Narrow Results

The purpose of this investigation was to prepare and evaluate the feasibility and biocompatibility of a new composite as a large defect bone substitute. The new GTGG was mainly composed of tricalcium phosphate ceramic particles and glutaraldehyde crosslinked gelatin in which Gui-Lu-Jiao was added (a mixture of Cervi Colla Cornus and Colla Plastri Testudinis). In the in vitro study, rat's calvaria osteoblasts were used to study bone characteristics upon exposure to different concentrations of the Gui-Lu-Jiao solution. In the in vivo study, GTGG composites were implanted into the defects of calvarial bones in mature New Zealand rabbits to test their osteogenerative characteristics. As a result, we found that Gui-Lu-Jiao added to the culture could promote the proliferation of osteoblasts. In addition, GTGG could induce a large amount of new bone growth in the rabbit's calvarial bone defect. Therefore, the GTGG composite might be a potential bone substitute.

Electrical stimulations can promote cell growth, but most electrical stimulators could only output either voltage signals or current signals and do not output arbitrary waveforms according to need. In this paper, a wireless stimulator with adjustable stimulation signals is developed for cell culture. The original waveforms are produced by signal generating circuits. Then under the adjustment of amplification circuits, the original waveforms are converted into current stimulation signals or voltage stimulation signals. Finally, stimulation signals apply onto cells under the monitor of current measuring circuits. The stimulator can provide signals with the following characteristics: (a) required arbitrary waveforms at frequencies ranging from 0 Hz to 100kHz; (b) voltage signals at an amplitude ranging from $-$15V to 15V with a resolution of 1mV; and (c) current signals at an amplitude ranging from $-$1mA to 1mA with a resolution of 1$\mu$A when load resistance is less than 50.0k$\mathrm{\Omega }$. Results of these experiments confirm that the developed instrument can provide adjustable stimulation signals for cell growth.

INDONESIA – Quintiles expands patient access for clinical trials to Indonesia.

JAPAN – Legacy Healthcare announces breakthrough clinical results in hair re-growth.

SINGAPORE – iNova Pharmaceuticals relocates Regional HQ to Singapore as part of Asia-centric reorganization.

AUSTRALIA – Silencing the bird flu gene: scientists prep live hen trials.

AUSTRALIA – Helsinn grants Specialised Therapeutics Australia (STA) rights to Anamorelin, treat cachexia-anorexia.

NORTH AMERICA – To survive, genes pick up new skills.

NORTH AMERICA – Phase III study evaluates two investigational hormone-releasing IUDs for prevention of pregnancy for up to three years.

NORTH AMERICA – Agilent Technologies introduces SureDesign.

NORTH AMERICA – Progress made towards production of biosimilar products in tobacco plants.

NORTH AMERICA – FDA approves Aerospan for asthma.

EUROPE – New technology offers improved chances for couples undergoing IVF.

EUROPE – Phase IIa Laquinimod trial results show positive data for potential use in active Crohn's Disease.

EUROPE – Pfizer donates vials of Factor IX to the World Federation of Hemophilia.

EUROPE – nViso gets research grant to study 3D facial imaging technology for healthcare applications.

EUROPE – New evidence-based 3D cell culture web portal launched by Reinnervate Ltd.

EUROPE – The social side of vaccine effectiveness.

Asia's Medical Technology Start-ups Get New Fast Track to Market via Partnership between Cambridge Consultants and Clearbridge Accelerator

Mitsubishi Electric and Sembcorp Industries to Testbed Novel Ozone Backwashing Energy-Saving Membrane Bioreactor

LEO Pharma Enters Biologics through Strategic Partnership with AstraZeneca

Bayer and X-Chem Expand Drug Discovery Collaboration to Discover Novel Medicines

New Gas Chromatography System Brings Power of Orbitrap GC-MS Technology to Routine Applications

A*STAR and MSD Establish a New Research Collaboration to Advance Peptide Therapeutics

Stem Cells Engineered to Grow Cartilage, Fight Inflammation

SINGAPORE – The Only Singapore Private Hospital to Achieve Success at Asian Hospital Management Awards 2016.

UNITED STATES – Study Finds Vision Loss Due to Diabetes Is Rising Globally.

UNITED STATES – How Sleep Deprivation Harms Memory.

UNITED KINGDOM – Plasticell and CellSpring Collaborate to Validate Osteogenic Cell Therapy and 3D Cell Culture Models for High Performance Drug Screening.

JAPAN – Takeda Announces Bold, New Access to Medicines Strategy.

THAILAND – Ministry of Public Health Embarks on eHealth in Thailand with VMware Virtualization and Mobility Solutions.

AUSTRALIA – Australian-led Global Sleep Apnea Medical Device Study Shows Treatment Improves Wellbeing but Without Any Cardiovascular Benefit.

RUSSIA – R-Pharm Produces Biological Drugs in Yaroslavl with GE Healthcare's FlexFactory™ Manufacturing Platform.

AUSTRALIA & RUSSIA – Pharmaxis Announces Russian Approval for Bronchitol Largest Market Accessed to Date.

