MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Trends in Biotechnology' source. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:11:54 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3347287&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20207435%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bock R, Warzecha H Chloroplasts, the green differentiation form of a group of plant cell organelles called plastids, are the sites of photosynthesis, the main energy source for life on Earth. The small circular genome of the plastid has become increasingly amenable to genetic modification, providing biotechnologists with an attractive site for the accommodation of foreign genes. In recent years, the development of optimized expression strategies has given a huge boost to the exploitation of chloroplasts in molecular farming. Exciting progress has been made with the chloroplast-based production of two particularly important classes of pharmaceuticals: vaccines and antibiotics. Extraordinarily high expression levels and the prospects of developing edible biopharmaceuticals make ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3347287 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3347287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3320084&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20189666%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lee HS, Vermaas WF, Rittmann BE Hydrogen gas provides exceptional value as an energy carrier and industrial feedstock, but currently is produced entirely by reforming fossil fuels. Biological hydrogen production (BioH(2)), which offers the possibility of being renewable and carbon neutral, can be achieved by photosynthesis, fermentation, and microbial electrolysis cells. This review introduces the principles, advantages and challenges of each approach to BioH(2). Photosynthetic BioH(2) is the ultimate renewable source, since it directly uses inexhaustible resources: sunlight energy and electrons from H(2)O. However, it presents major technical challenges, particularly due to oxygen sensitivity. Fermentative BioH(2) offers a high production rate, but poor conversion efficiency ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3320084 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3320084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3269940&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20149467%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gardossi L, Poulsen PB, Ballesteros A, Hult K, Svedas VK, Vasić-Rački D, Carrea G, Magnusson A, Schmid A, Wohlgemuth R, Halling PJ Enzymes and whole cells are being increasingly applied in research and industry, but the adoption of biocatalysis relies strongly on useful scientific literature. Unfortunately, too many published papers lack essential information needed to reproduce and understand the results. Here, members of the scientific committee of the European Federation of Biotechnology Section on Applied Biocatalysis (ESAB) provide practical guidelines for reporting experiments. The document embraces the recommendations of the STRENDA initiative (Standards for Reporting Enzymology Data) in the context of pure enzymology and provides further guidelines and expl... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3269940 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3269940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3269939&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20149468%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews landmark developments in cell reprogramming, current knowledge, and technological developments now on the horizon with significant promise for biomedical applications. PMID: 20149468 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3269939 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3269939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3244817&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20129685%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Herman RA PMID: 20129685 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3244817 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3244817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3228994&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20116113%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gunn J, Zhang M Advances in disease treatment and tissue regeneration are buoyed by new, multifaceted materials that emulate and coercively interact with the local microenvironment. Polyblend nanofibers represent an emerging class of biomimetic nanostructures that can act as proxies of the native tissue, while providing topographical and biochemical cues that promote healing. These fibers are prepared with mixtures of synthetically and naturally derived polymers that can behave cooperatively to demonstrate unique combinations of mechanical, biochemical and structural properties. This flexibility has led to the application of polyblend nanofibers in a wide assortment of tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. In this review, we will examine design criteria and properties ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3228994 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3228994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3228993&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20116873%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dohan Ehrenfest DM, Coelho PG, Kang BS, Sul YT, Albrektsson T Since the founding of the osseointegration concept, the characteristics of the interface between bone and implant, and possible ways to improve it, have been of particular interest in dental and orthopaedic implant research. Making use of standardized tools of analysis and terminology, we present here a standardized characterization code for osseointegrated implant surfaces. This code describes the chemical composition of the surface, that is, the core material, such as titanium, and its chemical or biochemical modification through impregnation or coating. This code also defines the physical surface features, at the micro- and nanoscale, such as microroughness, microporosity, nanoroughness, nanotubes, nanoparticles,... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3228993 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3228993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3186365&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20079945%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Korf J, Huinink KD, Posthuma-Trumpie GA In medicine and biotechnology, close monitoring of molecular processes might assist to optimise therapeutic interventions and production of biochemicals, respectively. Here, we summarize the current status of two automatic and continuous sampling technologies, microdialysis and microfiltration, which facilitate both in vivo and in vitro monitoring of nearly any analyte, because they can be combined easily with many analytical techniques. Conventional microdialysis and microfiltration, which require collecting relatively large samples, are however often impractical and semi-quantitative; hence, we focus on ultraslow sampling to circumvent such limitations. Ultraslow microdialysis and microfiltration already have been used successfully for... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3186365 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3186365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3186366&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20079548%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ferrari M The physics of mass transport within body compartments and across biological barriers differentiates cancers from healthy tissues. Variants of nanoparticles can be manufactured in combinatorially large sets, varying by only one transport-affecting design parameter at a time. Nanoparticles can also be used as building blocks for systems that perform sequences of coordinated actions, in accordance with a prescribed logic. We refer to these as Logic-Embedded Vectors (LEVs). Nanoparticles and LEVs are ideal probes for the determination of mass transport laws in tumors, acting as imaging contrast enhancers, and can be employed for lesion-selective delivery of therapy. Their size, shape, density and surface chemistry dominate convective transport in the bloodstream, margin... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3186366 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3186366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3179157&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20071044%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pissuwan D, Cortie CH, Valenzuela SM, Cortie MB The increasing number of bacterial strains that are resistant to available pharmaceutical compounds is a vital issue for public health. Innovative approaches will be required to improve the methods for both diagnosis and destruction of these organisms. Here, we consider the possible role that can be played by technologies based on gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles generally are considered to be biologically inert but can be engineered to possess chemical or photothermal functionality. A growing body of research is devoted to the potential use of these nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections. The results are both promising and intriguing, and suggest a range of new strategies to identify, target o... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3179157 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3179157 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3157900&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20056286%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hutmacher DW, Loessner D, Rizzi S, Kaplan DL, Mooney DJ, Clements JA Advances in tissue engineering have traditionally led to the design of scaffold- or matrix-based culture systems that better reflect the biological, physical and biochemical environment of the natural extracellular matrix. Although their clinical applications in regenerative medicine tend to receive most of the attention, it is obvious that other areas of biomedical research could be well served by the powerful tools that have already been developed in tissue engineering. In this article, we review the recent literature to demonstrate how tissue engineering platforms can enhance in vitro and in vivo models of tumorigenesis and thus hold great promise to contribute to future cancer research. PMID: 20056286... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3157900 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3157900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3141516&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20045210%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Reumann MK, Weiser MC, Mayer-Kuckuk P Molecular imaging permits non-invasive visualization and measurement of molecular and cell biology in living subjects, thereby complementing conventional anatomical imaging. Herein, we review the emerging application of molecular imaging for the study of musculoskeletal biology. Utilizing mainly bioluminescence and fluorescence techniques, molecular imaging has enabled in-vivo studies of (i) the activity of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and hormones, (ii) the mechanisms of pathological cartilage and bone destruction, (iii) skeletal gene and cell therapy with and without biomaterial support, and (iv) the cellular processes in osteolysis and osteomyelitis. In these applications, musculoskeletal molecular imaging demonstrated feasibility for rese... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3141516 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3141516 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3137688&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20044160%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rajkumar M, Ae N, Prasad MN, Freitas H Phytoremediation holds promise for in situ treatment of heavy metal contaminated soils. Recently, the benefits of combining siderophore-producing bacteria (SPB) with plants for metal removal from contaminated soils have been demonstrated. Metal-resistant SPB play an important role in the successful survival and growth of plants in contaminated soils by alleviating the metal toxicity and supplying the plant with nutrients, particularly iron. Furthermore, bacterial siderophores are able to bind metals other than iron and thus enhance their bioavailability in the rhizosphere of plants. Overall, an increase in plant growth and metal uptake will further enhance the effectiveness of phytoremediation processes. Here, we highlight the diversity a... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3137688 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3137688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3135855&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20042248%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vazin T, Schaffer DV The stem cell niche is an anatomical site that contains a reservoir of multipotent stem cells (SCs) that can maintain normal tissue, or replenish injured or aged cell populations, in response to mechanisms that regulate whether they should remain quiescent, undergo self-renewal, or differentiate. The choice among these hallmark SC behaviors is governed by intricate soluble and "solid phase" signals that are systemic or presented by the local niche cells. In this review, we discuss the progress achieved in understanding the mechanisms and principles that govern microenvironmental regulation of SC behavior, and focus on novel approaches that have been developed to synthesize this basic information to engineer creative strategies for harnessing and controllin... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3135855 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3135855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3105565&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20015561%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Le Provost F, Lillico S, Passet B, Young R, Whitelaw B, Vilotte JL Non-mouse mammalian transgenesis is limited by its overall inefficiency and technical hurdles. Recent years have seen the emergence of two approaches that are applicable to most mammals. The first, based on lentivirus vectors, allows efficient generation of transgenic founders, most of them expressing the transgene. The second, recently applied to produce transgenic fish and mammals, takes advantage of the design of specific 'DNA-scissors' for efficient introduction of subtle mutations in potentially any region of the genome. This review focuses on the potential of this latter technology to modify mammalian genomes without the need to apply challenging and less-efficient protocols. We highlight the complementar... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3105565 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3105565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067492&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19963293%26dopt%3DAbstract We describe the synergistic role of structural biology, particularly in unmasking structure-function relationships following genetic modification and their collective impact on laccase yields. Such recent research draws closer the prospect of industrial quantities of designer, fit-for-purpose laccases. PMID: 19963293 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067492 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3067492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067494&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19962774%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Loving GS, Sainlos M, Imperiali B Solvatochromic fluorophores possess emission properties that are sensitive to the nature of the local microenvironment. These dyes have been exploited in applications ranging from the study of protein structural dynamics to the detection of protein-binding interactions. Although the solvatochromic indole fluorophore of tryptophan has been utilized extensively for in vitro studies to advance our understanding of basic protein biochemistry, the emergence of new extrinsic synthetic dyes with improved properties, in conjunction with recent developments in site-selective methods to incorporate these chemical tools into proteins, now open the way for studies in more complex systems. Herein, we discuss recent technological advancements and their appl... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067494 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3067494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067493&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19962775%26dopt%3DAbstract This article examines the formation and structure of fiber-like or filamentous micelles, with cross-sections of nanometer dimensions. These fascinating objects are currently under investigation for drug delivery applications, as impact modifiers for plastics, as templates for the deposition of metal nanoparticles and as precursors to nanoscale ceramics. Moreover, in some cases, studies of their formation and fragmentation are beginning to provide insight into the generation of protein fibers, such as actin or amyloid fibers, derived from soluble cytosolic protein precursors. PMID: 19962775 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067493 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3067493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3036515&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19942311%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gorodkin J, Hofacker IL, Torarinsson E, Yao Z, Havgaard JH, Ruzzo WL Growing recognition of the numerous, diverse and important roles played by non-coding RNA in all organisms motivates better elucidation of these cellular components. Comparative genomics is a powerful tool for this task and is arguably preferable to any high-throughput experimental technology currently available, because evolutionary conservation highlights functionally important regions. Conserved secondary structure, rather than primary sequence, is the hallmark of many functionally important RNAs, because compensatory substitutions in base-paired regions preserve structure. Unfortunately, such substitutions also obscure sequence identity and confound alignment algorithms, which complicates analysis greatly... