Analytical Testing
PARTICULATE IDENTIFICATION - Particle Identification for Improvement of Pharmaceutical Production
Kathryn A. Lee, PhD; Markus Lankers, PhD; and Oliver Valet, PhD, discuss various aspects with regard to microscopic particle counting, sizing, and identification using Raman, laser-induced breakdown, and IR spectroscopies, and how these techniques can help accurately identify particles.
PHARMACOLOGY MODELS - Early Phase Pharmacodynamic Models for Respiratory Drug Candidates
Robert Lins, MD, PhD, believes classical primary respiratory endpoints are far from successful in exploratory and confirmatory studies, and new techniques being developed have most potential in early phase, exploratory, clinical trials, but there may be the opportunity to apply at least some of them in the later stages of development.
NANOPARTICLE CHARACTERIZATION - One Size Does Not Fit All: Nanoparticle Size Analysis for Nanomedicine Applications
Andrew N. Cleland, PhD, Jean-Luc Fraikin, PhD, Peter Meinhold, PhD, and Franklin Monzon, PhD, describe a new diagnostic instrument able to rapidly and accurately report detailed nanoparticle size distributions for a wide variety of nanoparticle types and concentrations in a range of different solutions.
MRI CONTRAST AGENTS - Could More Stable Soon Also Mean Safer?
Frost & Sullivan Analyst Nadim Michel Daher indicates radiology is going through interesting times. Under the coordinated care paradigm that is gradually emerging in the US, as well as all the changes forced on volume-based economic models, medical imaging enterprises are under a great deal of pressure to redefine their goals and reassess their value.
DRUG DEVELOPMENT - Don't Overlook Key Preclinical Research
Robert Wenslow, PhD, and Ann Newman, PhD, believe too often, drug discovery scientists, material scientists, and formulation specialists work in silos throughout the drug discovery process. Better integration of their efforts can reduce drug development schedules, risk, and overall costs that provide direct competitive business advantages.
DISSOLUTION TESTING - Exploring the Link Between Particle Size & Dissolution Behavior for OINDPs
Paul Kippax, PhD; Deborah Huck-Jones, PhD; et al review current trends in dissolution testing within the context of understanding particle size, which impacts clinical studies and ultimately generic submissions.
NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING - NGS: Uniformity Across the Block
Andrew Birnie, PhD, explores how innovations in instruments, such as the Eco 48 real-time qPCR system (PCRmax), deliver exceptional uniformity, actively improving the reliability and productivity of the working laboratory.
CLOUD COMPUTING - Using Quantum Molecular Design & Cloud Computing to Improve the Accuracy & Success Probability of Drug Discovery
Ed Addison and Shahar Keinan, PhD, explain how cloud computing combined with the continued influence of Moore’s Law has provided an unprecedented opportunity to apply inexpensive high-performance computing to drug discovery.
SPECIAL FEATURE - Analytical Testing: Using More Sophisticated Tools to Support Small & Large Molecule Projects
Contributor Cindy H. Dubin recently spoke with leading analytical testing providers to find out what services they offer and what equipment they use to handle both small and large molecules for their pharma clients.
IMMUNOASSAY PLATFORM - Accelerating Drug Development & Clinical Validation With Single Molecule Counting
Steven Suchyta, PhD, discusses how Ultrasensitive Single Molecule Counting technology provides an indispensable tool in the researcher’s arsenal to help move novel biology forward, fueling the discovery and development of new therapeutics.
DIAGNOSTIC TESTING - Diabetes Diagnostic Testing: A Move From Invasive to Non-Invasive Testing
Divyaa Ravishankar, Frost & Sullivan Analyst, focuses on the innovations around self-monitoring glucose meters and continuous glucose monitoring devices, providing in-depth competitive intelligence on some of the technologies and non-invasive techniques.
CELL CULTURE MARKET - 3D Cell Cultures: Next Generation & New Challenges
Kevin James and Robert G. Hunter of BCC Research say significant growth within the biopharmaceuticals industry is spurring unprecedented innovation in and demand for cell culture products for the purposes of drug discovery and safety testing. While 2D cell cultures have been in laboratory use since the 1950s, the market for 3D cultures has witnessed spectacular growth throughout the past decade.
LOC-BASED DEVICES - Lab on Chip – How Far Are We Along the Road?
Divyaa Ravishankar, MS, indicates LOC-based devices are an integration of multiple disciplines and the miniaturization of the major laboratory procedures. Recently, these devices are branching into additional aspects of healthcare, such as drug delivery, stem cell, environmental monitoring, and synthetic biology.
BIOANALYTICS TECHNOLOGY - New Bioanalytical Technology Holds Promise for Alzheimer's Research
Stephen Turner believes a next-generation capability is now available to rapidly and comprehensively provide molecular profiles of normal and AD-affected brain cells and tissues, offering the possibility of new, AD stage-specific biomarkers and points of therapeutic intervention for developing new treatments.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW - Presage Biosciences: Comparing Multiple Drugs & Combinations Directly in a Patient’s Tumor
Nathan Caffo, President of Presage Biosciences, discusses his company’s technology with the potential to usher in a new era of cancer drug development and testing.
PARTICLE AGGREGATION ANALYSIS - Biologics & Particulates: Identification & Control in the Product Lifecycle
Zabin Younes says that traditional tools, such as SEC and DSC, have been used in formulation screening; however, to ensure a control of particulate counts, it is important to use the full range of tools to ensure all types and sizes of particles and aggregates are assessed and accounted.
DYNAMIC LIGHT SCATTERING - Colloidal Gold: The Gold Standard for Drug Delivery?
Stephen Ball explores the importance of particle size in biomedical nanotechnology. Experimental data are presented to illustrate how advanced DLS techniques deliver these measurements for colloidal gold in the nanosized and sub-nanosized ranges.
SPECIAL FEATURE - Analytical Testing: A Critical Element in Drug Development
Contributor Cindy H. Dubin interviews several industry experts who believe there is intense competition to develop cutting-edge therapies and get them through development quickly to take advantage of patent exclusivity. And one of the critical elements in the drug development process is analytical testing.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW - Avomeen: A Unique Approach to the Traditional Analytical CRO
Shri Thanedar, PhD, CEO & Chief Chemist at Avomeen Analytical Services, discusses what sets his company’s analytical laboratory apart from other CROs that serve the pharmaceutical industry.
LAB DEVELOPED TESTS - FDA Working on LDT Guideline: Implications & Questions
Aish Vivekanandan, Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan, reports that in the past several years, it seemed that a cry for regulation of LDTs was falling on deaf years at the FDA. However, after a thorough and intricate letter from the Senate and public outcry for regulations, it seems the FDA is finally taking action.
