05-Jul-2022
Evotec SE announced that the strategic transaction to acquire Rigenerand Srl, signed in May 2022, has been completed. Based out of Medolla, Italy, the cell technology company with leading edge in the field of cGMP manufacturing of cell therapies will operate as Evotec (Modena) Srl going for ... more
Development of selective immunosuppressive drugs
05-Jul-2022
NextImmune, a spin-off from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, has received financial support of 150,000 Swiss francs from the Venture Kick funding initiative. The start-up develops a new generation of immunosuppressive drugs for autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation.
The co ... more
Enzyme in salivary microbes decomposes PET-based plastics
04-Jul-2022
Human saliva may contain an enzyme which can decompose the plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Researchers found the promising enzyme, a hydrolase, in a database containing human metagenome samples. As they report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, this newly discovered hydrolase perfo ... more
Scientists have developed a new class of energy-dense biofuels based on one of nature’s most unique molecules
04-Jul-2022
Converting petroleum into fuels involves crude chemistry first invented by humans in the 1800s. Meanwhile, bacteria have been producing carbon-based energy molecules for billions of years. Which do you think is better at the job?
Well aware of the advantages biology has to offer, a group of ... more
New study gauges public acceptance
01-Jul-2022
Through CRISPR and other gene-editing technologies, researchers and developers are poised to bring dozens – if not hundreds – of new products to grocery stores: mushrooms with longer shelf lives, drought-resistant corn and bananas impervious to a fungus threatening the global supply. A few, ... more
'Plug-and-play' features allow batteries to be wired together for increased power
30-Jun-2022
Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have developed a “plug-and-play” biobattery that lasts for weeks at a time and can be stacked to improve output voltage and current.
As our tech needs grow and the Internet of Things increasingly connects our devices and sen ... more
The product portfolio is to expand through innovation, partnerships and acquisitions
29-Jun-2022
The WACKER Group is concentrating its biotechnology research activities in Munich. The company is investing a double-digit million-euro sum in the construction of a Biotechnology Center, which is scheduled to be operational in 2024. This investment will strengthen WACKER’s biotechnology bus ... more
“We essentially just ‘cook’ wood or other non-edible plant material, such as agricultural wastes, in inexpensive chemicals to produce the plastic precursor in one step”
28-Jun-2022
It is becoming increasingly obvious that moving away from fossil fuels and avoiding the accumulation of plastics in the environment are key to addressing the challenge of climate change. In that vein, there are considerable efforts to develop degradable or recyclable polymers made from non- ... more
Expansion doubles production of the most highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs)
27-Jun-2022
Merck announced that its Life Science business sector has doubled its high-potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPI) production capacity with the expansion of its facility in Verona, near Madison, Wisconsin, USA. This new €59 million, 70,000 square foot facility, officially opened, b ... more
Spacing out the cuts
27-Jun-2022
The molecular tool CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to treat inherited blood disorders, but this may cause unintended genetic alterations. A team led by MDC researchers Klaus Rajewsky and Van Trung Chu has now presented an approach in “Science Advances” that minimizes such adverse consequences.
Hope ... more