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3036515 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3036515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3000766&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19914725%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Le Gac S, van den Berg A 'Lab-on-a-chip' technology (LOC) has now reached a mature state and is employed commonly in research in the life sciences. LOC devices make novel experimentation possible while providing a sophisticated environment for cellular investigation. As a next step, we introduce here the concept of a 'lab-in-a-cell': the use of a single cell as a minimal and highly confined experimental unit, or experimentation in the simple, but still unequalled, platform provided by nature itself. LOC provides the appropriate format and set of tools for LIC experimentation, and we discuss here three types of LIC investigation: the elucidation of signaling pathways; the creation of novel production units; and the use of microfluidics for assisted reproduction techniques. ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3000766 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3000766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3000767&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19913316%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Otten LG, Hollmann F, Arends IW The availability of tailored enzymes is crucial for the implementation of biocatalysis in organic chemistry. Enantioselectivity is one key parameter defining the usefulness of an enzyme and, therefore, the competitiveness of the corresponding industrial process. Hence, identification of enzymes with high enantioselectivity in the desired transformation is important. Currently, this is achieved by screening collections and libraries comprising natural or man-made diversity for the desired trait. Recently, a variety of improved methods have been developed to generate and screen this diversity more efficiently. Here, we present and discuss the most important advances in both library generation and screening. We also evaluate future trends, such as ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3000767 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3000767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2978036&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19897265%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Floss DM, Schallau K, Rose-John S, Conrad U, Scheller J Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are highly biocompatible and exhibit a potentially highly useful property: that of a thermally responsive reversible phase transition. These characteristics make ELPs attractive for drug delivery, appealing as materials for tissue repair or engineering, and improve the efficiency with which recombinant proteins can be purified. ELP fusion proteins (referred to as ELPylation) inherit the reversible phase transition property. ELPylation technology recently has been extended to plant cells, and a number of plant-based expression systems have been evaluated for the production of ELPylated proteins. Here, we discuss recent developments in ELP technology and the substantial potential of ELPs for... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2978036 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2978036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2978037&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19896744%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mattiasson B, Teeparuksapun K, Hedström M New, highly sensitive, biosensor concepts make it possible to assay biomacromolecules at concentrations that previously were far below the limit of detection. The previous generation of assays used in quality control situations during biotechnological production was designed primarily for monitoring target molecules, which typically appeared in high concentrations. Hence, novel analytical techniques with high sensitivity should become increasingly important in meeting the demands from regulatory agencies with regard to declaring levels of impurities in biopharmaceuticals. Such techniques also open up opportunities for a range of other challenging measurements, for example, in the area of biohazards. This review describes the devel... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2978037 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2978037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2978038&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19896228%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kulkarni M, Greiser U, O'Brien T, Pandit A In the absence of any ideal gene delivery carrier despite the recent explosion of novel carrier systems, the current trend is to explore the complementary synergy promised by a combination of delivery systems such as liposomes, which are the most widely researched versatile non-viral carriers, and tissue-engineered scaffolds with macrostructures of defined architecture comprised of natural or synthetic macromolecules. Here, we discuss the recent advances in liposomal gene delivery and the possible benefits of a combined liposome-scaffold approach, such as long-term expression, enhanced stability, reduction in toxicity and ability to produce spatio-temporal expression patterns. This approach is generating significant impact in the fiel... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2978038 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2978038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2953606&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19879007%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Demon D, Van Damme P, Berghe TV, Vandekerckhove J, Declercq W, Gevaert K, Vandenabeele P Caspases are key players in various cellular processes, such as apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation, and in pathological conditions including cancer and inflammation. Although caspases preferentially cleave C-terminal of aspartic acid residues, their action is restricted generally to one or a few sites per protein substrate. Caspase-specific substrate recognition appears to be determined by the substrate sequences adjacent to the scissile bond. Knowledge of these substrates and the generated fragments is crucial for a thorough understanding of the functional implications of caspase-mediated proteolysis. In addition, insight into the cleavage specificity might assist in designing i... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2953606 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2953606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2948528&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19875185%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Donnez D, Jeandet P, Clément C, Courot E Trans-resveratrol is a phenolic plant compound that has been recognized for its benefits on human health. Currently, increasing demand for trans-resveratrol for nutraceutical, cosmetic, and putatively pharmaceutic uses makes its production from sustainable sourcing a necessity. In this context, the use of biotechnology through recombinant microorganisms and plant cell suspensions is particularly promising because it represents a reliable alternative method of trans-resveratrol production under controlled conditions. Tailoring yeast or bacteria with genes that encode enzymes of the trans-resveratrol pathway and further elicitation of plant-cell metabolism might represent powerful strategies for increased trans-resveratrol bioproduct... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2948528 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2948528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2935500&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19857909%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Moon HS, Li Y, Stewart CN Gene flow from transgenic plants is an environmental and regulatory concern. While biocontainment might be achieved using male sterility or transgenic mitigation tools, we believe that perhaps the optimal solution might be simply to remove transgenes from pollen. Male sterility might not be ideal for many pollinators, and might not be implementable using standardized genes. Transgenic mitigation might not be useful to control conspecific gene flow (e.g. crop to crop), and relies on competition and not biocontainment per se. Site-specific recombination systems could allow highly efficient excision of transgenes in pollen to eliminate, or at least minimize, unwanted transgene movement via pollen dispersal. There are other potential biotechnologies, such... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2935500 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2935500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2935503&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19853940%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mackanos MA, Contag CH Accurate diagnosis and prognosis is essential for cancer management but is subject to sampling and inter-observer error. In a recent study, Baker et al. compared Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy with histological pathology to evaluate prostate tissue for disease severity. The authors found that biochemical changes associated with prostate cancer could be discriminated by FTIR to classify confined and locally invasive prostate cancers. These findings could enable the development of improved diagnostic and prognostic methods for the detection and treatment of prostate cancers. PMID: 19853940 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2935503 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2935503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2935502&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19853941%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ferreira GN, da-Silva AC, Tomé B Piezoelectric sensors are acoustic sensors that enable the selective and label-free detection of biological events in real time. These sensors generate acoustic waves and utilize measurements of the variation of the wave propagation properties as a signal for probing events at the sensor surface. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) devices, the most widespread acoustic resonators, allow the study of viscoelastic properties of matter, the adsorption of molecules, or the motility of living cells. In a tutorial-like approach, this review addresses the physical principles associated with the QCM, as well as the origin and effects of major interfering phenomena. Special attention is paid to the possibilities offered by QCM that go beyond microwei... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2935502 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2935502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2935501&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19853942%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Miller HI, Carter CA PMID: 19853942 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2935501 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2935501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2918053&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19846228%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rathore AS Scientific and regulatory issues around approval of follow-on protein products, referred to as biosimilars in Europe, have been a topic of great interest and debate recently. The central issue is our limited understanding of how the different quality attributes of a product have an impact on its safety and efficacy. Crucial gaps in our knowledge include a lack of standardization in the way in which data are collected, analyzed and reported, and limitations in the ability of non-clinical tools for predicting clinical safety and efficacy. Complexity of protein products with respect to the numerous quality attributes and complexity of the biotechnology processes and the raw materials add to the challenges. In this paper, recommendations are presented to help at least p... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2918053 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2918053 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2877309&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19815300%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nfor BK, Verhaert PD, van der Wielen LA, Hubbuch J, Ottens M Current biopharmaceutical manufacturing strongly relies on using purification platform processes, offering harmonization of practices and speed-to-market. However, the ability of such processes to respond quickly to anticipated higher quality and capacity demands is under question. Here, we describe novel approaches for purification process development that incorporate biothermodynamics, modern high throughput experimentation and simulation tools. Such development leads to production platform-specific databases containing thermodynamic protein descriptors of major host cell proteins over a range of experimental conditions. This will pave the way for in silico purification process development, providing better process... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2877309 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2877309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859207&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19796832%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Auer C, Frederick R Crops can be modified by engineering novel RNA interference (RNAi) pathways that create small RNA molecules to alter gene expression in crops or plant pests. RNAi can generate new crop quality traits or provide protection against insects, nematodes and pathogens without introducing new proteins into food and feed products. As a result, stakeholders and regulators need to construct credible ecological risk assessments (ERAs) that characterize potential exposure pathways and hazards for RNAi crops, including off-target effects, non-target effects and impacts from genetic mutations and polymorphisms. New methods are needed to identify RNAi crops and measure the environmental persistence of small RNAs. With some modifications, it seems likely that current ERA f... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859207 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2859207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2856109&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19793618%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhang Y, Zhu Y, Zhu Y, Li Y Good physiological performance of industrial microbes is crucial for successful bioprocesses. Conventional metabolism-oriented engineering strategies often fail to obtain expected phenotypes owing to focusing narrowly on targeted metabolic capabilities while neglecting microbial physiological responses to environmental stresses. To meet the new challenges posed by the biotechnological production of fuels, chemicals and materials, microbes should exert strong physiological robustness and fitness, in addition to strong metabolic capabilities, to enable them to work efficiently in actual bioprocesses. Here, we address the importance of engineering physiological functionalities into microbes and illustrate the operation procedure. We believe that this p... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2856109 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2856109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2847281&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19783314%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rosche B, Li XZ, Hauer B, Schmid A, Buehler K Biofilm reactors have long been commercially used in the treatment of wastewater and off-gas. New opportunities are arising with the rapid expansion of our understanding of biofilm biology over the last few years. Biofilms have great potential as industrial workhorses for the sustainable production of chemicals because of their inherent characteristics of self-immobilization, high resistance to reactants and long-term activity, which all facilitate continuous processing. A variety of biofilm reactor configurations have been explored for productive catalysis and some reactors have been operated continuously for months. Sectors that might particularly benefit from this biofilm approach include synthetic chemistry (ranging from specia... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2847281 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2847281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2847280&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19783315%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kos M, van Loon JJ, Dicke M, Vet LE Although integrated pest management (IPM) strategies have been developed worldwide, further improvement of IPM effectiveness is required. The use of transgenic technology to create insect-resistant plants can offer a solution to the limited availability of highly insect-resistant cultivars. Commercially available insect-resistant transgenic crops show clear benefits for agriculture and there are many exciting new developments such as transgenic plants that enhance biological control. Effective evaluation tools are needed to ascertain that transgenic plants do not result in undesired non-target effects. If these conditions are met, there will be ample opportunities for transgenic plants to become key components of environmentally benign and d... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2847280 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2847280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2824533&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19766335%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Antosova Z, Mackova M, Kral V, Macek T Varied therapeutic peptides and proteins represent a rapidly growing part of marketed drugs and have an undisputed place alongside other established therapies. Nevertheless, such biodrugs have several drawbacks that hinder their therapeutic application. These are undesirable physicochemical properties, such as variable solubility, low bioavailability and limited stability. These issues can be overcome by addition of stabilizing agents and directed injectable administration, which can however result in low patient compliance. Hence, there is a drive in the biotechnology industry to produce needle-free and more user-friendly drugs, and this has led to the growth of nano-enabled drug delivery systems in the last decade. As discussed here, na... