The Power of Pet Ownership

International Pet Day, observed each year on April 11th, provides the purrfect opportunity to reciprocate all the labored love and affection our pets so freely give us. There’s no doubt that our furry, feathered, and scaley friends greatly improve our quality of life. But did you know there are benefits to this human-animal bond beyond […]

Conversations: Nerve-Tumor Crosstalk in the Tumor Microenvironment

Cancer cells can be distinguished from normal cells by a variety of features including their ability to inappropriately activate signals for cell proliferation, evade growth suppression from contact inhibition or tumor suppressor activity, evade cell death signals, replicate DNA continually, induce angiogenesis, invade new tissues, reprogram their metabolism to provide energy for rapid proliferation, and […]

Monoclonal Antibody (mAb) Therapy to Delay the Onset of Type 1 Diabetes

On November 18, 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of the first drug to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes (T1D). The monoclonal antibody (mAb) drug, teplizumab, was approved for use in adults and pediatric patients 8 years and older. The road to approval has been a […]

Onward with Online Learning!

National Online Learning Day is celebrated annually on September 15, and although it was only created in 2016, it’s a growing “day”. This day highlights students of all ages who have the ability to learn anywhere, anytime, and thrive wherever their technology and imagination take them. Technology in the past decade has completely transformed and […]

A Virus Makes a Comeback: Emerging Poliovirus Transmission in the West

In 1921, at age 39, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the man who would later be elected the 32nd president of the United States, was diagnosed with polio (poliomyelitis). His symptoms included fever, gastrointestinal issues, numbness, and leg and facial paralysis. The disease left him paralyzed from the waist down, relying on a wheelchair and leg braces […]

Designing Better Therapeutic mAbs: An Assay for Rapid, Parallel Screening of Fc/ FcɣR Interactions

The first monoclonal antibody (mAb) was produced in a lab 1975, and the first therapeutic mAb was introduced in the United States to prevent kidney transplant rejection in 1986. The first mAb used in cancer treatment the anti-CD20 mAb, rituximab, was used to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Today therapeutic mAbs have become […]

Making “Scents” of the Mysterious Science of Plant Odors

When it comes to plant aromas, we tend to forget that we, as humans, are not the target audience, and these odors were not designed with us in mind—we are really passive spectators to a show that luckily most of us happen to enjoy. This past spring Mother Nature demonstrated just what it means to […]

Detecting Disulfide Bond Shuffling in Biologics Using Trypsin Platinum

Biologic therapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies and biosimilars are complex proteins that are susceptible to post-translational modifications (PTMs). These chemical modifications can affect the performance and activity of the biologic, potentially resulting in decreased potency and increased immunogenicity. Such modifications include glycosylation, deamidation, oxidation and disulfide bond shuffling. These PTMs can be signs of protein […]

Cytochrome P450 Inhibition: Old Drug, New Tricks

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibitors are often used as boosting agents in combination with other drugs. This drug development strategy is front and center for Paxlovid, the new anti-SARS-CoV-2 treatment from Pfizer. Paxlovid is a combination therapy, comprised of two protease inhibitors, nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. It significantly reduces the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization in high-risk adults […]