BioPharm International-04-01-2004

A profusion of present-day bioreactor and fermentor systems offers remarkably diverse capabilities, ranging from microfluidics to bulk production vats, simple petri dishes to complex artificial organ cultivators, and suspension, adhesion, perfusion, and many other culture management methods. Each of these systems is well suited to address specific research problems, but few are widely adaptable to diverse experiment demands - such as those conducted in space.

Spreadsheet calculations are popular in all kinds of businesses. A macro is a set of commands that can be embedded in a document to add functionality to standard programs and to automated processes.

It may take take more than a decade to bring a new drug to market, but it's still a race from the bench to the shelf. It's easy to think of the race in terms of a sprint, like a six-second dash from one end of the pool to the other, especially during crunch times when you're rushing to meet deadlines. However, developing a biologic drug is a much longer race, more like a 400-meter medley. If you've ever competed in one, you know it's a test of endurance that requires a long-distance mind-set, strategic thinking, and a complex combination of skills.

Scotland's life sciences community lost an icon this past year with the death of Dolly the Sheep. Cloned by Roslin Institute in 1996, Dolly came to symbolize Scotland's world-leading innovation in the life sciences. However, biotechnology in Scotland goes beyond a cloned sheep.

Roslin Institute is one of the world's leading centers for research on farm and other animals. It has internationally recognized programs in molecular and quantitative genetics, genomics, early development, reproduction, and animal behavior and welfare, and it has pioneered methods for the genetic modification and cloning of farm animals. In recent years, the institute also initiated a major new program in human stem cell research.

Regional Round-Up: North Carolina

Astonishing advances in life sciences and biotechnology have created a whole new industry with tremendous growth potential and far reaching consequences for the way we live. A particularly exciting area where innovative research is contributing to new knowledge is reproductive health. Advances in this area will bring improvements in fertility treatments, more convenient contraceptives, novel treatments for gynecological disorders, and innovative obstetric products. Ardana was created in 2000 to meet the needs of this reproductive health market estimated to be worth £10.2 billion per year.

Your company can improve its productivity by improving the writing skills of its technical people. Poor writing skills may not show up on a balance sheet, but they can be a big problem. A one-month delay in getting FDA approval - due to ambiguous writing - can cost a company millions of dollars.

Quintiles Transnational is a global company, headquartered in North Carolina. It employs a global workforce of approximately 16,000 in more than 48 countries. The company helps improve healthcare worldwide by providing a broad range of professional services, information, and partnering solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare industries.

Regional Round-Up: South Carolina

Research and preparation are key to obtaining and successfully conducting an interview.

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FDA backs e-chips over paper pedigrees and unit-of-use packaging.