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2824533 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2824533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2824534&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19765844%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jaluria P, Adams DN Research and development connect technology and innovation to product design. However, the term is often used to refer to only a subset of the necessary disciplines to the exclusion of technical operations. Here, we argue that the importance of technical operations is undeniable, offering possible solutions by drawing on lessons from outdated biotherapeutics production methods and highlighting advances in the field. PMID: 19765844 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2824534 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2824534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2810250&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19758719%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Twyman RM, Ramessar K, Quemada H, Capell T, Christou P PMID: 19758719 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2810250 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2810250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2789283&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19740561%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ludlow K, Bowman DM, Kirk DD Regulation of all new technology ebbs and flows between periods of under- and over-regulation, often dependant on the viewpoint of the observer and the underlying objectives of the particular regulation. As illustrated by genetic modification (GM) applications, defining what constitutes appropriate regulation for a rapidly evolving technology can be difficult. Drawing upon the lessons of GM, we argue that nanotechnology will go through similar periods of inappropriate regulation. As with GM, future regulatory responses to nanotechnology will be shaped by perceptions of risk and willingness to accept varying levels of risk. With varying responses between jurisdictions appearing inevitable, we argue that the timing and type of regulation adopted for ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2789283 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2789283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2775256&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19733928%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Posthuma-Trumpie GA, van Amerongen A, Korf J, van Berkel WJ The steroid hormone progesterone is the primary biomarker of the reproductive status of female mammals. Current techniques of monitoring progesterone are based predominantly on (enzyme) immunoassays, but these are too expensive to be affordable in daily screening programmes because of their associated labour costs and the need for laboratory facilities and/or equipment. Here, we discuss existing methods as well as new perspectives for (automated) application at point of care/need, e.g. the milking parlour. These make it apparent that a low-cost, fully automated progesterone assay system to monitor the reproductive status is far from being realised at present. Timely ovulation prediction techniques for artificial insem... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2775256 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2775256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2752469&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19716614%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Andexer JN, Langermann JV, Kragl U, Pohl M During the last decades, enzymes became very versatile catalysts for a variety of reactions including natural and unnatural compounds. However, many enzyme-catalysed reactions suffer from diverse restrictions because of limitations related to process parameters or the enzyme. The understanding and overcoming of those undesired side effects is therefore mandatory for the implementation of optimal process parameters. To achieve this aim, various methods from molecular biology and reaction engineering can be employed. By focusing on the hydroxynitrile lyase-catalysed synthesis of enantiopure cyanohydrins, we give an overview of strategies to improve commercially utilized enzymes and to suppress non-enzymatic reactions. Particular emphasi... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2752469 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2752469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2742138&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19709772%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Liu P, Mathies RA Driven by the ambitious goals of genome-related research, fully integrated microfluidic systems have developed rapidly to advance biomolecular and, in particular, genetic analysis. To produce a microsystem with high performance, several key elements must be strategically chosen, including device materials, temperature control, microfluidic control, and sample/product transport integration. We review several significant examples of microfluidic integration in DNA sequencing, gene expression analysis, pathogen detection, and forensic short tandem repeat typing. The advantages of high speed, increased sensitivity, and enhanced reliability enable these integrated microsystems to address bioanalytical challenges such as single-copy DNA sequencing, single-cell gene... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2742138 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2742138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2735172&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19699543%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Herman RA, Chassy BM, Parrott W Compositional studies comparing transgenic crops with non-transgenic crops are almost universally required by governmental regulatory bodies to support the safety assessment of new transgenic crops. Here we discuss the assumptions that led to this requirement and lay out the theoretical and empirical evidence suggesting that such studies are no more necessary for evaluating the safety of transgenic crops than they are for traditionally bred crops. PMID: 19699543 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2735172 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2735172 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2713201&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19683818%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Grellier M, Bordenave L, Amédée J There have been extensive research efforts to develop new strategies for bone tissue engineering. These have mainly focused on vascularization during the development and repair of bone. It has been hypothesized that pre-seeding a scaffold with endothelial cells could improve angiogenesis and bone regeneration through a complex dialogue between endothelial cells and bone-forming cells. Here, we focus on the paracrine signals secreted by both cell types and the effects they elicit. We discuss the other modes of cell-to-cell communication that could explain their cell coupling and reciprocal interactions. Endothelial cell-derived tube formation in a scaffold and the dialogue between endothelial cells and mesenchymal stem cells provide p... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2713201 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2713201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2713200&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19683819%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Easton DM, Nijnik A, Mayer ML, Hancock RE A fundamentally new strategy for the treatment of infectious disease is the modulation of host immune responses to enhance clearance of infectious agents and reduce tissue damage due to inflammation. Antimicrobial host defense peptides have been investigated for their potential as a new class of antimicrobial drugs. Recently their immunomodulatory activities have begun to be appreciated. Modulation of innate immunity by synthetic variants of host defense peptides, called innate defense regulators (IDRs), is protective without direct antimicrobial action. We discuss the potential and current limitations in exploiting the immunomodulatory activity of IDRs as a novel anti-infective pathway. IDRs show significant promise and current resear... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2713200 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2713200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2713199&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19683820%26dopt%3DAbstract This article explains how organizational changes in industry and academia can complement each other. Successful translation of research into innovative drugs needs to take account of the increasing organizational complexity of drug discovery as the knowledge to be integrated becomes more diffuse, specialized and valuable. PMID: 19683820 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2713199 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2713199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2713202&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19683353%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Weyens N, van der Lelie D, Taghavi S, Newman L, Vangronsveld J Although many plant-associated bacteria have beneficial effects on their host, their importance during plant growth and development is still underestimated. A better understanding of their plant growth-promoting mechanisms could be exploited for sustainable growth of food and feed crops, biomass for biofuel production and feedstocks for industrial processes. Such plant growth-promoting mechanisms might facilitate higher production of energy crops in a more sustainable manner, even on marginal land, and thus contribute to avoiding conflicts between food and energy production. Furthermore, because many bacteria show a natural capacity to cope with contaminants, they could be exploited to improve the efficiency of phy... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2713202 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2713202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703201&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19679362%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Varshney RK, Nayak SN, May GD, Jackson SA Using next-generation sequencing technologies it is possible to resequence entire plant genomes or sample entire transcriptomes more efficiently and economically and in greater depth than ever before. Rather than sequencing individual genomes, we envision the sequencing of hundreds or even thousands of related genomes to sample genetic diversity within and between germplasm pools. Identification and tracking of genetic variation are now so efficient and precise that thousands of variants can be tracked within large populations. In this review, we outline some important areas such as the large-scale development of molecular markers for linkage mapping, association mapping, wide crosses and alien introgression, epigenetic modifications, ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703201 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2703201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703200&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19679363%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schmidt MF, Rademann J Fragment-based methods for drug discovery are increasingly popular because they provide drug leads with greater ligand efficiency than conventional high-throughput screening. However, established methods for fragment detection do not address the central question in fragment-based ligand discovery: how can a primary ligand be optimally extended by a secondary fragment? Dynamic screening methods solve this issue by using a protein target as a template for ligand assembly, thus yielding high-affinity binders from low-affinity fragments. This review summarizes recent work on dynamic screening methodology, which resulted in the development of several high-affinity binders for various targets. Strengths and limitations of the published approaches are discussed... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703200 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2703200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703199&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19679364%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dunham JH, Hall RA G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate physiological responses to a diverse array of stimuli and are the molecular targets for numerous therapeutic drugs. GPCRs primarily signal from the plasma membrane, but when expressed in heterologous cells many GPCRs exhibit poor trafficking to the cell surface. Multiple approaches have been taken to enhance GPCR surface expression in heterologous cells, including addition/deletion of receptor sequences, co-expression with interacting proteins, and treatment with pharmacological chaperones. In addition to providing enhanced surface expression of certain GPCRs in heterologous cells, these approaches have also shed light on the control of GPCR trafficking in vivo and in some cases have led to new therapeutic approach... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703199 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2703199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703202&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19674801%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yao L, Evans JA, Rzhetsky A Current drug discovery is impossible without sophisticated modeling and computation. In this review we outline previous advances in computational biology and, by tracing the steps involved in pharmaceutical development, explore a range of novel, high-value opportunities for computational innovation in modeling the biological process of disease and the social process of drug discovery. These opportunities include text mining for new drug leads, modeling molecular pathways and predicting the efficacy of drug cocktails, analyzing genetic overlap between diseases and predicting alternative drug use. Computation can also be used to model research teams and innovative regions and to estimate the value of academy-industry links for scientific and human ben... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703202 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2703202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2682437&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19656584%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Oliveira PH, Prather KJ, Prazeres DM, Monteiro GA The global increase in the number of applications involving therapeutic plasmid DNA (pDNA) is creating a need for large amounts of highly stable and purified molecules. One of the main obstacles during the developmental stages of a new therapeutic DNA molecule involves tackling a wide array of structural instability events occurring in/with pDNA and therefore assuring its structural integrity. This review focuses on major instability determinants in pDNA. Their elimination could be considered an important step towards the design of safer and more efficient plasmid molecules. Particular emphasis is given to mutations triggered by the presence of repeated sequences, instability events occurring during plasmid intracellular routin... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2682437 Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2682437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2675235&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19651453%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Martin I, Smith T, Wendt D Despite the compelling clinical need to regenerate damaged tissues/organs, impressive advances in the field of tissue engineering have yet to result in viable engineered tissue products with widespread therapeutic adoption. Although bioreactor systems have been proposed as a key factor in the manufacture of standardized and cost-effective engineered products, this concept appears slow to be embraced and implemented. Here we address scientific, regulatory and commercial challenges intrinsic to the bioreactor-based translation of tissue engineering models into clinical products, proposing a roadmap for the implementation of a new paradigm. The roadmap highlights that bioreactors must be implemented throughout product development, allowing scientific, m... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2675235 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2675235 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2668510&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19647883%26dopt%3DAbstract This article presents a roadmap for successful QbD implementation for therapeutic biotechnology products. The approach presented here is aligned with existing regulatory guidance documents. Key developments are reviewed and case studies are used to illustrate these concepts. It is concluded that although several QbD concepts are being practiced by the biotechnology industry, successful dialogue and partnership between the industry and its regulators will be the key to successful QbD implementation. PMID: 19647883 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2668510 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2668510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2627424&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19616329%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Katzen F, Peterson TC, Kudlicki W Structural and functional studies of membrane proteins have been severely hampered by difficulties in producing sufficient quantities of properly folded protein products. It is well established that cell-based expression of membrane proteins is generally problematic and frequently results in low yield, cell toxicity, protein aggregation and misfolding. Owing to its inherent open nature, cell-free protein expression has become a highly promising tool for the fast and efficient production of these difficult-to-express proteins. Here we review the most recent advances in this field, underscoring the potentials and weaknesses of the newly developed approaches and place specific emphasis on the use of nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs or nanodiscs). ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2627424 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2627424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2627423&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19616330%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Viguier C, Arora S, Gilmartin N, Welbeck K, O'Kennedy R Bovine mastitis, the most significant disease of dairy herds, has huge effects on farm economics due to reduction in milk production and treatment costs. Traditionally, methods of detection have included estimation of somatic cell counts, an indication of inflammation, measurement of biomarkers associated with the onset of the disease (e.g. the enzymes N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and lactate dehydrogenase) and identification of the causative microorganisms, which often involves culturing methods. These methods have their limitations and there is a need for new rapid, sensitive and reliable assays. Recently, significant advances in the identification of nucleic acid markers and other novel biomarkers and the developmen... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2627423 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2627423 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2602913&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19592121%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Adams DJ, Beniston LJ, Childs PR PMID: 19592121 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2602913 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2602913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2592216&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19589608%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Miller HI PMID: 19589608 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2592216 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2592216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580527&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19577814%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Neethirajan S, Gordon R, Wang L Many plant systems accumulate silica in solid form, creating intracellular or extracellular silica bodies (phytoliths) that are essential for growth, mechanical strength, rigidity, predator and fungal defence, stiffness and cooling. Silica is an inorganic amorphous oxide formed by polymerization processes within plants. There has been much research to gain new insights into its biochemistry and to mimic biosilicification. We review the background on plant silica bodies, silica uptake mechanisms and applications, and suggest possible ways of producing plant silica bodies with new functions. Silica bodies offer complementary properties to diatoms for nanotechnology, including large-scale availability from crop wastes, lack of organic impurities (i... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580527 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2580527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580528&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19576644%26dopt%3DAbstract This article will present a somewhat biased and occasionally speculative discussion of the current and future significance of CNV with a particular focus on the potential of molecular copy-number counting in the analysis of small, damaged or heterogeneous samples. PMID: 19576644 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580528 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2580528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2573343&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19573944%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Balasundaram B, Harrison S, Bracewell DG Intracellular products such as recombinant insulin, which are typically produced in microbial host cells, demand a product release step to remove them from the cell. How this is performed determines the quantity of released contaminants, the particle size distribution of cell debris and the physical properties of the resultant process stream, which all impact on the performance of the downstream operations. Thus, achieving selective release of the desired product is crucial for improving the process economics. Advances in upstream processing (the bioreactor phase) have been successful in achieving high product titres, and downstream costs now typically dominate the overall manufacturing costs. Here, we review and discuss the selective r... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2573343 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2573343 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2562812&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19564057%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Corchero JL, Villaverde A Nano-sized magnetic particles are increasingly being used across a wide spectrum of biomedical fields. Upon functionalization to enable specific binding, magnetic particles and their targets can be conveniently positioned in vitro and in vivo by the distal application of magnetic fields. Furthermore, such particles can be magnetically heated after reaching their in vivo targets, thus inducing localized cell death that has a considerable therapeutic value in, for instance, cancer therapy. In this context, innovative biomedical research has produced novel applications that have exciting clinical potential. Such applications include magnetically enhanced transfection, magnetically assisted gene therapy, magnetically induced hyperthermia and magnetic-forc... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2562812 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2562812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472266&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19500866%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Timmins NE, Nielsen LK Blood transfusion depends on availability of donor material, and concerns over supply and safety have spurred development of methods to manufacture blood from stem cells. Current methods could theoretically yield therapeutic doses of red blood cells (RBCs) and platelets. However, due to the very large number of cells required to have any impact on supply (currently 10(19) RBC/year in the US), realization of routine manufacture faces significant challenges. Current yields are orders of magnitude too low for production of meaningful quantities, and the physical scale of the problem is a challenge in itself. We discuss these challenges in relation to current methods and how it might be possible to realize limited 'blood pharming' of neutrophils in the near ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472266 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472345&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19497629%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Richardson D, Felgate H, Watmough N, Thomson A, Baggs E When faced with a shortage of oxygen, many bacterial species use nitrate to support respiration via the process of denitrification. This takes place extensively in nitrogen-rich soils and generates the gaseous products nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N(2)O) and dinitrogen (N(2)). The denitrifying bacteria protect themselves from the endogenous cytotoxic NO produced by converting it to N(2)O, which can be released into the atmosphere. However, N(2)O is a potent greenhouse gas and hence the activity of the enzyme that breaks down N(2)O has a crucial role in restricting its atmospheric levels. Here, we review the current understanding of the process by which N(2)O is produced and destroyed and discuss the potential for fee... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472345 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472305&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19497630%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Aertsen A, Meersman F, Hendrickx ME, Vogel RF, Michiels CW Pressure is a thermodynamic parameter whose unique effects on biological systems are increasingly being studied in a growing number of scientific fields. As such, the effects of high pressure are currently being investigated at different levels, ranging from proteins, enzymes and viruses to microorganisms, mammalian cells and tissues. Together with the steadily growing knowledge and understanding of high pressure effects on these increasingly complex systems, the purposeful use of high pressure has found several unique applications in bioscience over the past few years, including the disaggregation of proteins, the preparation of viral vaccines and the modulation of food functionality. In this review, recent and emergi... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472305 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472281&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19497631%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kyle S, Aggeli A, Ingham E, McPherson MJ Self-assembling peptide-based biomaterials are being developed for use as 3D tissue engineering scaffolds and for therapeutic drug-release applications. Chemical synthesis provides custom-made peptides in small quantities, but production approaches based upon transgenic organisms might be more cost-effective for large-scale peptide production. Long lead times for developing appropriate animal clones or plant lines and potential negative public opinion are obstacles to these routes. Microbes, particularly safe organisms used in the food industry, offer a more rapid route to the large-scale production of recombinant self-assembling biomaterials. In this review, recent advances and challenges in the recombinant production of collagen, elas... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472281 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472594&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19394097%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Movileanu L A single nanopore represents an amazingly versatile single-molecule probe that can be employed to reveal several important features of polypeptides, such as their folding state, backbone flexibility, mechanical stability, binding affinity to other interacting ligands and enzymatic activity. Moreover, groundwork in this area using engineered protein nanopores has demonstrated new opportunities for discovering the biophysical rules that govern the transport of proteins through transmembrane protein pores. In this review, I summarize the current knowledge in the field and discuss how nanopore probe techniques will provide a new generation of research tools in nanomedicine for quantitatively examining the details of complex recognition and, furthermore, will represent ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472594 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472548&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19395104%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Grafi G Cellular dedifferentiation underlies topical issues in biology, such as regeneration and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), and signifies the withdrawal of cells from a given differentiated state into a 'stem cell'-like state that confers pluripotency. Recently, there has been growing interest in exploiting the dedifferentiation process to obtain autologous stem cell lineages for use in regenerative medicine. This approach holds great promise, particularly in view of the ethical concerns invoked over the use of human embryonic stem cells in research and the problem of transplant rejection. However, new insights provided by the study of this process in plants and animals have highlighted the complexity and hazards of cellular dedifferentiation. PMID: 19395104 [Pu... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472548 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472548 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472529&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19398140%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fernandes TG, Diogo MM, Clark DS, Dordick JS, Cabral JM Cellular microarrays are powerful experimental tools for high-throughput screening of large numbers of test samples. Miniaturization increases assay throughput while reducing reagent consumption and the number of cells required, making these systems attractive for a wide range of assays in drug discovery, toxicology, stem cell research and potentially therapy. Here, we provide an overview of the emerging technologies that can be used to generate cellular microarrays, and we highlight recent significant advances in the field. This emerging and multidisciplinary approach offers new opportunities for the design and control of stem cells in tissue engineering and cellular therapies and promises to expedite drug discovery in t... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472529 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472529 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472510&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19406497%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ghanbari H, Viatge H, Kidane AG, Burriesci G, Tavakoli M, Seifalian AM Heart valve (HV) replacements are among the most widely used cardiovascular devices and are in rising demand. Currently, clinically available devices are restricted to slightly modified mechanical and bioprosthetic valves. Polymeric HVs could represent an attractive alternative to the existing prostheses, merging the superior durability of mechanical valves and the enhanced haemodynamic function of bioprosthetic valves. After early unsatisfactory clinical results, polymeric HVs did not reach commercialization, mainly owing to their limited durability. Recent advances in polymers, nanomaterials and surface modification techniques together with the emergence of novel biomaterials have resulted in improved bio... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472510 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472490&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19409632%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wang X, Müller WE Deep sea minerals in polymetallic nodules, crusts and hydrothermal vents are not only formed by mineralization but also by biologically driven processes involving microorganisms (biomineralization). Within the nodules, free-living and biofilm-forming bacteria provide the matrix for manganese deposition, and in cobalt-rich crusts, coccolithophores represent the dominant organisms that act as bio-seeds for an initial manganese deposition. These (bio)minerals are economically important: manganese is an important alloying component and cobalt forms part of special steels in addition to being used, along with other rare metals, in plasma screens, hard-disk magnets and hybrid car motors. Recent progress in our understanding of the participation of the organic ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472490 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472471&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19409633%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews the landmark literature pertaining to the development of synthetic gene networks, the engineering framework used to design and characterize them and the technological developments on the horizon that could potentially advance the field in new directions. As gene network engineering enters its second decade, an attempt is also made to outline the challenges in advancing this nascent field, especially with regard to the practical limitations of component reusability and reliability and the opportunities that present themselves in the development of novel gene expression controllers and single-cell biosensors. PMID: 19409633 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472471 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472447&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19409634%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Phan JH, Moffitt RA, Stokes TH, Liu J, Young AN, Nie S, Wang MD Recent advances in biomarker discovery, biocomputing and nanotechnology have raised new opportunities in the emerging fields of personalized medicine (in which disease detection, diagnosis and therapy are tailored to each individual's molecular profile) and predictive medicine (in which genetic and molecular information is used to predict disease development, progression and clinical outcome). Here, we discuss advanced biocomputing tools for cancer biomarker discovery and multiplexed nanoparticle probes for cancer biomarker profiling, in addition to the prospects for and challenges involved in correlating biomolecular signatures with clinical outcome. This bio-nano-info convergence holds great promise for molecula... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472447 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472410&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19481825%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Knapen D, Vergauwen L, Laukens K, Blust R Two-colour microarrays are a popular platform of choice in gene expression studies. Because two different samples are hybridized on a single microarray, and several microarrays are usually needed in a given experiment, there are many possible ways to combine samples on different microarrays. The actual combination employed is commonly referred to as the 'hybridization design'. Different types of hybridization designs have been developed, all aimed at optimizing the experimental setup for the detection of differentially expressed genes while coping with technical noise. Here, we first provide an overview of the different classes of hybridization designs, discussing their advantages and limitations, and then we illustrate the current tre... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472410 Thu, 28 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472378&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19481826%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Taylor MP, Eley KL, Martin S, Tuffin MI, Burton SG, Cowan DA Strategies for improving fermentative ethanol production have focused almost exclusively on the development of processes based on the utilization of the carbohydrate fraction of lignocellulosic material. These so-called 'second-generation' technologies require metabolically engineered production strains that possess a high degree of catabolic versatility and are homoethanologenic. It has been suggested that the production of ethanol at higher temperatures would facilitate process design, and as a result the engineered progeny of Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius, Thermoanerobacterium saccharolyticum and Thermoanerobacter mathranii now form the platform technology of several new biotechnology companies. This review high... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472378 Thu, 28 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472419&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19467723%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zuñiga L, Calvo B In early 2004, the patent protection for several first-generation biopharmaceuticals began to expire, opening the door to the so-called 'biosimilars'. The knowledge on biosimilars is steadily growing, and keeping up with state-of-the-art technologies and methods for protein characterization is compelling not only for manufacturers but also for the authorities. The challenges now are to review current marketing approval procedures and to develop standardised methods for evaluating the quality, safety and efficacy of these products. PMID: 19467723 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472419 Tue, 19 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472691&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19327858%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Buchholz CJ, Mühlebach MD, Cichutek K Lentiviral vectors are potent gene transfer vehicles frequently applied in research and lately also in clinical applications. Recent improvements have come from combining lentiviral vectors with engineered envelope proteins, which now allow targeting of cell entry to any cell population of interest, as well as the transduction of quiescent cells of the haematopoietic system. We propose that measles virus envelope glycoproteins are especially well suited for this purpose because they can mediate pH-independent cell entry at the cell surface membrane and can induce cytoskeleton rearrangements that facilitate the transport of lentiviral core particles to the cell nucleus. Lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with measles virus glycoproteins ar... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472691 Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472670&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19329204%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hallenbeck PC, Ghosh D A significant effort is underway to develop biofuels as replacements for non-renewable fossil fuels. Among the various options, hydrogen is an attractive future energy carrier due to its potentially higher efficiency of conversion to usable power, low generation of pollutants and high energy density. There are a variety of technologies for biological hydrogen production; here, we concentrate on fermentative hydrogen production and highlight some recently applied approaches, such as response surface methodology, different reactor configurations and organisms that have been used to maximize hydrogen production rates and yields. However, there are significant remaining barriers to practical application, such as low yields and production rates, and we discus... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472670 Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472650&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19329205%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vinatier C, Mrugala D, Jorgensen C, Guicheux J, Noël D Injuries to articular cartilage are one of the most challenging issues of musculoskeletal medicine due to the poor intrinsic ability of this tissue for repair. The lack of efficient modalities of treatment has prompted research into tissue engineering combining chondrogenic cells, scaffold materials and environmental factors. The aim of this review is to focus on the recent advances made in exploiting the potential of biomaterial-assisted cell therapy for cartilage engineering. We discuss the requirements for identifying additional specific growth factors and evaluating the optimal combination of cells, growth factors and scaffolds that is able to respond to the functional demand placed upon cartilage tissue replaceme... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472650 Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472627&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19339067%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van Montfort RL, Workman P Structure-based approaches now impact across the whole continuum of drug discovery, from new target selection through the identification of hits to the optimization of lead compounds. Optimal application of structure-based design involves close integration with other discovery technologies, including fragment-based and virtual screening. Here, we illustrate the use of structural information and of structure-based drug design approaches in the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors for cancer drug targets and provide an outlook on the exploitation of structural information in future cancer drug discovery. Examples include high profile protein kinase targets and structurally related PI3 kinases, histone deacetylases, poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase and the ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472627 Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472604&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19339068%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nowotschin S, Eakin GS, Hadjantonakis AK Microscopy has always been an obligate tool in the field of developmental biology, a goal of which is to elucidate the essential cellular and molecular interactions that coordinate the specification of different cell types and the establishment of body plans. The 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded 'for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP' in recognition that the discovery of genetically encoded fluorescent proteins (FPs) has spearheaded a revolution in applications for imaging of live cells. With the development of more-sophisticated imaging technology and availability of FPs with different spectral characteristics, dynamic processes can now be live-imaged at high resolution in situ in embryos. Her... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472604 Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2295990&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19324440%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Batista R, Oliveira MM The generation of genetically engineered (GE) foods has been raising several concerns and controversies that divide not only the general public but also the scientific community. The fear and importance of the new technology, as well as commercial interests, have supported many of the ongoing discussions. The recent increase in the number of GE foods approved for import into the European Union and the increasingly global commercial food trades justify revisiting the facts and fiction surrounding this technology with the aim of increasing public awareness for well-informed decisions. Techniques that have recently become available for assessing food quality and its impact on human health, as well as the wealth of scientific data previously generated, clear... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2295990 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2295990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2295988&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19324441%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rokhina EV, Lens P, Virkutyte J The use of low-frequency (10-60kHz) ultrasound for enhancement of various biotechnological processes has received increased attention over the last decade as a rapid and reagentless method. Recent breakthroughs in sonochemistry have made the ultrasound irradiation procedure more feasible for a broader range of applications. By varying the sonication parameters, various physical, chemical and biological effects can be achieved that can enhance the target processes in accordance with the applied conditions. However, the conditions that have provided beneficial effects of ultrasound on bioprocesses are case-specific and are therefore not widely available in the literature. This review summarizes the current state of the art in areas where sonochemi... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2295988 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2295988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258682&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19268377%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Le Roes-Hill M, Goodwin C, Burton S The name phenoxazinone synthase (PHS, 2-aminophenol:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.10.3.4) is used for the enzyme catalysing the oxidative coupling of substituted o-aminophenols to produce phenoxazinones. This review reveals that the traditional classification of PHS conflicts with recent sequence-based information that shows its relationship with two distinct copper protein groups. Different PHS roles, namely spore pigmentation in Streptomyces antibioticus (phsA) and biosynthesis of the antibiotic grixazone in Streptomyces griseus subsp. griseus (GriF), indicate an example of convergent evolution. Here, we review the classification, distribution and roles of PHSs, comparing them with copper oxidases at genetic and structural levels and explori... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258682 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2258682 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2233962&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19251328%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Azevedo AM, Rosa PA, Ferreira IF, Aires-Barros MR The therapeutic use of proteins has created an increasing demand for feasible and economical methods for both up- and downstream processes. However, whereas upstream processes have attracted substantial investment and commercial attention, downstream processing has been overlooked, causing a production bottleneck that is shifting the costs of production. This review focuses on the use of aqueous two-phase extraction as an option for the downstream processing of therapeutic proteins. It is a potential and promising liquid-liquid extraction technique for the purification of biomolecules, such as monoclonal antibodies, growth factors and hormones, that combines a high selectivity and biocompatibility with an easy scale-up and cont... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2233962 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2233962 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2233961&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19251329%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jane A, Dronov R, Hodges A, Voelcker NH Biosensor research is a rapidly expanding field with an immense market potential spanning a broad spectrum of applications including biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, veterinary and food quality control. Porous silicon (pSi) is a nanostructured material poised to take centre stage in the biosensor development effort. This can be ascribed to the ease and speed of fabrication, remarkable optical and morphological properties of the material (including tuneable pore size and porosity), large internal surface area and the versatile surface chemistry. The past decade has, therefore, seen diverse proof-of-principle studies involving pSi-based optical and electrochemical transducers, which are highlighted here. We also provide co... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2233961 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2233961 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2233960&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19251330%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lapied B, Pennetier C, Apaire-Marchais V, Licznar P, Corbel V The effective management of emerging insect-borne disease is dependent on the use of safe and efficacious chemical insecticides. Given the inherent ability of insects to develop resistance, it is essential to propose innovative strategies because insecticides remain the most important element of integrated approaches to vector control. Recently, intracellular phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of membrane receptors and ion channels targeted by insecticides have been described as new processes for increasing the sensitivity of insecticides. An efficient method might be to infect host insects with recombinant viruses overexpressing specific protein phosphatases/kinases known to regulate specific insecticide-sensiti... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2233960 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2233960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2233959&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19251331%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Singh R, Kostarelos K With the recent explosion of interest in the field of nanobiotechnology, viruses are now finding new applications in materials science and medicine. Here, we discuss the engineering of 'smart' nanoparticles that are based upon recombinant adenovirus (Ad) vectors and that combine multiple functions of targeting, imaging and drug delivery. We focus on the use of Ads as a carrier and delivery system for macromolecules other than DNA and develop the rationale behind using Ads for such applications. Due to the modular nature of the Ad capsid, multiple therapeutic or diagnostic modalities, such as the addition of magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, radiation sensitizers and antigenic peptides for vaccines, can be incorporated by modifying different site... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2233959 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2233959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2233958&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19251332%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rentzsch R, Orengo CA Advances in experimental and computational methods have quietly ushered in a new era in protein function annotation. This 'age of multiplicity' is marked by the notion that only the use of multiple tools, multiple evidence and considering the multiple aspects of function can give us the broad picture that 21st century biology will need to link and alter micro- and macroscopic phenotypes. It might also help us to undo past mistakes by removing errors from our databases and prevent us from producing more. On the downside, multiplicity is often confusing. We therefore systematically review methods and resources for automated protein function prediction, looking at individual (biochemical) and contextual (network) functions, respectively. PMID: 19251332 [... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2233958 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2233958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2233963&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19250692%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bojarová P, Křen V In recent years, carbohydrate-processing enzymes have become the enzymes of choice in many applications thanks to their stereoselectivity and efficiency. This review presents recent developments in glycosidase-catalyzed synthesis via two complementary approaches: the use of wild-type enzymes with engineered substrates, and mutant glycosidases. Genetic engineering has recently produced glucuronyl synthases, an inverting xylosynthase and the first mutant endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase. A thorough selection of enzyme strains and aptly modified substrates have resulted in rare glycostructures, such as N-acetyl-beta-galactosaminuronates, beta1,4-linked mannosides and alpha1,4-linked galactosides. The efficient selection of mutant enzymes is facilita... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2233963 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2233963 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2168043&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19195728%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cleveland TE, Yu J, Fedorova N, Bhatnagar D, Payne GA, Nierman WC, Bennett JW Aspergillus flavus is a common saprophyte and opportunistic pathogen that produces numerous secondary metabolites. The primary objectives of the A. flavus genomics program are to reduce and eliminate aflatoxin contamination in food and feed and to discover genetic factors that contribute to plant and animal pathogenicity. A. flavus expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and whole-genome sequencing have been completed. Annotation of the A. flavus genome has revealed numerous genes and gene clusters that are potentially involved in the formation of aflatoxin and other secondary metabolites, as well as in the degradation of complex carbohydrate polymers. Analysis of putative secondary metabolism pathways might ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2168043 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2168043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2168044&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19193465%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fox RJ, Clay MD Recent attention has been paid to the inadequacy of using the ratio V(max)/K(M) as a measure of enzyme performance, particularly in the context of industrial biocatalysis. This can lead to misleading expectations of enzyme performance and can be troublesome when used to select among different variants for scale-up evaluation under process conditions. To address these issues, we derive the average velocity based on the time-integrated behavior of the enzyme over the course of the reaction. The resulting expression, deemed catalytic effectiveness, captures important features of the system that have heretofore been ignored (such as highly variable substrate and/or product concentrations and inhibition) and offers a rigorous way to compare enzymes for their capacit... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2168044 Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2168044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2160662&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19187988%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Banerjee P, Bhunia AK Cell-based biosensors (CBBs) have emerged as powerful functional tools for the rapid detection of hazards and threats associated with food, agriculture, environment and biosecurity. CBBs detect the functional aspects of a host-hazard interaction and render an accurate estimation of the risks. Assessing hazard-induced physiological responses, such as receptor-ligand interactions, signal transduction, gene expression, membrane damage, apoptosis and oncosis of living sensing organisms can provide insight into the basis of toxicity for a particular hazard. This review highlights the progress made in developing mammalian CBBs for pathogens and toxins, with special emphasis on multidisciplinary approaches that combine molecular biology and microbiology with met... