech, Inc.

Get a sneak peek by listening to the podcast now!

Introduction to Cell Culture – August 20-23, 2013

This 4-day cell culture workshop is designed for those with no or extensive cell culture experience. Topics include an introduction to cell and tissue culture, serum containing and serum-free media, adaptation to serum-free media, cell counting and viability staining, growth curve development, growth of suspension and adherent cells, transfection technologies, cryopreservation methods, cell cloning and primary culture.

Scheduled workshops take place in Baltimore, Maryland. All of our workshops can be conducted at your location if needed. If you have questions or want more specific course content please contact our website, www.biosciconcepts.com or call us at 410-752-4224.

Headlines:

“Top French Court Backs Stem-Cell Research,” Reuters

“France’s top court approved a law on Thursday making it easier to conduct research on human embryos and stem cells as long as strict rules are followed to prevent cloning. Predominantly Roman Catholic France has until now had tough curbs on embryonic Stem Cell Research under a 2011 law that only allows it with the explicit approval from the national biomedicine agency.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “New and Improved Cultureware is Designed with the Scientist in Mind”

“Pfizer Sells Key Vaccine, Prevnar, Cheaply to Poor Countries,” Bloomberg Businessweek

“Pfizer Inc. has agreed to provide hundreds of millions of doses of its lucrative vaccine against pneumonia and meningitis at a fraction of the usual price for young children in poor countries. The drugmaker will provide 260 million shots of its Prevnar 13 vaccine for a few dollars each. One Prevnar dose costs nearly $130 in the U.S.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “A New WAVE for the Future”

“$70M Stem Cell Clinic Development Plan Approved in California,” Genetic Engineering News

“The governing board of California’s stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), has approved a $70 million plan to create a new statewide network of sites that will act as a hub for stem cell clinical trials. The Alpha Stem Cell Clinics Network, which CIRM says would be one of the first to focus solely on stem cell therapies, aims to support and accelerate clinical trials for programs funded by the agency, as well as those developed elsewhere by academic researchers, clinicians, and pharmaceutical companies. CIRM said it is hopeful that as the field evolves, the delivery of approved new stem cell therapies will become another focus.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Quality Testing for Single Use Assemblies – A Review of our Ask the Expert session”

“Novavax Joins H7N9 Vaccine Race, Reports Positive Preclinical Data,” Fierce Biotech Research

“Novavax ($NVAX) is joining the race to produce a vaccine against the newest strain of avian influenza, H7N9, and it has published positive preclinical data for its viruslike particle (VLP) vaccine candidate. The latest outbreak of avian influenza in China earlier this year has spurred drug development interest in a vaccine to combat the deadly H7N9 strain, which health officials around the world have said has the potential to become a pandemic. Rockville, MD-based Novavax is competing against Blue Bell, PA-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals ($INO) to develop a vaccine against the strain.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Perfusion Bioreactors – With so much to offer they deserve a closer look”

“GSK Trial Data Opened for Other Researchers,” Med Page Today

“”Deidentified” data on individual participants in more than 200 GlaxoSmithKline-sponsored clinical trials are now available to independent researchers, company officials said. And by the end of the year, the database is likely to include patient-level data from some 400 interventional trials, according to Perry Nisen, MD, PhD, and Frank Rockhold, PhD, of GSK’s research division in King of Prussia, Pa. “We are taking this step because it is the right thing to do, both scientifically and for society, and it is in line with our company’s commitment to transparency in clinical trial reporting,” they wrote in the Aug. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “From Product Candidate to Product: The Road to Commercialization in Regenerative Medicine”

“Stem Cell Discovery: Astrocytes Could Repair Stroke Brain Damage,” Medical News Today

“Stem Cell Researchers have discovered that astrocytes may prove useful against stroke and other brain disorders. Astrocytes – neural cells that form the blood-brain barrier and so control what can and cannot enter the brain from the blood supply – have previously been overlooked in this area of stroke research. A collaborative study published in Nature Communications suggests that astrocytes can do far more than simply support nerve cells (neurons).”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Biologics Take Top Spots in Best Selling Drugs of 2012”

“PhRMA: Drug Companies Have 444 Medicines Under Development for Neurological Disorders,” Drug Store News

“Nearly 450 drugs are under development for treating neurological disorders, according to a report by a drug industry trade group. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said in a report released Wednesday that drug makers had 444 drugs in clinical development or awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval for a range of diseases, ranging from mild to serious.

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Cell Line Authentication – A discussion on protecting research against cell line contamination”