Excedr Newsletter | July, 2023
It's Monday, again.
But you probably already knew that!?
Here's what's gone on this July at Excedr. We published two new podcast episodes of The Biotech Startups Podcast, a few new blog posts, and made headway on our partner program, which will offer exclusive rewards to our customers. We're very excited to partner with some outstanding companies and will keep you all updated as things progress.
If you're interested in listening to the podcast, you can find the links below (part 1 and part 2. Part 3 is on the way)!
This month's guest, James Evans, is the founder and CEO of PhenoVista Biosciences. Before starting PhenoVista, James spent a decade at MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research as a Postdoc, a Research Scientist, and finally, as Director of the Bioimaging Center.
In?part 1, Jon and James discuss his late-blooming love of science and how his childhood extracurriculars taught him resilience and problem-solving. James also offers insight into his hands-on lab experience and how crucial it is to have a mentor that nurtures new talent. Learn why he left Harvard for MIT’s Whitehead Institute and how his experiences there fueled his passion for imaging.
In?part 2, they talk about James’ choice to leave MIT and the job that initiated his move to San Diego, where he met his co-founder. James also offers insight into what the early days at PhenoVista were like, how important it is to tackle miscommunication early, the difficulties of running a bootstrapped business, and more.
Onto the written content. This July edition of our newsletter includes:
Enjoy!
Posts & Resources
“How do you determine the actual size or molecular weight of a protein when separated in a gel?” The answer is simple—using protein standards!
A protein standard is a mixture?of known, well-characterized, natural or recombinant proteins of different sizes. They are loaded in a gel alongside experimental protein samples as a reference for protein sizes (in kilodalton or kDa). They are also known as molecular weight markers, protein markers, or molecular weight standards.?
The protein markers are widely used in monitoring the electrophoretic separation process and the concentration and molecular weight determination of the proteins. This separation of proteins is performed using protein electrophoresis techniques, such as sodium dodecyl polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).
Gel electrophoresis is an essential lab technique for separating DNA, RNA, and proteins. The technique has been modified in many ways to serve different purposes, such as agarose gel electrophoresis, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and starch electrophoresis.?
One such modified electrophoretic method is two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, also known as 2-DE, 2-D electrophoresis, or 2D-PAGE. The technique was?first independently introduced by two scientists?named O'Farrell and Klose in 1975 for the detection, quantification, and analysis of proteins.?
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a regularly performed biochemical plate-based assay. It’s used in immunology and biochemistry labs to analyze the presence and amount of several biochemicals such as peptides, proteins, antibodies, and hormones.
The?assay requires many reagents?including buffers, conjugate stabilizers, blockers, wash buffers, and sample and assay diluents to perform better. They work in an orchestrated manner to avoid unwanted protein build-up and generate clean signals.?The two primary diluents used in the assay include assay diluent and sample diluent.?
In molecular biology, a vector is a DNA molecule, used as a vehicle to transfer genetic materials to the host cells. It can either be a plasmid or virus that carries a piece/segment of DNA and introduces it into the target organisms through recombinant DNA or cloning techniques. The vector containing the DNA segment of interest is known as recombinant DNA.?
Typically, the vector provides host cells with the machinery for replicating and expressing the inserted DNA sequence.
Four widely known vectors?include cosmids, viral (such as retroviral and lentiviral), DNA plasmids, and artificial chromosomes. Among these, the most frequently used ones are plasmid vectors. Though all vectors have different features and are used for diverse applications, however, they all contain some common elements, which include:
How come viruses are used as a vector?
High-content imaging (HCI) is an automated technique that combines advanced microscopy, fluorescent labeling, and image analysis to study cellular samples. Automation and image analysis software in HCI is critical for efficient and accurate analysis of cellular images.
HCI provides researchers with detailed information about cellular processes and molecular interactions, enabling them to visualize and quantify therapeutic interactions within cell populations, providing valuable insights.
By leveraging multiplexing and innovative techniques such as cell painting, disease-relevant cell-based assays can provide precise measurement and monitor phenotypic changes, facilitating optimization of early discovery efforts.
In the context of academia, tech transfer?refers to the process of transferring scientific discoveries, knowledge, or inventions from research institutions to the commercial sector for development, acting as a bridge between academia and industry. However, tech transfer as we know it was not always like this.
Before the Bayh-Dole Act was passed, universities had a limited ability to commercialize any inventions that came out of federally funded research within their labs. Because of the limitations, academic institutions rarely engaged in patenting and licensing.
Instead, the federal government handled commercialization. It owned many of the rights to publicly-funded research and decided for itself whether to develop and commercialize an invention or to license it to a private company.
Cheers! Till next time.
-Tom