(Press-News.org) New Rochelle, NY, September 1, 2011—Scientists involved in DNA vaccine research are currently focused on two major issues: the creation of effective delivery systems and the development of more efficient biomanufacturing strategies, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). Top investigators in the field recently discussed these and other topics at a conference in San Diego entitled "DNA Vaccines: Building on Clinical Progress and Exploring New Targets," which was sponsored by the International Society of DNA Vaccines and organized by BioConferences International, a Mary Ann Liebert company, according to the September 1 issue of GEN. http://www.genengnews.com/issue/toc/0/
David Weiner, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania professor and conference chair, noted that despite some early setbacks, DNA vaccine technology has advanced dramatically over the past few years and that therapies currently under evaluation are demonstrating the superb potential of plasmid-based vaccines. He emphasized that a range of novel vaccine methodologies have emerged, including new strategies for getting the plasmids into cells, increasing protein production once they are inside, and modifications of the vaccine proteins that increase their recognition and response by the immune system.
Some of the more promising delivery approaches include transdermal, needle-free patches, devices that transport the plasmids into the skin via air pressure, and electroporation, in which electrical pulses are used to temporarily open the cell membrane, allowing the plasmids easier access to the interior of cells.
On the manufacturing front, Philippe Ledent, Ph.D., process transfer and development manager at Eurogentec Biologics, explained that his company has faced major challenges scaling up the output of both protein and nucleic acid products. For plasmid production Eurogentec turned to fed-batch protocols for better growth control of the cultures, he said, adding that in a two-step process that was based on biomass expansion followed by plasmid DNA production, it was possible to increase fermentation yields 10-fold.
Tony Hitchcock, head of manufacturing technologies at RecipharmCobra Biologics, provided another approach to plasmid purification. The company's product line includes bacteria, animal cells, viruses, novel proteins, and antibodies. The overall process that Hitchcock sought to optimize was quite similar to that followed by Eurogentec: high density fermentation, followed by alkaline cell lysis, chromatographic purification, and final formulation.
Also covered in the GEN article are DNA vaccine production techniques used by Althea Technologies and VGXI.
### For a copy of the September 1 issue of GEN, please call (914) 740-2122, or email: ebicovny@liebertpub.com
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN, www.genengnews.com) has retained its position as the number one biotech publisher around the globe since its launch in 1981. GEN publishes a print edition 21 times a year and has additional exclusive editorial content online, such as news and analysis, podcasts, webinars, polls, videos, and application notes. GEN's unique news and technology focus includes the entire bioproduct life cycle from early-stage R&D, to applied research including omics, biomarkers, as well as diagnostics, to bioprocessing and commercialization.
GEN reports on advances in DNA vaccine delivery and production
2011-09-02
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
I&K International Limited Launches New Luxury Hair Extensions Product Brand, VL
2011-09-02
I&K International Limited, one of UK's leading hair extensions suppliers, has announced the launch of a new luxury hair extensions product brand - VL (Volume & Length).
All VL human hair products are made of selected natural human hair. The VL hair extension range covers all kind of hair extensions including luxury clip-in hair extensions, salon glue-in hair extensions and tape-in hair extensions. All these products can be found at its online store, www.hairtrade.com.
VL tape-in hair extensions come with 10 pieces of 8cm wide strips of hair with special ...
Habit makes bad food too easy to swallow
2011-09-02
LOS ANGELES — September 1, 2011 — Do you always get popcorn at the movies? Or snack while you're on the couch watching television? A new paper by USC researchers reveals why bad eating habits persist even when the food we're eating doesn't taste good. The study also reveals the surprisingly simple ways we can counter our habits to gain control over what we eat.
In an ingenious experiment, researchers gave people about to enter a movie theater a bucket of either just-popped, fresh popcorn or stale, week-old popcorn.
Moviegoers who didn't usually eat popcorn at the movies ...
To clear digital waste in computers, 'think green,' researchers say
2011-09-02
A digital dumping ground lies inside most computers, a wasteland where old, rarely used and unneeded files pile up. Such data can deplete precious storage space, bog down the system's efficiency and sap its energy. Conventional rubbish trucks can't clear this invisible byte blight. But two researchers say real-world trash management tactics point the way to a new era of computer cleansing.
