Latest Industry Insights

Scientists are harnessing the power of synthetic biology – a field of science that involves redesigning biological components to generate novel synthetic entities – to solve scientific problems and drive innovation in medicine. Technology Networks recently spoke with Codex DNA’s CEO Todd R. Nelson to learn about the impact synthetic biology techniques are having on pharmaceutical development and the "big trends" in synthetic biology we are already seeing and are expected to see in the next few years.

By providing greater physiologic relevance and a species- or patient-specific test platform, organoids overcome many limitations of conventional 2D cultures and even live-animal disease models.

Technology Networks spoke to Jeff Hawkins, Dr Jerry Yeo, and Dr Abhijit Datta, to learn how the information provided by antibody tests can be used appropriately during the COVID-19 pandemic.

T cells are an important part of our immune memory and offer a wealth of valuable information about the way our bodies perceive and respond to pathogens. Learn how this information is being harnessed and applied in the fight against COVID-19.

The 21st century has seen a revolution in how we approach research. With the advent of new technologies like automation and machine/deep learning, biology is becoming a less inferential and more data-driven discipline. With scientific research delayed worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is it time to re-examine the future role of automation in biological research?

In a study recently published in Cell Systems, a new ultra-high-throughput proteomics method was used to identify 27 blood biomarkers that distinguished COVID-19 patients with mild or severe responses. We spoke to Dr Markus Ralser to learn more about the study and how the method could potentially be used in the clinic to diagnose COVID-19 severity.

We recently spoke with Pascal Descargues, CEO at Genoskin to learn more about the legal restrictions on animal testing and how human skin tissue can be used as an alternative.

To learn about the benefits of accelerating turnaround times for genomic testing and the importance of partnering with pharma companies to develop companion diagnostics, Technology Networks spoke with Luca Quagliata, PhD, BCMAS, global director of medical affairs for Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Here, Dr Pretorius examines the use of saliva, rather than blood, in rapid diagnostic tests for malaria and how this clinically informative biofluid could help to improve healthcare in the world’s poorest regions.

As the world continues to battle through the pandemic, developing innovative strategies to expand the availability of extraction, and any other testing components that are facing supply issues, will be an ongoing requirement.