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2160662 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2160662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2160661&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19187989%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dohan Ehrenfest DM, Rasmusson L, Albrektsson T The topical use of platelet concentrates is recent and its efficiency remains controversial. Several techniques for platelet concentrates are available; however, their applications have been confusing because each method leads to a different product with different biology and potential uses. Here, we present classification of the different platelet concentrates into four categories, depending on their leucocyte and fibrin content: pure platelet-rich plasma (P-PRP), such as cell separator PRP, Vivostat PRF or Anitua's PRGF; leucocyte- and platelet-rich plasma (L-PRP), such as Curasan, Regen, Plateltex, SmartPReP, PCCS, Magellan or GPS PRP; pure plaletet-rich fibrin (P-PRF), such as Fibrinet; and leucocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2160661 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2160661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2160660&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19187990%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Skamnioti P, Gurr SJ Rice is the staple diet of more than three billion people. Yields must double over the next 40 years if we are to sustain the nutritional needs of the ever-expanding global population. Between 10% and 30% of the annual rice harvest is lost due to infection by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Evaluation of genetic and virulence diversity of blast populations with diagnostic markers will aid disease management. We review the M. oryzae species-specific and cultivar-specific avirulence determinants and evaluate efforts towards generating durable and broad-spectrum resistance in single resistant cultivars or mixtures. We consider modern usage of fungicides and plant defence activators, assess the usefulness of biological control and categorize current ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2160660 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2160660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2160659&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19187991%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews the factors affecting bioanode performance, the recent advances and the prospective strategies for improving it. Future application perspectives of bioanodes are also proposed. PMID: 19187991 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2160659 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2160659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2160658&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19187992%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhao J, Kim KA, Abo A The Wnt signaling pathway has a crucial role in regulating cell growth and differentiation and is required for tissue homeostasis and repair. Although constitutive activation of the Wnt pathway can lead to abnormal cell growth and cancer, modulation of Wnt signaling might have a therapeutic benefit for tissue regeneration in numerous diseases. Recently, preclinical studies have demonstrated that treatments with antibodies against the Wnt inhibitor Dickkopf1 (DKK1) and with the positive Wnt modulator R-Spondin1 (RSpo1) were sufficient to repair the bone lesions in multiple myeloma and rheumatoid arthritis and to restore the damaged mucosa in experimental colitis, respectively. A remarkable balance is set for Wnt signaling by secreted proteins such as RSpo1... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2160658 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2160658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2156947&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19185375%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Miller HI PMID: 19185375 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2156947 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2156947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2138156&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19167770%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gordon R, Losic D, Tiffany MA, Nagy SS, Sterrenburg FA Diatoms are unicellular, eukaryotic, photosynthetic algae that are found in aquatic environments. Diatoms have enormous ecological importance on this planet and display a diversity of patterns and structures at the nano- to millimetre scale. Diatom nanotechnology, a new interdisciplinary area, has spawned collaborations in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, physics, chemistry, material science and engineering. We survey diatom nanotechnology since 2005, emphasizing recent advances in diatom biomineralization, biophotonics, photoluminescence, microfluidics, compustat domestication, multiscale porosity, silica sequestering of proteins, detection of trace gases, controlled drug delivery and computer design. Diatoms might b... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2138156 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2138156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2101499&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19135747%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sozer N, Kokini JL Nanoscience and nanotechnology are new frontiers of this century. Their applications to the agriculture and food sector are relatively recent compared with their use in drug delivery and pharmaceuticals. Smart delivery of nutrients, bioseparation of proteins, rapid sampling of biological and chemical contaminants and nanoencapsulation of nutraceuticals are some of the emerging topics of nanotechnology for food and agriculture. Advances in technologies, such as DNA microarrays, microelectromechanical systems and microfluidics, will enable the realization of the potential of nanotechnology for food applications. In this review, we intended to summarize the applications of nanotechnology relevant to food and nutraceuticals together with identifying the outstand... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2101499 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2101499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2075053&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19111926%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Czar MJ, Anderson JC, Bader JS, Peccoud J DNA fabrication of genetic cassettes at base-level precision is transforming genetic engineering from a laborious art to an information-driven discipline. Although substantial advances have been made in the development of DNA fabrication, the methods employed vary widely based on the length of the DNA. All of these methods are available commercially, but can also be performed at the molecular biology bench using typical reagents and procedures. Because the technology is not mature and is still evolving rapidly, it is helpful to gain some understanding of the different steps in this process and the associated technical challenges to successfully take advantage of DNA fabrication in a research project. PMID: 19111926 [PubMed - as sup... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2075053 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2075053 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2075052&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19111927%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schrader J, Schilling M, Holtmann D, Sell D, Filho MV, Marx A, Vorholt JA Methanol is one of the building blocks in the chemical industry and can be synthesized either from petrochemical or renewable resources, such as biogas. Bioprocess technology with methylotrophic bacteria is well established, as illustrated by large-scale single-cell protein production in the past. During recent years, the first genomes of methylotrophs have been sequenced and significant progress in elucidating their metabolism has been made. In addition, the tool set for genetic engineering of methylotrophic bacteria has expanded greatly and strategies to produce fine and bulk chemicals with methylotrophs have been described. This review highlights the potential of these bacteria for the development of ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2075052 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2075052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2075054&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19111361%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hennebel T, De Gusseme B, Boon N, Verstraete W Microorganisms can change the oxidation state of metals and concomitantly deposit metal oxides and zerovalent metals on or into their cells. The microbial mechanisms involved in these processes have been extensively studied in natural environments, and researchers have recently gained interest in the applications of microbe-metal interactions in biotechnology. Because of their specific characteristics, such as high specific surface areas and high catalytic reactivity, biogenic metals offer promising perspectives for the sorption and (bio)degradation of contaminants. In this review, the precipitation of biogenic manganese and iron species and the microbial reduction of precious metals, such as palladium, platinum, silver and gold, ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2075054 Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2075054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2067900&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19110329%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rylott EL, Bruce NC Explosives are toxic, recalcitrant to degradation and contaminate large areas of land and ground water. Remediation of these synthetic compounds is difficult and an enormous logistical task. Phytoremediation is a technique that offers an environmentally friendly, low-cost alternative to current remediation techniques; however, this approach is hindered by the low inherent metabolic abilities of plants towards these xenobiotic compounds and the phytotoxicity of these compounds. As a result of recent advances in our knowledge of the biochemistry underlying endogenous plant detoxification systems and the use of genetic engineering to combine bacterial explosives-detoxifying genes with the phytoremediatory benefits of plants, this technology is now poised for t... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2067900 Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2067900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2067899&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19110330%26dopt%3DAbstract We report the advances that have been made in this area, highlighting the success of especially engineered as well as naturally structured surfaces. PMID: 19110330 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2067899 Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2067899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1981332&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19022509%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Brenner K, You L, Arnold FH PMID: 19022509 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1981332 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1981332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1981331&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19022510%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Goldman RP, Brown SP PMID: 19022510 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1981331 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1981331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1981330&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19022511%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Williams PG Marine bacteria are emerging as an exciting resource for the discovery of new classes of therapeutics. The promising anticancer clinical candidates salinosporamide A and bryostatin only hint at the incredible wealth of drug leads hidden just beneath the ocean surface. For example, if properly developed, marine bacteria could provide the drugs needed to sustain us for the next 100 years in our battle against drug-resistant infectious diseases. This review will focus on several recently discovered compounds, primarily from cyanobacteria and actinobacteria, that illustrate the tremendous potential of marine bacteria as a source of new therapeutics within the areas of oncology and infectious diseases. PMID: 19022511 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Tren... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1981330 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1981330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1981329&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19022512%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ríhová B, Kovář L, Kovář M, Hovorka O The successful treatment of cancer with conventional drugs is frequently complicated by the resistance of tumor cells to such a non-specific therapy. Over the last few years, immunotherapy has gained attention as a tumor-specific approach. Recent findings demonstrated that some conventional cytostatics stimulate local anticancer responses. New anticancer drugs, including their polymeric derivatives, are currently being developed with the aim of destroying tumors more effectively and more specifically. Among these, the water-soluble conjugates of doxorubicin with N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymer carrier have emerged as efficient therapeutics because they are able to not only directly destroy... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1981329 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1981329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975704&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19010556%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mo ML, Palsson BO The intricate nature of human physiology renders its study a difficult undertaking, and a systems biology approach is necessary to understand the complex interactions involved. Network reconstruction is a key step in systems biology and represents a common denominator because all systems biology research on a target organism relies on such a representation. With the recent development of genome-scale human metabolic networks, metabolic systems analysis is now possible and has initiated a shift towards human systems biology. Here, we review the important aspects of reconstructing a bottom-up human metabolic network, the network's role in modeling human physiology and the necessity for a community-based consensus reconstruction of human metabolism to be establi... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975704 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1975704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975703&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19010557%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yanik MF A novel bandage inspired by gecko feet might one day be used during emergencies and internal surgeries. The bandage uses a combination of nanofabricated structures, biodegradable materials and adhesive surface chemistry that allows adhesion onto even wet, moving tissue. PMID: 19010557 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975703 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1975703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975702&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19010558%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Little PF, Williams RB, Wilkins MR The past decade has seen an explosion of variation data demonstrating that diversity of both protein-coding sequences and of regulatory elements of protein-coding genes is common and of functional importance. In this article, we argue that genetic diversity can no longer be ignored in studies of human biology, even research projects without explicit genetic experimental design, and that this knowledge can, and must, inform research. By way of illustration, we focus on the potential role of genetic data in case-control studies to identify and validate cancer protein biomarkers. We argue that a consideration of genetics, in conjunction with proteomic biomarker discovery projects, should improve the proportion of biomarkers that can accurately c... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975702 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1975702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975701&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19012978%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ding XC, Weiler J, Großhans H MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that control diverse cellular and developmental events through repression of large sets of target mRNAs. Regulated transcription of the genes encoding miRNAs by RNA polymerase II promotes specific expression patterns of individual miRNAs. However, recent studies have established that substantial regulation of mature miRNA accumulation also occurs after transcription. Here, we review the mechanisms of such post-transcriptional regulation, with a particular focus on examples where molecular mechanisms or physiological principles are beginning to emerge. Elucidating these mechanisms will increase our understanding of gene regulation and provide new insights into causes of miRNA misexpression in disease... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975701 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1975701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1964356&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19008003%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Uttamchandani M, Neo JL, Ong BN, Moochhala S The microarray is a platform with wide-ranging potential in biodefence. Owing to the high level of throughput attainable through miniaturization, microarrays have accelerated the ability to respond in an epidemic or crisis. Extending beyond diagnostics, recent studies have applied microarrays as a research tool towards understanding the etiology and pathogenicity of dangerous pathogens, as well as in vaccine development. The original emphasis was on DNA microarrays, but the range now includes protein, antibody and carbohydrate microarrays, and research groups have exploited this diversity to further extend microarray applications in the area of biodefence. Here, we discuss the impact and contributions of the growing range of microar... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1964356 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1964356 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1961292&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19004513%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schneider G, Hartenfeller M, Reutlinger M, Tanrikulu Y, Proschak E, Schneider P De novo drug design has emerged as a valuable concept for the rapid identification of lead structure candidates. In particular, fragment-based molecular assembly methods have been successfully employed for the automated design of screening compounds. Here, we review the current status of these approaches, with an emphasis on adaptive techniques that can be used to artificially evolve novel bioactive molecules. Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) are presented as preferred techniques for iterative virtual synthesis and testing. By the inclusion of straightforward synthesis rules, druglike compounds can be obtained. Evolving compound libraries are particularly suited f... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1961292 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1961292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1930454&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18977045%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dormitzer PR, Ulmer JB, Rappuoli R Vaccine design is progressing from empiricism towards the increasingly rational presentation of the targets of protective immunity. Nevertheless, most current vaccine antigens are essentially the native macromolecules of pathogens. These molecules are adapted to evade, not induce, immunity. High resolution structures reveal the electrostatic surfaces recognized by neutralizing antibodies and the architectures underlying these surfaces, thereby identifying which substructures must be left intact and which can be changed to optimize biochemical and immunologic performance. Armed with detailed structural information, we can engineer optimized antigens that are more stable, homogeneous, and efficiently produced, making immunization more practical... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1930454 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1930454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1930453&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18977046%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Charaniya S, Hu WS, Karypis G Modern biotechnology production plants are equipped with sophisticated control, data logging and archiving systems. These data hold a wealth of information that might shed light on the cause of process outcome fluctuations, whether the outcome of concern is productivity or product quality. These data might also provide clues on means to further improve process outcome. Data-driven knowledge discovery approaches can potentially unveil hidden information, predict process outcome, and provide insights on implementing robust processes. Here we describe the steps involved in process data mining with an emphasis on recent advances in data mining methods pertinent to the unique characteristics of biological process data. PMID: 18977046 [PubMed - as s... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1930453 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1930453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1930452&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18977047%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: von Tigerstrom BJ Appropriate regulation of stem cell-based products is essential to ensure public safety and trust while minimising unnecessary barriers to product development, but presents numerous challenges. Weaknesses of existing legal frameworks include variation between jurisdictions and poor fit between product categories and new technologies. The new European Regulation on advanced therapy medicinal products is an important attempt to provide a consolidated regulatory framework for novel products. Others can learn from issues encountered in its development, including definition of product categories, ethical concerns, and the application of regulations to small-scale production. Several aspects of the Regulation will be useful models, but some larger questions remain ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1930452 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1930452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1930451&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18977048%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Leonard E, Nielsen D, Solomon K, Prather KJ Typically, the outcome of biologically engineered unit operations cannot be controlled a priori due to the incorporation of ad hoc design into complex natural systems. To mitigate this problem, synthetic biology presents a systematic approach to standardizing biological components for the purpose of increasing their programmability and robustness when assembled with the aim to achieve novel biological functions. A complex engineered biological system using only standardized biological components is yet to exist. Nevertheless, current attempts to create and to implement modular, standardized biological components pave the way for the future creation of highly predictable artificial biological systems. Although synthetic biology framew... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1930451 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1930451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1930455&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18976825%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fukuda H, Hama S, Tamalampudi S, Noda H Biodiesel fuel (BDF), which refers to fatty acid alkyl esters, has attracted considerable attention as an environmentally friendly alternative fuel for diesel engines. Alkali catalysis is widely applied for the commercial production of BDF. However, enzymatic transesterification offers considerable advantages, including reducing process operations in biodiesel fuel production and an easy separation of the glycerol byproduct. The high cost of the lipase enzyme is the main obstacle for a commercially feasible enzymatic production of biodiesel fuels. To reduce enzyme associated process costs, the immobilization of fungal mycelium within biomass support particles (BSPs) as well as expression of the lipase enzyme on the surface of yeast cells... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1930455 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1930455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1911566&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18951641%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Orešič M, Hänninen VA, Vidal-Puig A Lipids are a highly diverse class of molecules with crucial roles in cellular energy storage, structure and signaling. Lipid homeostasis is fundamental to maintain health, and lipid defects are central to the pathogenesis of important and devastating diseases. Newly emerging advances have facilitated the development of so-called lipidomics technologies and offer an opportunity to elucidate the mechanisms leading to disease. Furthermore, these advances also provide the tools to unravel the complexity of the 'allostatic forces' that allow maintenance of normal cellular/tissue phenotypes through the application of bioenergetically inefficient adaptive mechanisms. An alternative strategy is to focus on tissues with limited allos... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1911566 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1911566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1911565&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18951642%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Johnson ET, Schmidt-Dannert C Increasing interest in renewable resources by the energy and chemical industries has spurred new technologies both to capture solar energy and to develop biologically derived chemical feedstocks and fuels. Advances in molecular biology and metabolic engineering have provided new insights and techniques for increasing biomass and biohydrogen production, and recent efforts in synthetic biology have demonstrated that complex regulatory and metabolic networks can be designed and engineered in microorganisms. Here, we explore how light-driven processes may be incorporated into nonphotosynthetic microbes to boost metabolic capacity for the production of industrial and fine chemicals. Progress towards the introduction of light-driven proton pumping or an... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1911565 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1911565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1815799&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18804884%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kim J, Grate JW, Wang P Nanobiocatalysis, in which enzymes are incorporated into nanostructured materials, has emerged as a rapidly growing area. Nanostructures, including nanoporous media, nanofibers, carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles, have manifested great efficiency in the manipulation of the nanoscale environment of the enzyme and thus promise exciting advances in many areas of enzyme technology. This review will describe these recent developments in nanobiocatalysis and their potential applications in various fields, such as trypsin digestion in proteomic analysis, antifouling, and biofuel cells. PMID: 18804884 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1815799 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1815799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1815801&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18804297%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shyu YJ, Hu CD Numerous technologies based on utilizing fluorescent proteins have been developed for biological research, and fluorescence complementation (FC) is a recent application for visualization of molecular events in living cells and organisms. Currently, ten fluorescent proteins have been demonstrated to support FC. Over the past five years, FC-based technologies have been developed to visualize a variety of molecular events, such as protein-protein interactions, post-translational modifications, protein folding, conformational changes, RNA-protein interactions, mRNA localization and DNA hybridization. In addition, FC has also been used for drug discovery. These applications are providing fascinating insights into many biological processes. Here, we review the princip... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1815801 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1815801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1815800&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18804298%26dopt%3DAbstract We describe the nanoparticles in terms of stability, photocytotoxic efficiency, biodistribution and therapeutic efficiency. Finally, we summarize exciting new results concerning the improvement of the photophysical properties of nanoparticles by means of biphotonic absorption and upconversion. PMID: 18804298 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1815800 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1815800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1811502&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18801589%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Petranovic D, Nielsen J Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a unicellular eukaryal microorganism that has traditionally been regarded either as a model system for investigating cellular physiology or as a cell factory for biotechnological use, for example for the production of fuels and commodity chemicals such as lactate or pharmaceuticals, including human insulin and HPV vaccines. Systems biology has recently gained momentum and has successfully been used for mapping complex regulatory networks and resolving the dynamics of signal transduction pathways. So far, yeast systems biology has mainly focused on the development of new methods and concepts. There are also some examples of the application of yeast systems biology for improving biotechnological processes. We discuss here how y... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1811502 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1811502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1809968&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18799226%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Guymon CA A novel strategy for enhanced molecular recognition that utilized standard complexation strategies in combination with light-induced, or photo-, polymerization was recently demonstrated. Creative and rational materials design aided in the development of macroinitiators that produce a specific binding event, which is then amplified through photo-initation and chain polymerization. This polymerization-based amplification system produced a positive result that was visibly recognizable with amounts as low as 1000 molecules. PMID: 18799226 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1809968 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1809968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1779728&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18774191%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van Elsas JD, Costa R, Jansson J, Sjöling S, Bailey M, Nalin R, Vogel TM, van Overbeek L Soil teems with microbial genetic information that can be exploited for biotechnological innovation. Because only a fraction of the soil microbiota is cultivable, our ability to unlock this genetic complement has been hampered. Recently developed molecular tools, which make it possible to utilize genomic DNA from soil, can bypass cultivation and provide information on the collective soil metagenome with the aim to explore genes that encode functions of key interest to biotechnology. The metagenome of disease-suppressive soils is of particular interest given the expected prevalence of antibiotic biosynthetic clusters. However, owing to the complexity of soil microbial communities, deci... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1779728 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1779728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1755237&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18757108%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Betancor L, Luckarift HR Biocatalysis exploits the versatility of enzymes to catalyse a variety of processes for the production of novel compounds and natural products. Enzyme immobilization enhances the stability and hence applicability of biomolecules as reusable and robust biocatalysts. Biomimetic mineralization reactions have emerged as a versatile tool for generating excellent supports for enzyme stabilization. The methodology utilizes biological templates and synthetic analogues to catalyse the formation of inorganic oxides. Such materials provide biocompatible environments for enzyme immobilization. The utility of the method is further enhanced by entraining and attaching encapsulated catalysts to a variety of supports. This review discusses biomimetic and bioinspired m... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1755237 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1755237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1747005&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18752860%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lamers PP, Janssen M, De Vos RC, Bino RJ, Wijffels RH The unicellular alga Dunaliella salina is the most interesting cell factory for the commercial production of beta-carotene because this species accumulates carotenoids to high concentrations. Nevertheless, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of carotenoid accumulation. Here, we review the regulatory mechanisms involved in beta-carotene overproduction in D. salina. The potential roles of reactive oxygen species and the plastoquinone redox state in signal sensing are discussed, together with available evidence on transcriptional and (post)translational regulation. Moreover, future directions that might further our knowledge in this area are given. Ultimately, a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms inv... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1747005 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1747005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1747007&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18722682%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pirollo KF, Chang EH Inclusion of a tumor-targeting molecule in nanosized delivery systems increases their in vivo efficacy. However, the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of the uptake of such particles have not yet been well addressed. Several recent papers have suggested that tumor-targeting ligands function primarily to increase intracellular uptake of the nanocomplex and do not influence tumor localization. However, other reports indicate that they do play a role in the accumulation in the tumor. One difference might be the presence or absence of poly-[ethylene glycol] (PEG) in the complex and its impact on the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Further studies are clearly needed to more fully elucidate the influence of composition on tumor-targeted, sys... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1747007 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1747007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1747006&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18722683%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gupta PK During the current genomics revolution, the genomes of a large number of living organisms have been fully sequenced. However, with the advent of new sequencing technologies, genomics research is now at the threshold of a second revolution. Several second-generation sequencing platforms became available in 2007, but a further revolution in DNA resequencing technologies is being witnessed in 2008, with the launch of the first single-molecule DNA sequencer (Helicos Biosciences), which has already been used to resequence the genome of the M13 virus. This review discusses several single-molecule sequencing technologies that are expected to become available during the next few years and explains how they might impact on genomics research. PMID: 18722683 [PubMed - as sup... