Posters

A prototype of miniaturized cell lysis device has been developed using a spherically concave transducer, which is capable of lysing bacteria in absence of added chemical denaturants or enzymes and lysing yeast efficiently without any mechanical or enzymatic pretreatment.

The lack of reference materials (RMs) for most genetic tests causes difficulties in validating and developing new assays, and results in tests being run without proper quality controls. EuroGentest and the EU-funded network for Medical Genetics, is addressing this issue by defining the present and future needs for RMs, setting priorities for and supporting the development of new RMs and building an enduring network involving all stakeholders in RM development.

In this study we compare methods for large-scale microarray analysis of protein and RNA level changes in HL-60 cells, responding to differentiation stimuli. Using microarrays we have found, that level of several proteins was either up- or down-regulated after cell differentiation. In some cases there was significant correlation with appropriate genes.

In a worldwide first proscpective phamacogenetic study preliminary results show reduction of adverse drug reactions and hospitilisation stays for geriatric patients after pharmacogenetic testing and medication interaction analysis to fit the medicine to the patient.

Cell chips are developed to continuously monitor mammalian cell population dynamics in a non-invasive manner. In the presented work we describe the design, fabrication and characterization of a lab-on-a-chip for quantitative cell analysis.

Microfabricated biochips are developed to continuously monitor cell population dynamics in a non-invasive manner. In the presented work we describe the novel combination of contact-less dielectric microsensors and microfluidics to promote biofilm formation for quantitative cell analysis.

Prenatal diagnosis to determine the outcome of pregnancies and detect conditions that may affect future pregnancies has risen as a big issue in the broad public. Analysis of fetal genetic material extracted from maternal blood is a smart alternative to invasive prenatal testing.

This study aims to identify protein profiles in breast cancer cells as predictors of chemoresistance by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF peptide mass fingerprinting. Our findings provide further insights into the complex mechanisms of chemoresistance, as well as representing an attractive starting point for the identification of potential protein biomarkers to predict response to chemotherapy in breast cancer in vivo.

We demonstrate that DNA methylation patterns can serve as characteristic markers to distinguish different cell types. We have identified panels of methylation markers that are specific to mesenchymal stem cells or various differentiated cell types in the mesenchymal lineage. This method of cell type identification has a number of advantages over conventional markers in that it is robust, is both qualitative and quantitative.