July 23rd, 2010 by admin
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Udel polysulfone (PSU) is a high-strength, semi-touch, rigid, transparent plastic that provides enhanced hydrolytic stability and higher heat resistance compared to polycarbonate. This material maintains its good mechanical properties when it is subjected to steam and additional techniques that involve sterilization. It does extremely well in a number of fluid-handling applications, and has effectively replaced brass in pressurized hot water applications for more than 20 years successfully.
An incredibly versatile transparent plastic, Udel has many great features, such as low creep under a continual load at high temperatures, can endure being constantly exposed to hot chlorinated water, has high strength, is colorable, and has good practical toughness. Some common applications where PSU is utilized include faucet components, plumbing manifolds, medical devices, hot water fittings, and membranes for water treatment, food and beverage, bioprocessing, hemodialysis, and gas separation.
Udel is considered to be a high-value plastic product that is at the peak of the performance pyramid. It, and other top plastic materials, such as Celazole PBI, Torlon PAI, Duraton PI, Ketron PEEK, Techtron PPS, and so on, will be marketed under DSM Engineering Plastic Products, Inc. new Advanced Engineering Plastic Products (AEEP) program for DSM’s line of advanced plastic stock shapes. The new global program will be for engineers, for machine shops, and distributors, providing them with the widest selection of advanced engineering plastic products in a huge range of sizes and shapes that are recognized worldwide for their high performance and high quality.
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July 11th, 2010 by admin
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Bioscience Valuation is a management consulting firm with a focus on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.The company is specialized in the analysis and quantitative as …
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Bioscience Valuation
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July 8th, 2010 by admin
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Onyx Scientific provides polymorph screening throughout all stages of a drug-discovery process. Onyx solid-state services include: salt selection; physicochemical property determinations and crystallisation studies.
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Polymorph Screening Chemistry Services CRO, Onyx Scientific, Announces the Continued Strong Growth of its Solid-State Services
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July 6th, 2010 by admin
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Background: To date, the impact of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) system on early and late kidney transplantation outcome such as acute rejection episodes or cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has still not been conclusively elucidated. Genetically determined alterations in TLR expression exhibit a possibility to evaluate their role in transplantation. In this study we sought to determine a comprehensive genotype-phenotype association with early and late allograft outcomes.
Methods: We studied 11 SNPs in TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, TLR9 and within a co-molecule CD14 in 265 patients receiving their first kidney transplant and associated them with the occurrence of delayed graft function, acute rejection episodes or cardiovascular mortality or morbidity.
Results: Acute rejection episodes were significantly more frequent in patients carrying the TLR3 TT/CT-allele (43.8% vs. 25.8%, p=0.001) as were rates of DGF (21.4% vs. 12.0%, p=0.030). Furthermore, TLR9 was significantly involved in the occurrence of MACE (TLR9 -1237, p=0.03). Interestingly there was no significant effect of any TLR-polymorphism on graft survival or renal function and the incidence of any infection, including CMV-infection.
Conclusion: In our study in renal transplant recipients suggests the TLR system to be involved in both acute rejection and MACE. Modulation of the TLR system may be promising targets in future therapeutic strategies.
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A comprehensive genotype-phenotype interaction of different Toll-like receptor variations in a renal transplant cohort.
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July 2nd, 2010 by admin
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Agnel Sfeir, a postdoctoral fellow in Titia de Lange’s Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics, has been named a finalist in the fourth annual Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists competition, which recognizes the contributions of young scientists and engineers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
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Rockefeller postdoc named finalist for Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists
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July 2nd, 2010 by admin
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HIV has been able to outmaneuver every vaccine that’s been tried on the virus since it was first discovered in 1981. But no vaccine has yet to directly employ what is arguably the most powerful weapon the human immune system, the dendritic cells that orchestrate the body’s response to infection. Now that’s about to change. Researchers at Rockefeller University, where dendritic cells were discovered in 1973, are building on decades worth of research to launch a novel vaccine trial in hopes of mustering an immune response strong enough to defeat the deadly virus. It’s the first clinical trial of a dendritic cell based vaccine against infection, and researchers hope it will mark a turning point in the battle against AIDS. 
