Novel Technologies News for January 2020

Novel Technologies News Archive

Pinpointing rare disease mutations Pinpointing rare disease mutations

New resource that categorises genes essential for supporting life could be used to identify rare disease mutations

Stopping sperm in its tracks - latest progress in the hunt for a male contraceptive Stopping sperm in its tracks - latest progress in the hunt for a male contraceptive

Researchers at the University of Dundee have developed an unrivalled, fully automated robotic screening system which allows them to rapidly test the effect of drugs and other chemicals on human sperm.

New antiviral materials made from sugar have been developed to destroy viruses on contact and may help in the fight against viral outbreaks. New antiviral materials made from sugar have been developed to destroy viruses on contact and may help in the fight against viral outbreaks.

This new development from a collaborative team of international scientists shows promise for the treatment of herpes simplex (cold sore virus), respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis C, HIV, and Zika virus to name a few. The team have demonstrated success treating a range of viruses in the lab – including respiratory infections to genital herpes.

BHF announces shortlist for £30m research prize at start of defining decade for CVD BHF announces shortlist for £30m research prize at start of defining decade for CVD

Proposals feature a soft robotic heart, cure for genetic heart disease, heart attack vaccine and next generation health tech

Horizon Discovery to provide access to novel base editing technology Horizon Discovery to provide access to novel base editing technology

Next-generation gene editing system has applications in development of cell and gene therapies. Base editing builds on CRISPR offering and will expand Horizon’s research tools and services. Horizon seeks partners to assess and shape platform development

Evonetix collaborates with imec to scale-up chip-based technology production for third generation DNA synthesis platform Evonetix collaborates with imec to scale-up chip-based technology production for third generation DNA synthesis platform

CAMBRIDGE, UK, and LEUVEN, Belgium, 13 January 2020 – EVONETIX LTD (‘Evonetix’), the synthetic biology company developing a desktop platform for scalable, high-fidelity and rapid gene synthesis, today announced it has partnered with imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub active in the fields of nanoelectronics and digital technologies, to increase production of Evonetix’s proprietary microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based silicon chips, enabling the platform to be manufactured at a commercial scale. The novel silicon chip is a key component of Evonetix’s desktop DNA platform which, once fully developed, will facilitate and enable the rapidly growing field of synthetic biology.

Eli Lilly and Company in Collaboration with Strateos, Inc. Launch Remote-Controlled Robotic Cloud Lab Eli Lilly and Company in Collaboration with Strateos, Inc. Launch Remote-Controlled Robotic Cloud Lab

Web-based platform provides broad access to the first-ever cloud laboratory to integrate automated biology and chemistry research capabilities in a closed-loop system that enables an accelerated design-make-test-analyze cycle