The following topics are under this section:

• Asia needs to wake up to the threat of peripheral artery disease
• TurtleTreeLabs – Changing the Course of the Dairy Industry

The accumulation mechanism of cells in a rotational culture device is investigated from the viewpoint of fluid mechanics. For simplicity, the deformation of the water surface is neglected and the cells are treated as spherical solid particles. From the numerical simulation of flow field with typical parameters used in the previous experiments, it is confirmed that the relative velocity of fluid induced by the rotational shaking is much smaller than the speed of rotation. From the analysis of particle equation of motion, it is found that the accumulation of cells toward the central region is found to be due to the interaction between the acceleration by rotational shaking and the drag force acting on the cells. The integral time scale for cell accumulation was estimated to be about 10 min for typical cases. The accumulation speed increases quadratically with the diameter of cell and the angular velocity of rotational shaking, which qualitatively support the previous experimental observation.

The fractal alkylketene dimer (AKD) surface is an artificial super water-repellent one with a high contact angle of 174°, therefore, may provide special surface circumstances for studies of biological cells such as cell cultures. The experimental results indicated that the distribution of F-actin in the astrocytes cultured on the fractal AKD-coated dishes showed the stellate shape, while that in the astrocytes cultured on the poly-L-lysine-coated coverslips showed the formation of long alignment. The morphological change of astrocytes is induced by the fractal AKD surface, and the result suggests that astrocyte differentiation is stimulated by the fractal AKD surface.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have properties that promise an exciting role in nervous tissue repair. CNTs are strong, extremely light weight, biocompatible and electrically conductive. A relatively novel form of CNT material, multiple strands of CNTs spun into thread, accentuates the linear geometry of CNTs while retaining electrical conductivity. We propose that CNT thread, which is strong, pliable and readily manipulated, has the potential to support longitudinal growth of nerves after injury, in nervous system prostheses. Towards understanding how CNT materials support nervous tissue regeneration, we examined the in vitro interactions between CNT materials and neural stem cell-containing neurospheres, prepared from newborn mouse cortices. Intact neurospheres attached to pieces of as-grown arrays of CNTs, CNT "ribbon" material pulled from the arrays, and CNT thread. Stem cells differentiated into both neurons and glia under these conditions. Processes and cells aligned with the longitudinal axis of the CNT materials, both with and without coatings. For comparisons, dissociated neurosphere cells were plated on CNT thread, polypropylene surgical suture thread and commercial carbon fibers. Initial cell attachment (within seconds) and attachment at 24 h was greater on CNT thread than on the other fiber types. Stem cells on CNT threads differentiated into neurons and astrocytes over several days, on all fibers. The presence of serum greatly aided the health and spreading of both neurons and astrocytes. These findings demonstrate that CNT materials, in particular the thread form, are viable preparations for neural cell attachment, outgrowth and differentiation.

The ability to control the behavior of living cells in vitro is critical in a wide range of research fields including fundamental cell biology, tissue engineering, and cell-based chip devices. Patterning cells on substrate surfaces is one of the most important approaches to modulate cellular behaviors and functions in culture. Here, we describe a cell patterning technique based on an electrochemical method, "electrochemical bio-lithography", which enables the localized immobilization of living cells under typical physiological conditions such as those found in culture media. The present technique is applicable even for a previously cell-patterned substrate and for a grooved substrate, opening new possibilities for the cell-based studies. Also, the integration of this electrochemical technique into a microfluidic device will provide a novel type of cell-chip which enables on-demand immobilization of cells just prior to the use of the device.

Biological behaviors, characterization and crystal growths on the electrically poled hydroxyapatite (HAp) ceramics were investigated. The specimens were electrically poled in a do field. Bone-like crystal growths were studied in a simulated body fluid (SBF) with pH 7.25 at 36.5°C, and in an alpha minimum essential medium. Grown crystal layers were observed by scanning electron microscopy, and were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and Infrared spectroscopy. As a result, the bone-like HAp crystals grew rapidly on the negatively poled surface (N-surface), while the growth was restricted on the positively poled surface (P-surface) in SBF. It was considered that the aligned dipoles of substrate accelerated the crystal growth on the N-surface, and decelerated on the P-surface. Biological behavior was estimated by the cultivation of osteoblastic and fibroblastic cells on the surface of poled HAp. Cultured cells were found on the grown bone-like crystal layers for the N-surface, while the cells were directly on the specimens for the P-surface. On the poled HAp ceramics, N-surface had more adhered cultured cells than the P-surface.

Four different assays, monitoring different aspects of cellular activity were used to assess the in vitro biocompatibility of three experimental zirconias (ZrO₂-A, ZrO₂-B and ZrO₂-C) with minor chemical modifications. The assays used were Neutral red uptake, MTT, alamarBlue and a live/dead cell stain. No cytotoxic effect was detected in the extracts from the three test zirconia samples using Neutral red uptake and MTT assays. However, a variation in response was observed in cells cultured directly on the surface of three test zirconias using the alamarBlue assay. The three test zirconia substrates showed no toxic effect after 1 and 2 days in culture. After 5 days in direct contact with the experimental zirconias, a significant decrease in cell activity was observed on sample ZrO₂-B, which was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy, showing a layer of dead cells (stained by thidium homodimer-1) on the sample surface. The findings from this study indicated that great care is required when selecting assays to assess the biocompatibility of modified materials with regard to the type and sensitivity of the assay and culture conditions.