Microbes are not only a rich source of disease, but also a rich source of medicines, and experts think many life-saving compounds produced by as-yet-unnamed bacteria are awaiting discovery. But they don’t always give up their secrets easily. Researchers must know where to look to find promising bacteria, and how to get them to grow in the lab, the traditional route to identifying potentially valuable molecules they produce.

On May 9, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) announced that Rutgers University Cell & DNA Repository (RUCDR) Infinite Biologics, the world’s largest university-based biorepository, will be receiving up to $19 million in federal funding.  This renewal contract, awarded to RUCDR by the Department of Health and Human Services over a five year period, will be used to maintain and expand their NIDA Center for Genetic Studies (NCGS).

NYU Langone Medical Center has established a new drug discovery accelerator, the Office of Therapeutics Alliances (OTA). OTA is an innovative, nimble program that advances the discovery of novel therapeutic projects by combining the scientific strengths of NYU Langone investigators in dissecting disease pathways with the expertise of external professional drug discovery and development partners in the biopharma industry.

Takeover extends Sartorius Stedim Biotech portfolio for single-use bioprocessing.

UD researchers demonstrate that processing can affect size of nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation is first collaborator.

BioTek congratulates Dr. Jeff Peterson of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Pennsylvania for winning a new Cytation™ 3 Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader in BioTek's "Think Possible" Application Contest. Entrants were judged on a short essay that they submitted, detailing the application that they think is possible for their specific research using the Cytation 3. As an Associate Professor, Dr. Peterson studies chemical biology and kinase signaling in cancer.

BioTek's Think Possible video, created by Hen House Media, was recently awarded a Silver Telly Award in the "Non-Broadcast, Motivational" category as part of the 35th Annual Telly Awards. Standing out from over 12,000 entries, the Silver Telly is the highest honor bestowed upon film and video productions, and awarded to less than 10 percent of entries.

Killian Award recipient Stephen Lippard describes his work on platinum-based chemotherapy agents

A new £7 million centre at the University of Leeds will lead UK research in manufacturing advanced chemical products.

An international research group, led by Arizona State University professor Qiang "Shawn" Chen, has developed a new generation of potentially safer and more cost-effective therapeutics against West Nile virus and other pathogens.

As some countries and companies roll out new rules to limit animal testing in pharmaceutical products designed for people, scientists are stepping in with a new way to test therapeutic drug candidates and determine drug safety and drug interactions — without using animals. The development of “chemosynthetic livers,” which could dramatically alter how drugs are made, was presented at the 247^th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.