Taylor & Francis

Analysis of nitrosamine impurities: an interview with Javier Jimenez-Villarin by Taylor & Francis Group

PCR has evolved rapidly over the last few years, an evolution that has been dramatically accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. New technologies and approaches have been brought to the fore and the full range of applications for which this technique can be applied have been highlighted, from diagnostics to basic disease research and immunology.

This episode explores this evolution, looking at how challenges presented by the pandemic forced the hand of researchers to think outside the box and build on lesser-known PCR technologies. Here, Eddy van Collenburg, Market Development Specialist at Bio-Rad, provides his insight into how ddPCR rose to prevalence during this time and explains how the technology is being used to enable trade, detect new variants and is being used outside of the pandemic.

Discover the key role that ddPCR can play in gene therapy research, liquid biopsies, cancer research, single-cell studies and more, in this fascinating overview of the development of PCR and where the technique can go in the future.

Contents:

Introduction: 00:00-01:30Why was qPCR established as the gold standard for detection?   01:30-03:40Limitations of qPCR during the pandemic 03:40-05:05New varieties of PCR for faster results: 05:05-05:40New varieties for more accurate results: 05:40-06:45ddPCR working principle and advantages: 06:45-09:00Nonclinical ddPCR applications for COVID-19: 09:00-10:45ddPCR in variant detection: 10:45-12:05ddPCR in gene therapy research: 11:05-12:30Liquid biopsy and cancer research: 12:30-15:20Combining ddPCR with NGS in research: 15:20-16:15What are some of the applications of ddPCR that you find most exciting? 16:15-17:10 Applications of ddPCR in single-cell studies 17:10-21:00Improvements in ddPCR: 21:00-21:45 Tips for best practice when using ddPCR: 21:45-22:50What would you ask for to improve ddPCR? 21:50-24:20

Data Completeness: a podcast with Dan Drozd by Taylor & Francis Group

Love it or hate it, western blotting forms the bedrock of countless studies across numerous disciplines. Explore its history, development and applications in this episode all about the marmite of life science techniques.

Guiding me through the hand wringing, hair follicle destroying history and process of western blotting, and hopefully explaining the beauty and potential of the technique - is Kenneth Oh, Senior Project Manager at Bio-Rad Laboratories.

Kenneth reveals some of the latest developments in western blotting. Revealing how researchers are now able to validate the success of each stage of a western blot and work with smaller samples, Kenneth provides key tips for ensuring each of your western blots is a triumph.

Contents:

Intro: 00:00-01:15

History of western blotting: 01:15-3:50

What makes western blotting so tricky? 03:50-05:30

Stepwise optimization: 05:30-06:50

Stain-free western blotting: 06:50-08:50

The different variants of western blotting: 08:50-10:20

The right blot for the right application: 10:20-11:30

The most exciting developments in western bloting:11:30-13:35

New horizons for western blotting: 13:35-15:25

The impact of multiplex-western blotting: 15:25-16:30

Tips for best practice: 16:30-18:10

The future of western blotting: 18:10-20:30

Yearning for automation: 20:30-21:30

Immunoassay applications: a podcast with John Chappell by Taylor & Francis Group

Uncover the history of molecular therapeutics, the staggering current applications and developments of these therapeutics and what their future could hold, in this episode of Talking Techniques.

To explore the field of molecular therapeutics and provide an insight into their production, is Aaron Clauson, Product Manager at Zymo research. First, we cover the ins and outs of targeting the therapies and how to select the correct type of molecular therapeutic to begin developing a drug for a specific disease, before looking at some of the setbacks and safety errors that have occurred during the development of molecular therapeutics and how researchers have learned from these tragic events.

Aaron also highlights the vital role of plasmids in almost all molecular therapeutic development, detailing the importance of keeping plasmid solutions and transfections free of endotoxins, revealing key solutions for avoiding these contaminants.