In a recent paper published on the scholarly website arXiv (pronounced "archive"), Johns Hopkins University computer scientists Ragib Hasan and Randal Burns have suggested familiar ...
Northern Rock Partners with Moneysupermarket.com to Offer Exclusive Online ISA
2011-09-02
Northern Rock is offering a top-paying online cash ISA to complement its competitive portfolio of branch, postal and online savings accounts. This ISA is exclusively available through moneysupermarket.com and pays 3.05% tax-free* pa/AER** variable, with no bonus rate attached.
The exclusive Online ISA offers those who prefer to operate their accounts via the internet an instant access option for their tax-free* savings, and can be opened with no minimum initial deposit.
Kevin Mountford, head of banking at moneysupermarket.com, said: "If you're a UK taxpayer then ...
RIT conducts flood mapping of New York's hard hit Schoharie County
2011-09-02
The New York State Office of Emergency Management is using imagery of the widespread flooding in Schoharie County captured by Rochester Institute of Technology and Kucera International Inc.
On Tuesday, a crew from RIT and Kucera International remotely imaged the destruction in eastern New York caused by downpours from Tropical Storm Irene. The downgraded hurricane caused devastation along the Schoharie Creek and the Mohawk River west of Schenectady.
RIT engineer and sensor operator Jason Faulring and Kucera pilots Rebecca Heller and James Bowers flew a twin engine Piper ...
Findmypast.co.uk Launches More New Records and Lowers Prices
2011-09-02
Findmypast.co.uk, a leading UK family history website, has been adding to its existing collection of over 40 million parish records for England & Wales dating back to 1538.
The company has launched over 18,000 baptism, marriage and burial records from London & Kent dating from 1825-1871, covering the parishes of Greenwich and Rotherhithe.
These follow hot on the heels of 79,842 parish records from Gwent (formerly Monmouthshire), spanning the years 1634 to 1933, which were also published on the site recently. These records cover the parishes of Chepstow, Shirenewton, ...
Structural Genomics Project creates blueprint for infectious disease and biodefense research
2011-09-02
Sept. 1, 2011, SEATTLE – The September issue of the online scientific journal Acta Crystallographica: Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications (Acta Cryst F) will consist entirely of work done at the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), a consortium of researchers from Seattle BioMed, Emerald BioStructures, the University of Washington and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). This free online edition (found at http://journals.iucr.org/f/issues/2011/09/00/issconts.html) features 30 peer-reviewed manuscripts, describing ...
Rezidor Announces the Park Inn Trysil Mountain Resort in Norway
2011-09-02
The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, announces the Park Inn Trysil Mountain Resort in Norway. The property, featuring 369 rooms, is scheduled to open in December 2011 - just in time for the next ski season. Park Inn by Radisson is Rezidor's young and dynamic core brand in the mid-market segment, offering a hassle free stay, a relaxed and personalized ambiance, and comfortable rooms with modern amenities.
"The Park Inn Trysil Mountain Resort will perfectly complement our existing Radisson Blu Resort, Trysil. We are delighted ...
New study findings reveal US high school science standards in genetics are 'inadequate'
2011-09-02
BETHESDA, MD – September 1, 2011 – A new study by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), the country's leading genetics scientific society, found that more than 85 percent of states have genetics standards that are inadequate for preparing America's high school students for future participation in a society and health care system that are certain to be increasingly impacted by genetics-based personalized medicine. ASHG's study findings are being published in the September 1 issue of the CBE–Life Sciences Education journal (Citation: CBE-Life Sciences Education, ...
Crippling condition associated with diabetes is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood
2011-09-02
Van Nuys, CA—Robert Winkler says he limped around on his painful left foot for six months, suffering unnecessarily from a misdiagnosis by a physician who didn't know about the symptoms and treatments for Charcot foot, a form of localized osteoporosis linked to diabetes that causes the bones to soften and break, often resulting in amputation.
When his primary care physician finally agreed to Mr. Winkler's request for an x-ray, they discovered the metatarsal bones in Mr. Winkler's left foot were all broken—a common symptom of this serious and potentially limb-threatening ...