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1747006 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1747006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1717604&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18706721%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zurbriggen MD, Tognetti VB, Fillat MF, Hajirezaei MR, Valle EM, Carrillo N Environmental stresses and iron limitation are the primary causes of crop losses worldwide. Engineering strategies aimed at gaining stress tolerance have focused on overexpression of endogenous genes belonging to molecular networks for stress perception or responses. Based on the typical response of photosynthetic microorganisms to stress, an alternative approach has been recently applied with considerable success. Ferredoxin, a stress-sensitive target, was replaced in tobacco chloroplasts by an isofunctional protein, a cyanobacterial flavodoxin, which is absent in plants. Resulting transgenic lines showed wide-range tolerance to drought, chilling, oxidants, heat and iron starvation. The survival of pla... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1717604 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1717604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1717603&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18706722%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bravo A, Soberón M Transgenic Bt crops producing insecticidal crystalline proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis, so-called Cry toxins, have proved useful in controlling insect pests. However, the future of Bt crops is threatened by the evolution of insect resistance. Understanding how Bt toxins work and how insects become resistant will provide the basis for taking measures to counter resistance. Here we review possible mechanisms of resistance and different strategies to cope with resistance, such as expression of several toxins with different modes of action in the same plant, modified Cry toxins active against resistant insects, and the potential use of Cyt toxins or a fragment of cadherin receptor. These approaches should provide the means to assure the successful use ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1717603 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1717603 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1717602&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18706723%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhu Y, Tramper J Transglutaminase (EC 2.3.2.13) initially attracted interest because of its ability to reconstitute small pieces of meat into a 'steak'. The extremely high cost of transglutaminase of animal origin has hampered its wider application and has initiated efforts to find an enzyme of microbial origin. Since the early 1990s, many microbial transglutaminase-producing strains have been found, and production processes have been optimized. This has resulted in a rapidly increasing number of applications of transglutaminase in the food sector. However, applications of microbial transglutaminase in other sectors have been explored to a much lesser extent. Here, we will present the wider potential of transglutaminases and discuss recent efforts that could contribute to the ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1717602 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1717602 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1717601&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18706724%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Stocker CJ, Cawthorne MA Epidemiological evidence together with experimental models shows a direct relationship between fetal and early postnatal growth patterns and an increased risk of adult metabolic disease. Maternal health and nutrition are key determinants in influencing infant growth but the precise molecular mechanisms underlying this relationship are unclear, although it is evident that there are critical time windows when these effects are important. Animal models show mechanistic parallels with human populations and highlight that the early environment represents a therapeutic window for protection from obesity and metabolic disease. The observation that developmental programming can be reversed has been demonstrated in studies in which both maternal and neonatal le... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1717601 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1717601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1717600&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18706725%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ljosa V, Carpenter AE A recent screen of a combinatorial library of fluorescent compounds discovered fluorescent dyes that were able to distinguish myoblasts from differentiated myotubes. New fluorescent dyes that respond to biologically relevant changes in cell state or type are useful as stains in a wide variety of biological experiments, including high-throughput screens for chemical and genetic regulators. Combining this approach with microscopy imaging is likely to be even more powerful and might lead to the discovery of new dyes with interesting and useful properties. PMID: 18706725 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Trends in Biotechnology) Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1717600 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1717600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1693947&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18687496%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Goler JA, Bramlett BW, Peccoud J Genetic engineering has developed around technologies enabling the targeted in vitro recombination of DNA molecules found in living organisms. As a result, the development of new DNA molecules has been primarily focused on cloning strategies that allow their assembly from existing DNA fragments. As chemical gene synthesis matures, the design of synthetic DNA molecules becomes the bottleneck of many biotechnology projects. It becomes urgent to develop representations of synthetic genetic systems more abstract than their DNA sequence. Abstraction makes it possible to reuse simple components to build complex systems or to break down a complex engineering problem into manageable tasks. Specialized computer languages or a general purpose XCell Descr... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1693947 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1693947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1692405&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18684538%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hoeyer K, Svendsen MN, Koch L The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a new set of principles and guidelines to promote open access to datasets and results from publicly funded research. However, there is reason to think twice about the implications of making demands for transparency and open access for publicly funded research only. How will such demands affect incentives and research agendas? Might this new regulation of publicly funded research have undesirable effects on the quality and value of research? Placing the OECD guidelines in a broader context of research regulation, we argue that they might provide a further push toward collaboration with commercially sponsored research and reinforce incentive structures that favour the cr... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1692405 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1692405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683489&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18675478%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Trewavas A The incorporation of science and technology into agriculture has led to enormous growth in crop yields, providing food security in many countries. From the 1950s onwards there has been increasing interference in agricultural policy by a few scientists who are marginal to agriculture and from a variety of unqualified groups. These groups and individuals have used fear and anxiety and have greatly exaggerated minor problems to persuade an unqualified public of supposed dangers in food and to try and change agricultural policy. Fear and emotion do not lead to good policy, and the cult of the amateur that has developed could have serious repercussions on vital food security and future agriculture in developing countries; it must be soundly rejected. PMID: 18675478 [... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683489 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1683489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683483&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18676047%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Spök A, Twyman RM, Fischer R, Ma JK, Sparrow PA The use of genetically modified (GM) plants to synthesize proteins that are subsequently processed, regulated and sold as pharmaceuticals challenges two very different established regulatory frameworks, one concerning GM plants and the other covering the development of biotechnology-derived drugs. Within these regulatory systems, specific regulations and guidelines for plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) - also referred to as plant-derived pharmaceuticals (PDPs) - are still evolving. The products nearing commercial viability will ultimately help to road test and fine-tune these regulations, and might help to reduce regulatory uncertainties. In this review, we summarize the current state of regulations in different countries, d... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683483 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1683483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683488&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18675479%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sousa F, Prazeres DM, Queiroz JA The diversity of biomolecules present in plasmid DNA (pDNA)-containing extracts and the structural and chemical similarities between pDNA and impurities are some of the main challenges of improving or establishing novel purification procedures. In view of the unequalled specificity of affinity purification, this technique has recently begun to be applied in downstream processing of plasmids. This paper discusses the progress and importance of affinity chromatography (AC) for the purification of pDNA-based therapeutic products. Several affinity approaches have already been successfully developed for a variety of applications, and we will focus here on highlighting their possible contributions to the pDNA purification challenge. Diverse affinity ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683488 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1683488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683487&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18675480%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mapelli V, Olsson L, Nielsen J Metabolomics embraces several strategies that aim to quantify cell metabolites in order to increase our understanding of how metabolite levels and interactions influence phenotypes. Metabolic footprinting represents a niche within metabolomics, because it focuses on the analysis of extracellular metabolites. Although metabolic footprinting represents only a fraction of the entire metabolome, it provides important information for functional genomics and strain characterization, and it can also provide scientists with a key understanding of cell communication mechanisms, metabolic engineering and industrial biotechnological processes. Due to the tight and convoluted relationship between intracellular metabolism and metabolic footprinting, metabolic... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683487 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1683487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683486&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18675481%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fulka J, Fulka H, St John J, Galli C, Lazzari G, Lagutina I, Fulka J, Loi P The recent vote in the British Parliament allows scientists in principle to create hybrid embryos by transferring human somatic cell nuclei into animal oocytes. This vote opens a fascinating new area of research with the central aim of generating interspecific lines of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that could potentially be used to understand development, differentiation, gene expression and genomic compatibility. It will also promote human cell therapies, as well as the pharmaceutical industry's search for new drug targets. If this approach is to be successful, many biological questions need to be answered and, in addition, some moral and ethical aspects must be taken into account. PMID: 18675481 [P... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683486 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1683486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683485&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18675482%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jones DS, Silverman AP, Cochran JR Ligand-receptor interactions govern myriad cell signaling pathways that regulate homeostasis and ensure that cells respond properly to stimuli. Growth factors, cytokines and other regulatory elements use these interactions to mediate cell responses, including proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, immune responses and cell death. Proteins that inhibit these processes have potential as therapeutics for cancer and autoimmune disorders, whereas proteins that stimulate these processes offer promise in regenerative medicine. Although much of the focus in this area over the past decade has been on monoclonal antibodies, recently there has been increased interest in the use of non-antibody proteins as therapeutic agents. Here, we review recent adva... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683485 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1683485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683484&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18675483%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Brenner K, You L, Arnold FH Microbial consortia are ubiquitous in nature and are implicated in processes of great importance to humans, from environmental remediation and wastewater treatment to assistance in food digestion. Synthetic biologists are honing their ability to program the behavior of individual microbial populations, forcing the microbes to focus on specific applications, such as the production of drugs and fuels. Given that microbial consortia can perform even more complicated tasks and endure more changeable environments than monocultures can, they represent an important new frontier for synthetic biology. Here, we review recent efforts to engineer synthetic microbial consortia, and we suggest future applications. PMID: 18675483 [PubMed - as supplied by publ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683484 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1683484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1561330&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18585807%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rozendal RA, Hamelers HV, Rabaey K, Keller J, Buisman CJ Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs), such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), are generally regarded as a promising future technology for the production of energy from organic material present in wastewaters. The current densities that can be generated with laboratory BESs now approach levels that come close to the requirements for practical applications. However, full-scale implementation of bioelectrochemical wastewater treatment is not straightforward because certain microbiological, technological and economic challenges need to be resolved that have not previously been encountered in any other wastewater treatment system. Here, we identify these challenges, provide an overview of the... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1561330 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1561330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1561329&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18585808%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rouwkema J, Rivron NC, van Blitterswijk CA Tissue engineering has been an active field of research for several decades now. However, the amount of clinical applications in the field of tissue engineering is still limited. One of the current limitations of tissue engineering is its inability to provide sufficient blood supply in the initial phase after implantation. Insufficient vascularization can lead to improper cell integration or cell death in tissue-engineered constructs. This review will discuss the advantages and limitations of recent strategies aimed at enhancing the vascularization of tissue-engineered constructs. We will illustrate that combining the efforts of different research lines might be necessary to obtain optimal results in the field. PMID: 18585808 [Pub... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1561329 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1561329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1561331&cid=s_36135_70_f&fid=36135&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18584904%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Richmond RH Biotechnology is a broad field encompassing diverse disciplines from agriculture to zoology. Advances in research are occurring at a rapid pace, and applications that have broad implications socially, economically, ecologically and politically are emerging. Along with notable benefits, environmental consequences that affect core quality-of-life issues for present and future generations are materializing. The precautionary principle should be applied to biotechnology research, activities and products, and a strengthened, enforceable and proactive regulatory framework is needed. The environmental impacts of agriculture, aquaculture, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and even pharmaceuticals are raising public concerns and demonstrate the need for guidance from a ... Trends in Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1561331 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1561331