Toronto, ON – A new Canadian biopharmaceutical company, Therapure Biopharma, has launched and will specialize in developing, manufacturing, purifying, and packaging biological protein therapeutics.

Biological proteins can have higher efficacy and fewer side effects than other pharmaceutical products, but the process of manufacturing and regulating production of protein-based therapeutics is complex and Canadian biotech companies struggle with access to capital and the lack of in-house production capabilities. On average it takes 7-10 years, and over $1 billion dollars to bring a product to market. Canadian biotech companies often have to seek resources outside of Canada in order to launch commercially.

“The problem in Canada is that while exciting work on protein-based therapeutics takes place in the lab, there are significant regulatory and commercial hurdles to overcome to get the product approved for broad use in the general population,” said Thomas Wellner, the company’s president & CEO. “University scientists and emerging biotech companies need access to expertise to properly formulate, purify, manufacture and distribute the biological protein so that it can be used at the patient level – this is where Therapure Biopharma will have a huge impact globally.”

Located in Mississauga, the company’s flexible 130,000 sq ft cGMP manufacturing facility will be completed at the end of October.

Original Article

A new genomics tool--the 50k SNP BeadChip--makes it easier for scientists to transfer genetic information for use by the beef and dairy cattle industries. (Credit: Photo by Scott Bauer)

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are using a new tool to find relationships between DNA markers and economically significant traits in cattle.

The new tool, called the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip, is a glass slide containing thousands of DNA markers, some of which may be associated with important production traits such as disease resistance.

ARS researchers at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Neb., and the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, are using the BeadChip to research bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Cattle can carry BRD without showing any symptoms, so infected animals can be difficult to identify. Tools like the BeadChip may facilitate identification of genetic markers for traits like BRD resistance.

Another project employing the BeadChip technology is a USMARC investigation into the influence of genetics on feed efficiency. Research leader Cal Ferrell, geneticist Mark Allan and their colleagues are identifying phenotypes–visible characteristics–that relate to post-weaning feed efficiency and lifetime productivity in beef cattle.

The researchers are also using the BeadChip to find relationships between DNA markers and phenotypes that can be used to enhance genetic selection and management in beef cattle. These studies could eventually allow researchers to develop tools that can be used to guide animal breeding selection and management decisions.

The BeadChip has research applications for both beef and dairy cattle. Design of the BeadChip was led by ARS researchers at Beltsville, Md., in collaboration with ARS scientists at Clay Center and colleagues from the University of Missouri and the University of Alberta in Canada. The chip is being used at all those locations and many others–in at least 23 locations in 11 countries.

Original Article

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world.As early as in 1911, the Government of India set up the Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) with the specific objective of sponsoring and coordinating medical research in the country. After independence, several important changes were made in the organisation and the activities of the IRFA. It was redesignated in 1949 as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with considerably expanded scope of functions.The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

National AIDS Research Institute [NARI] was established in October 1992 in Bhosari, Pune on a seven acre plot. The Institute has progressively expanded its activities in various aspects of research on HIV and AIDS through infra-structural development, capacity building & research programmes. The present infrastructure includes the Institute housed in a 28024 sq. mtr space, residential accomadation for the staff, a power plant to ensure uninterrupted power supply and an incinerator for safe disposal of bio-waste.

The National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) took birth as National Tissue Culture Facility in March 11, 1986 with a mandate of basic research, teaching & training, and as a national repository for cell lines/hybridomas etc. The centre is located in the midst of academically enriched environment of University of Pune campus, Pune.

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