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New HIV vaccine trial first to target dendritic cells
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July 2nd, 2010 by admin
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A fundamental concern for all new biological therapeutics is the possibility of inducing an immune response. We have recently demonstrated that a ligand-receptor fusion (LR-fusion) of growth hormone generates a potent long-acting agonist, however the immunogenicity and toxicity of these molecules have not been tested. To address these issues we have designed molecules with low potential as immunogens and undertaken immunogenicity and toxicology studies in Macaca fascicularis and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies in rats. Two variants of the LR-fusion, one with a flexible linker (GH-LRv2) and the other without (GH-LRv3), were tested. Comparison was made with native human GH.
GH-LRv2 and GH-LRv3 demonstrated similar pharmacokinetics in rats, showing reduced clearance compared to native GH and potent agonist activity with respect to body weight gain in a hypophysectomised rat model. In M. fascicularis a low level of antibodies to GH-LRv2 was found in one sample but there was no other evidence of any immunogenic response to the other fusion protein. There were no toxic effects and specifically no changes in histology at injection sites after two repeated administrations. The pharmacokinetic profiles in monkeys confirmed long half lives for both GH-LRv2 and GH-LRv3 representing exceptionally delayed clearance over rhGH. The results suggest that repeated administration of a GH LR-fusion is safe, non-toxic and the pharmacokinetic profile suggests that two to three weekly administration is a potential therapeutic regimen for humans.
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Immunogenicity, toxicology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of growth hormone ligand-receptor fusions.
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June 28th, 2010 by admin
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Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSC) can differentiate into renal adult cells, and have anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating activity. We investigated whether MSC have protective/reparative effects in anti-Thy 1 disease, an antibody-induced mesangiolysis resulting in mesangioproliferative nephritis. We studied five groups of rats. A: rats injected with anti-Thy Ab on day 0. B: rats injected with anti-Thy Ab on day 0 + MSC on day 3. C: rats injected with anti-Thy Ab on day 0 + mesangial cells on day 3. D: rats injected with saline on day 0 + MSC on day 3. E: rats injected with saline on day 0. Rats were sacrificed on days 1, 3, 7, 14. MSC prevented the rise in serum creatinine, proteinuria, glomerular monocyte influx and glomerular histopathological injury. Furthermore, MSC suppressed release of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), modulated glomerular platelet-derived growth factor-β ( (PDGF-β), and reset the Scatter Factors and their receptors, potentiating hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/Met and inactivating macrophage stimulating protein (MSP)/Ron. Rare MSC were found in the kidney. These results indicate that MSC improve anti-Thy 1 disease not by replacing injured cells, but by preventing cytokine-driven inflammation and modulating PDGF-β and the Scatter Factors, i.e. systems that regulate movement and proliferation of monocytes and mesangial cells.
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Mesenchymal stromal cells improve renal injury in anti-Thy 1 nephritis by modulating inflammatory cytokines and scatter factors.
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June 27th, 2010 by admin
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AB Controls, Inc. has integrated a robotic arm with an existing Biomek FX for the delivery of disposable pipette tips.
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AB Controls, Inc. Introduces Nested Pipette Tip Robot (Trx) System
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June 25th, 2010 by admin
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Girl Scouts introduce girls of every age to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities relevant to everyday life.
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Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast CAO, Shari Bridges, Appointed to National Council STEM Advisory Team
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June 24th, 2010 by admin
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Objetives: Acute heart failure (AHF) causes significant morbidity and mortality. Recent studies have postulated that the expression of inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines plays an important role in the development and progression of heart failure. A proinflammatory state has been postulated as a key factor in triggering cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation. Therefore, we sought to determine the prevalence of active CMV infection in immunocompetent patients admitted for AHF and to quantify the association with the risk of the combined endpoint of death or AHF readmission.
