Industry News
Functional proteins from potatoes
Developer of customised industrial-scale separation services Upfront Chromatography has announced that commercial production of highly functional proteins from the side stream of potato processing has been enabled using its Rhobust processing platform. The Rhobust adsorbent is a key component of Solanic’s industrial processing plant, which was officially opened in December 2007 in Gasselternijveen, Netherlands. Solanic is the protein business unit of the potato starch giant AVEBE.
[ + ]Researchers create metal memory foam
In the world of commercial materials, lighter and cheaper is usually better — especially when those attributes are coupled with superior strength and special properties, such as a recently developed material's ability to remember its original shape after it has been deformed by a physical or magnetic force.
[ + ]The key to impeding drug resistance in bacteria
Researchers have solved the structure of a DNA-protein complex that is crucial in the spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria, providing insights into how cells successfully divide into two new cells with intact DNA.
[ + ]Gillespie joins Prince Henry's
Matt Gillespie is the new director of Melbourne's Prince Henry's Institute. [ + ]
First look at an enzyme target for cancer treatment
US scientists have modelled an enzyme critical to the process of DNA transcription and replication which could be a prime target for antibacterial and anticancer drugs.
[ + ]Interfering with plasmid inheritance
Research into plasmid inheritance could turn the tables on antibiotic resistance. [ + ]
Battling the bushwhackers
Matt Padula is part of a team at UTS that is using de novo peptide sequencing of the proteins and enzymes in a common tick to look for candidate antigens for a potential vaccine against one of Australia's deadliest parasites. [ + ]
Proteomics for cancer diagnostics
Genomics is old hat and proteomics is now where it's at, according to Richard Christopherson. [ + ]
Miniature bioassay could lead to cheaper drugs
A standard laboratory tool for measuring pharmacological activity of biological substances may soon be replaced by a miniaturised bioassay that will be faster, cheaper and more efficient for scientists to use.
[ + ]Sustained release for pain relief
A Phase 1 trial of a transdermal delivery system of pain reliever oxycodone has positive results. [ + ]
Granddaddy of human blood cells
US researchers have isolated the multipotent progenitor cell in humans for the first time. [ + ]
Developing therapy-resistant cancers for research
A cancer cell line that is resistant to one of the newest classes of cancer treatments has been developed by researchers who already are using it to determine treatment alternatives for when it starts appearing in patients.
[ + ]Monoclonal therapeutics and diagnostic antibodies market worth $56 billion by 2012
The monoclonal therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies market is expected to increase by 80% by 2012, according to a technical market research report by BCC Research.
[ + ]Antibody homes in on leukaemic stem cells
Australia's largest biotechnology company, CSL, has released preliminary data on a novel antibody therapy for acute myeloid leukaemia. [ + ]
Salt of the earth
Australia's durum wheat growers have extra reason to be worried as the worst drought in two centuries provides a grim foretaste of the Infernal Century. However, a chance discovery of a salt-tolerance gene from decades-old seed lines is looking promising. [ + ]