Since the first reported case of COVID-19 in December 2019, researchers around the world have been working to improve their understanding of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Determining the mechanisms by which the virus interacts with the host system is key to developing effective treatments for patients. A team of researchers in Austria are combining their …

“This is not a race between manufacturers. It is us against the virus.” There is a saying in science that “anything is possible.” The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic proved it. In the U.S., two messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines went from bench to bedside in months, not years, with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) …

PerkinElmer recently discussed next-generation cancer therapies with one of the founders of the field, Dr. Sunil Chada. The complexity of cancer continues to pose significant challenges for researchers in the development of novel therapeutic agents. Historic treatment approaches including chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapies such as antibody therapies have failed to deliver curative outcomes for most …

To accelerate their discovery of new treatments for Huntington’s disease (HD), researchers at the University College of London developed a human neuronal cell model of the disease for use in high-throughput screening of potential therapies. Existing HD cellular models, which are mostly non-human and non-neuronal, fail to recapitulate the disease’s biochemical milieu. Dr. Sarah Tabrizi …

The complexity of neurodegenerative diseases, and the associated challenges of modeling the development and function of the human brain, have made many disorders difficult to study experimentally. While animal models can aid our understanding of disease mechanisms and pathology – and are relevant for biomarker research and therapeutic testing – reliable and predictive human cellular …

Improving lives has always been the ultimate goal for PerkinElmer’s Life Sciences—and we do this by delivering innovative, advanced solutions to those developing treatments and drugs. Drug development can take years from the beginnings of basic research into understanding disease pathophysiology to the commercialization of a new medicine, and the right tools can make all …

Close to two decades have passed since a new drug for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been approved in the US. In August of 2020, a new anti-amyloid treatment by Biogen received an expedited review, albeit with some skepticism in the field, which resulted in a setback for the IgG1 monoclonal antibody (aducanumab) in November. Despite …

To implement social distancing for COVID-19, many organizations and companies require fewer staff members to be in the laboratory simultaneously. Researchers may evaluate alternatives to widely used but tedious assay workflows. One example would be conventional techniques such as ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), which is used to detect and screen biomarkers, protein targets, and their …

Research of neurological symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 presents an opportunity to further understand COVID-19 molecular functioning as well as its implications in the clinic. Symptoms of COVID-19 typically affect the respiratory system, including fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. On the other hand, observations of secondary complex symptoms affecting the central nervous system may …

Researchers worldwide are working around the clock to develop effective drugs and vaccines for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Their efforts are focused on three key approaches: Repurposing of existing drugs Development of new therapeutics Development of vaccines High content screening (HCS), with its wide range of applications, is an important part of each of these strategies. …

Introduction During the drug discovery process, it is important to demonstrate that a small molecule compound can bind with sufficient affinity and duration to the protein target of interest to exert its pharmacological effect. This is known as target engagement and mitigates some of the risks associated with advancing a small molecule towards the clinic. …

Why Live-cell imaging enables researchers to study dynamic cellular processes, behaviour and function in real time and over time, giving a more complete and realistic view of biological function. Rather than having to prepare one sample for every time point and fixing the cells at that point, researchers can analyze a single sample over time, …

We’ve all had our blood pressure taken; however, blood pressure measurement isn’t just related to your heart. There is more than one type of hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is caused by high pressure in the arteries that supply blood to your lungs. When the blood vessel walls thicken, blood flow is restricted in a manner similar …

Background To A Cancer Breakthrough When most of us encounter bacteria, we reach for a sanitizer. Researchers at the Cork Cancer Research Centre in Cork, Ireland, have a much different reaction. They view these single-cell microorganisms as literal torchbearers in advancing new therapies for infectious diseases especially as it relates to cancer. Why is that …

A Major Research Breakthrough A group of scientists at the Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM) have developed a new microscopy technique for blood cells that saves time, money, and, most importantly, is already helping to uncover new immunotherapy treatments for cancer. The patent application pending technique, termed “Pharmacoscopy,” has …

When we see the word biome, many of us are not even sure how to pronounce it (hint: the e is silent). What it reminds us of varies too. Environmentalists may think of tropical forests, rolling prairies, deserts oceans, or even frozen tundra. Yes, they are all biomes known as the major environments for life …

Background Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) has been killing humans since the beginning of recorded history.1 Recent estimates claim the disease is responsible for 1.8 million deaths and another 10 million people becoming infected with tuberculous every year.2 Despite our long association with one of the most lethal diseases in history, scientists still have only a …

Staph Infections Are On The Rise Most of us know someone with an about orthopedic implant. News of hip, knee, and even elbow replacements are common. But these are just a few of the more than two dozen orthopedic implants now available to replace or support bones ravaged by time, injuries, trauma, or disease. Over …