Design: A total of 132 consecutive patients admitted for AHF were enrolled in the study. Plasma CMV DNAemia was assessed by real-time quantitative PCR. Cytokine measurements in plasma were performed by ELISA. Clinical data were evaluated by personnel blinded to CMV results. The independent association between active CMV infection and the endpoint was determined by Cox regression analysis.
Results: During a median follow-up of 120 days (IQR: 60-240), 23 (17.4%) deaths, 34 (24.2%) readmission for AHF and 45 (34.1%) deaths/readmission for AHF were identified. Plasma CMV DNAemia occurred in 11 (8.3%) patients, albeit at a low level (<100 copies/mL). The cumulative rate of the composite endpoint was higher in patients with CMV DNAemia (81.8% vs. 29.8%, p<0.001). After adjusting for established risk factors, the occurrence of CMV DNAemia was strongly associated with the clinical end-point (HR=4.39, 95% CI: 2.02-9.52; p<0.001).
Conclusions: Active CMV infection occurs, though uncommonly, in patients with AHF, and may be a marker of disease severity.
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Prevalence and Prognostic Implications of Active Cytomegalovirus Infection in Patients with Acute Heart Failure
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June 24th, 2010 by admin
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New consumer website highlights key role biotech crops play in addressing global food demand.
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Website Recognizes Benefits of Biotech Crops
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June 23rd, 2010 by admin
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Severe sepsis and septic shock are an important cause of mortality and morbidity. These illnesses can be triggered by the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and proinflammatory cytokines, particularly tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a and interleukin (IL)-1b. Severity and mortality of sepsis have also been associated with high concentrations of aminoprocalcitonin (N-PCT), a 57-amino acid neuroendocrine peptide derived from procalcitonin. Prior studies in a lethal model of porcine polymicrobial sepsis have revealed that immunoneutralization with IgG that is reactive to porcine N-PCT significantly improves short-term survival. To further explore the pathophysiological role of N-PCT in sepsis, we developed an antibody raised against a highly conserved amino acid sequence of human N-PCT (N-PCT44-57). This sequence differs by only one amino acid from rat N-PCT. First, we demonstrated the specificity of this antibody in a well proven model of anorexia induced in rats by central administration of human N-PCT1-57. We next further explored the therapeutic potential of anti-N-PCT44-57 in a rat model of lethal endotoxemia and determined how this immunoneutralization affected LPS-induced lethality and cytokine production. We showed that this specific antibody inhibits LPS-induced early release of TNF-a and IL-1b and increased survival; even if treatment began after cytokine response has occurred. Also, anti-N-PCT44-57 may increase long-term survival in LPS-treated rats by up-regulating the late production of counterregulatory anti-inflammatory mediators such as ACTH and IL-10. These data support N-PCT as a proinflammatory factor in both the early and the late stages of lethal endotoxemia and suggest N-PCT as a candidate for septic shock therapy.
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Immunoneutralization of the Aminoprocalcitonin Peptide of Procalcitonin Protects Rats from Lethal Endotoxemia: Neuroendocrine and Systemic Studies
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June 21st, 2010 by admin
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Quantum Tubers Corporation implements new system to improve commercial biomanufacturing needs with TURCK’s modular BL67 remote I/O system with analog input modules and TURCK flow sensors.
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Quantum Tubers Reduces Development Time with TURCK Sensors and Distributed I/O System
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June 18th, 2010 by admin
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Rockefeller’s newest faculty member is Luciano Marraffini, a microbiologist who studies how bacterial pathogens modulate the transfer of foreign DNA into their genomes. His work sheds light on how bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus evolve, including how they gain the ability to resist antibiotic drugs.
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Microbiologist to join Rockefeller faculty
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