Listen today to get all you need to know about molecular therapeutics, from their inception to their most exciting examples and how we can better communicate their benefits to the public in order to avoid mistrust and confusion - as has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contents:What counts as a molecular therapeutic? 01:45-02:40Well known molecular therapeutics 02:40-05:00What can molecular therapeutics achieve that synthetic chemicals can’t? 05:00-05:55Targeting molecular therapeutics and picking the right type of therapeutic 05:55-08:25Selecting the appropriate molecular therapeutic 08:35-11:00Setbacks and safety concerns in gene therapies 11:00-15:45Preventing off-target effects in gene therapies 15:45-17:35Challenges in the development of molecular therapeutics 17:35-19:05 Plasmids in molecular therapeutic development 19:05-23:55 Avoiding endotoxins: 23:55-27:45What fields do you find most exciting? 27:45-28:50Better communication of gene therapies to the public 28:50-32:00 “security agencies detecting molecular therapeutics” 29:10Improving molecular therapeutic development: 32:00-37:10

This episode centers on the critical role that high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) plays in the production of adeno-associated viral (AAV) therapies, the latest advances in AAV design and the next steps in their development.

Filling me in on all things HPLC and AAVs is Bella Neufeld, Director of R&D at Teknova. Bella reveals the essential validation and quality control steps required for the production of successful and safe AAV therapies and the role that both HPLC and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LCMS) play in these steps. We also explore the latest development targets for these therapies, looking at how AAVs can be targeted to specific sites and tissues before descending into the treacherous topic of reproducibility in the field.

Listen today to find out the latest tips for best practice when working with HPLC, LCMS the advantages of LCMS over other analytical techniques to assess empty and full capsids and the key principles of AAV production!

ContentsIntro: 00:00-01:25Explaining HPLC and its benefits: 01:25-03:30Developing adeno-associated viruses: 03:30-05:25 Chromatography in validation vs production of AAVs: 05:25-06:15Quality control vs hands on time: 06:15-07:35  Challenges in AAV production: 07:35-08:55Examining the level of empty and full capsids: 08:55-10:00The role of LCMS in determining and validating AAV contents: 10:00-11:30      Tips for best practice when using HPLC: 12:30-13:10The future of HPLC: 13:10-14:20Latest advances in AAV development: 14:20-15:50Targeting AAVs: 15:50-17:20Reproducibility issues in AAV development: 17:20-19:35Outro: 19:35-21:10

As the transition from 2D to 3D cell cultures, or organoids, as the gold standard for modeling basic biology and disease continues, these models are being utilized in ever more intricate and impactful ways.

This episode covers the rise of organoids and their advantages over 2D cell cultures, before exploring just how representative these models are becoming and their new applications in drug discovery. To find out all this and more, I speak to Oksana Sirenko, Senior Scientist at Molecular Devices, who works extensively with the company's organoid model development programs. 

Oksana reveals the potential of these models in cancer therapeutics, driven forward by new patient-derived organoids, and notes the challenges presented by imaging these thicker, 3D models. We also explore the potential discoveries that can be unlocked by combining organoids with organ-on-a-chip models.

Contents:

What are organoids? 02:10-03:20Functions replicated by organoids? 3:20-04:00What are the advantages of 3D over 2D cell cultures? 04:00-05:40Just how representative are these models? 04:40-07:10 Intestinal organoid formation 07:10-08:50The most exciting application of organoids 08:50-10:10Organoids in drug development 10:10-11:20Methodology of organoids in drug screening studies 11:20-13:30Examples of organoids in cancer drug discovery: 13:30-16:00Limitations of patient-derived and regular organoid models: 16:00-17:50Body-on-a-chip concepts and examples: 17:50-22:00Challenges posed by organoids for drug discovery: 22:00-24:20Techniques improving organoid models and analysis: 24:20-25:50Imaging organoid models: 25:50-26:55Tips for best practice when working with organoids: 26:55-28:20Organoid method development: 28:20-31:10One thing to improve organoid models or analysis for drug screening: 31:10-33:07

To find out more about the research and solutions discussed in this episode visit: www.moleculardevices.com/TechTalk8.

Automation of ADME: a podcast with Prakash Bhosale by Taylor & Francis Group

In this podcast interview, Jason Evans (Scientist at Q² Solutions; NY, USA) discusses the importance of automation and key advantages of taking an assay from the bench to an automated platform. He also explains the increase in throughput when his lab transitioned to automated assays and the hurdles he faced when automating assays.