Aussies Tackle Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance occurs through the misuse or overuse of antibiotics in humans or animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that it’s the bacteria that become antibiotic-resistant and not the humans or animals. This means that when antibiotics are used, they not only kill the bacteria causing an illness, but they can also kill the beneficial bacteria which protect the body from infection. This leaves room for the resistant microbes which survived the antibiotic treatment to thrive. They are able to re-produce in large numbers and pass on their antibiotic resistance, making it more difficult for the microbiome to recover. The most concerning part is that these antibiotic-resistant bacteria can result in infections that are harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria.

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Trilogy Home Healthcare

Trilogy Home Healthcare is a Medicare certified home healthcare agency established by experienced industry leaders who have the passion for providing comprehensive in-home clinical care to our patients. Trilogy’s staff understands the importance of the relationship between the clinician, the patient and the physician with the common goal of patient recovery with positive outcomes and functional independence. Creating Solutions for Patients, Physicians, and our Community

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5 Biotech Stocks Winning the Coronavirus Race

Article | July 14, 2022

There are quite a few companies that have found ways to grow their business during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially true for a number of biotechs now working on developing a potential treatment for, or vaccine against, the virus; shares of such companies have largely surged over the past couple of months. Although many of these treatments and vaccines are still have quite a way to go before they're widely available, it's still worth taking some time to look through what's going on in the COVID-19 space right now. Here are five biotech stocks that are leading the way when it comes to addressing COVID-19. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) wasn't among the initial wave of companies to announce a potential COVID-19 drug. However, investor excitement quickly sent shares surging when the company announced that its rheumatoid arthritis drug, Kevzara, could help treat COVID-19 patients.

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MedTech

Making Predictions by Digitizing Bioprocessing

Article | July 11, 2022

With advances in data analytics and machine learning, the move from descriptive and diagnostic analytics to predictive and prescriptive analytics and controls—allowing us to better forecast and understand what will happen and thus optimize process outcomes—is not only feasible but inevitable, according to Bonnie Shum, principal engineer, pharma technical innovation, technology & manufacturing sciences and technology at Genentech. “Well-trained artificial intelligence systems can help drive better decision making and how data is analyzed from drug discovery to process development and to manufacturing processes,” she says. Those advances, though, only really matter when they improve the lives of patients. That’s exactly what Shum expects. “The convergence of digital transformation and operational/processing changes will be critical for the facilities of the future and meeting the needs of our patients,” she continues. “Digital solutions may one day provide fully automated bioprocessing, eliminating manual intervention and enabling us to anticipate potential process deviations to prevent process failures, leading to real-time release and thus faster access for patients.” To turn Bioprocessing 4.0 into a production line for precision healthcare, real-time release and quickly manufacturing personalized medicines will be critical. Adding digitization and advanced analytics wherever possible will drive those improvements. In fact, many of these improvements, especially moving from descriptive to predictive bioprocessing, depend on more digitization.

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MedTech

Laboratory Information Management System for Biotech Labs: Significance & Benefits

Article | October 7, 2022

If you have ever visited the testing laboratory of a large biotechnology company, you will be aware that managing the laboratory's operations single-handedly is no easy task. The greater the size of a lab, the more research and testing activities it must accommodate. A variety of diagnostic tests are prescribed for patients in order to detect various diseases. For example, it may include blood glucose testing for diabetics, lipid panel, or liver panel tests for evaluating cardiac risk and liver function, cultures for diagnosing infections, thyroid function tests, and others. Laboratory management solutions such as laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and other software play a significant role in managing various operational data at biotech laboratories. It is one of the important types of software developed to address thedata management and regulatory challenges of laboratories. The software enhances the operational efficiency of biotech labs by streamlining workflows, proper record-keeping, and eradicating the need for manually maintaining data. What Are the Benefits of Laboratory Information Management Software in Biotechnology? As the trends of digitization and technology continue to create deeper inroads into the biotechnology sector, a significant rise in the adoption of innovative medical software solutions, such as LIMS, is being witnessed for managing research data, testing reports, and post-research results globally. Here are a few reasons that are encouraging biotech facilities to adopt LIMS solutions Real-Time Data Collection and Tracking Previously, collecting and transporting samples was a tedious and time-consuming task. However, the adoption of LIMS with innovative tracking modules has made the job easier. The real-time sample tracking feature of LIMS has made it possible for personnel to collect the research data in real-time and manage and control the workflow with a few mouse clicks on the screen. Increase Revenue LIMS makes it possible to test workflows while giving users complete control over the testing process. A laboratory is able to collect data, schedule equipment maintenance or upgrades, enhance operational efficiency, and maintain a lower overhead with the help of the LIMS, thereby increasing revenue. Streamlined Workflow With its completion monitoring, LIMS speeds up laboratory workflows and keeps track of information. It assigns tasks to the specialist along with keeping a real-time track of the status and completion of each task. LIMS is integrated into the laboratory using lab information, which ultimately speeds up internal processes and streamlines the workflow. Automatic Data Exchange LIMS solutions store data in a centralized database. Automated transfer of data between departments and organizations is one of the major features of LIMS. Through its automated information exchange feature, LIMS improves internal operations, decreases the reporting time for data sharing, and assists in faster decision-making. Final Thoughts As the healthcare sector continues to ride the wave of digital transformation, biotech laboratories are emphasizing adopting newer technologies to keep up with the changes. Citing this trend, laboratory information management systems are becoming crucial for biotech and medical organizations for maintaining research data, instant reporting, and managing confidential, inventory, and financial data with centralized data storage.

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MedTech

Biotech in 2022

Article | July 11, 2022

The robust global channel of more than, 800 gene and cell curatives presently in trials will produce clinical readouts in 2022, revealing what lies ahead for advanced curatives. The impact will be felt in 2022, no matter how you slice it. Eventually, how well industry and non-supervisory bodies unite to produce new frameworks for advanced therapies will shape the year 2022 and further. Pacific Northwest talent will continue to contribute to the advancement of gene and cell curatives in both the short and long term, thanks to its deep pool of ground-breaking scientific developers, entrepreneurial directorial leadership, largely skilled translational scientists, and endured bio manufacturing technicians. We may see continued on-life science fund withdrawal from biotech in 2021, but this can be anticipated as a strong comeback in 2022 by biotech industry, backed by deep-pocketed life science investors who are committed to this sector. A similar investment, combined with pharma's cash-heavy coffers, can result in increased junction and acquisition activity, which will be a challenge for some but an occasion for others. Over the last five years, investment interest in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest has grown exponentially, from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Oregon. The region's explosive portfolio of new biotech companies, innovated out of academic centres, demonstrates the region's growing recognition of scientific invention. This created a belief that continued, especially because Seattle's start-ups and biotech enterprises are delivering on their pledge of clinical and patient impact. Talent and staffing will continue to be difficult to find. It's a CEO's market, but many of these funds' return, and are not rising in proportion to the exorbitant prices they're paying to enter deals. This schism has become particularly pronounced in 2021. Hence, everyone in biotech is concerned about reclamation and retention.

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Spotlight

Trilogy Home Healthcare

Trilogy Home Healthcare is a Medicare certified home healthcare agency established by experienced industry leaders who have the passion for providing comprehensive in-home clinical care to our patients. Trilogy’s staff understands the importance of the relationship between the clinician, the patient and the physician with the common goal of patient recovery with positive outcomes and functional independence. Creating Solutions for Patients, Physicians, and our Community

Related News

Will Government Incentives Help Boost Antibiotic Development? Some Pharma Companies Think So

biospace | May 09, 2019

Over and over there are reports about the increasing rise of antibiotic-resistant bugs. Even as the number of resistant bacteria increases, the number of companies developing new types of antibiotics is decreasing. Earlier this year, a coalition of healthcare organizations, along with U.S. antibiotic developers, issued a letter to Congress calling for a bundle of economic incentives that would be used to kick start the stagnant pipelines of antibiotic drug developers. In the letter, the 26 signees, which includes companies like Merck, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, express concern over the continued rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. “Antibiotics underpin modern medicine, and antibiotic resistance jeopardizes the entire health system… New resistance threats continuously emerge, rendering many existing drugs ineffective and shrinking our treatment arsenal,” the letter says.

Read More

Study Shows How Bacteria Become Antibiotic Resistant

genengnews | April 24, 2019

Scientists from Denmark and Switzerland say they have shown that bacteria produce a stress molecule, divide more slowly, and thus save energy when they are exposed to antibiotics. The new knowledge is expected to form the basis for the development of a new type of antibiotic, according to the researchers. In a paper—“(p)ppGpp Regulates a Bacterial Nucleosidase by an Allosteric Two-Domain Switch”—published in Molecular Cell, a team from Aarhus University, the University of Copenhagen, and the technical university ETH Zürich in Switzerland demonstrated that bacteria quickly reduce their rate of cell division when exposed to antibiotics in order to maintain the highest possible tolerance, but rapidly start growing again when the substances are removed. “The stringent response alarmones pppGpp and ppGpp are essential for rapid adaption of bacterial physiology to changes in the environment. In Escherichia coli, the nucleosidase PpnN (YgdH) regulates purine homeostasis by cleaving nucleoside monophosphates and specifically binds (p)ppGpp. Here, we show that (p)ppGpp stimulates the catalytic activity of PpnN both in vitro and in vivo causing accumulation of several types of nucleobases during stress. The structure of PpnN reveals a tetramer with allosteric (p)ppGpp binding sites located between subunits. pppGpp binding triggers a large conformational change that shifts the two terminal domains to expose the active site, providing a structural rationale for the stimulatory effect. We find that PpnN increases fitness and adjusts cellular tolerance to antibiotics and propose a model in which nucleotide levels can rapidly be adjusted during stress by simultaneous inhibition of biosynthesis and stimulation of degradation, thus achieving a balanced physiological response to constantly changing environments,” the investigators wrote.

Read More

Arming antibiotics with a vaccination-like immune response

Questex LLC | July 05, 2018

Harnessing the power of the body’s immune system has already proven to be effective in treating cancer. Scientists at Lehigh University are now borrowing that idea to power up existing antibiotics’ ability to attack drug-resistant bacteria. A team led by Marcos Pires, Ph.D., a Lehigh associate professor of biochemistry, grafted antigenic epitopes—parts of pathogens that can be recognized by the immune system—onto an old antibiotic called colistin, creating what they call “bacterial immunotherapy” or “immunobiotics.” As described in a paper published in the journal Cell Chemical Biology, the compound killed a large number of E. Coli bacteria in human serum.

Read More

Will Government Incentives Help Boost Antibiotic Development? Some Pharma Companies Think So

biospace | May 09, 2019

Over and over there are reports about the increasing rise of antibiotic-resistant bugs. Even as the number of resistant bacteria increases, the number of companies developing new types of antibiotics is decreasing. Earlier this year, a coalition of healthcare organizations, along with U.S. antibiotic developers, issued a letter to Congress calling for a bundle of economic incentives that would be used to kick start the stagnant pipelines of antibiotic drug developers. In the letter, the 26 signees, which includes companies like Merck, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, express concern over the continued rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. “Antibiotics underpin modern medicine, and antibiotic resistance jeopardizes the entire health system… New resistance threats continuously emerge, rendering many existing drugs ineffective and shrinking our treatment arsenal,” the letter says.

Read More

Study Shows How Bacteria Become Antibiotic Resistant

genengnews | April 24, 2019

Scientists from Denmark and Switzerland say they have shown that bacteria produce a stress molecule, divide more slowly, and thus save energy when they are exposed to antibiotics. The new knowledge is expected to form the basis for the development of a new type of antibiotic, according to the researchers. In a paper—“(p)ppGpp Regulates a Bacterial Nucleosidase by an Allosteric Two-Domain Switch”—published in Molecular Cell, a team from Aarhus University, the University of Copenhagen, and the technical university ETH Zürich in Switzerland demonstrated that bacteria quickly reduce their rate of cell division when exposed to antibiotics in order to maintain the highest possible tolerance, but rapidly start growing again when the substances are removed. “The stringent response alarmones pppGpp and ppGpp are essential for rapid adaption of bacterial physiology to changes in the environment. In Escherichia coli, the nucleosidase PpnN (YgdH) regulates purine homeostasis by cleaving nucleoside monophosphates and specifically binds (p)ppGpp. Here, we show that (p)ppGpp stimulates the catalytic activity of PpnN both in vitro and in vivo causing accumulation of several types of nucleobases during stress. The structure of PpnN reveals a tetramer with allosteric (p)ppGpp binding sites located between subunits. pppGpp binding triggers a large conformational change that shifts the two terminal domains to expose the active site, providing a structural rationale for the stimulatory effect. We find that PpnN increases fitness and adjusts cellular tolerance to antibiotics and propose a model in which nucleotide levels can rapidly be adjusted during stress by simultaneous inhibition of biosynthesis and stimulation of degradation, thus achieving a balanced physiological response to constantly changing environments,” the investigators wrote.

Read More

Arming antibiotics with a vaccination-like immune response

Questex LLC | July 05, 2018

Harnessing the power of the body’s immune system has already proven to be effective in treating cancer. Scientists at Lehigh University are now borrowing that idea to power up existing antibiotics’ ability to attack drug-resistant bacteria. A team led by Marcos Pires, Ph.D., a Lehigh associate professor of biochemistry, grafted antigenic epitopes—parts of pathogens that can be recognized by the immune system—onto an old antibiotic called colistin, creating what they call “bacterial immunotherapy” or “immunobiotics.” As described in a paper published in the journal Cell Chemical Biology, the compound killed a large number of E. Coli bacteria in human serum.

Read More

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