November, 2022 | Monthly Newsletter
Hi everyone, it’s Wednesday. November is ending, and we’re inching (or sprinting, depending on how you’re feeling) closer to the end of 2022. If you’re still hoarding some mashed potatoes, it’s time to part ways—unless you’re trying to save a little cash on Listeria monocytogenes.
?Like the end of every month, there’s much to catch up on. Here’s a quick snapshot of what we covered in November:
If you want to check out what’s in store, see the descriptions below for a quick peek.?See you next month with December’s batch of science- and business-based articles and resources.???
Articles, Blog Posts, & Resources
Biotech accelerators are cohort-based, fixed-term programs that offer startup founders access to early-stage capital, hasnds-on mentorship, industry-specific education, and tailored resources designed to support pitch refining, business development and strategy, market and customer analysis, and much more.
The goal of a biotech accelerator program is to help a life science- or healthcare-focused startup scale its product and business much faster than it would be able to without the accelerator program. In this way, growth that happens over a number of years instead happens in a number of months.
Depending on the program you’re interested in, there will be different features, mentors, networks, and resources available. Some accelerators may even be able to offer participants shared lab equipment and lab space to continue research while they’re in the program.?
Molecular biology is the branch of biology dealing with the molecular basis of all living things—the study of macromolecules, such as proteins and DNA, and the mechanisms behind the way they interact within cells.
It’s a field of the life sciences with a rich history that has massively impacted disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment as techniques have continued to improve, helping scientists and clinicians better understand the structures and functions within individual cells.
With this increased knowledge, we are able to answer not only basic scientific questions, but also more complex questions about physiology, the immune system, and diseases in humans.
Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that recognize and reversibly bind the carbohydrate moieties of complex glycoconjugates. Their molecular interaction with sugar groups does not affect the covalent structure of any recognized glycosyl ligands.
Lectins are ubiquitous?and prevalent in almost all plants, animals, and microorganisms. Depending on the amounts of lectins present and the type of carbohydrates bound to them, lectins can be of different types in different organisms.
The protein is also considered an “anti-nutrient” because it interferes with digestion. Though some lectins are safe, some pose health risks in humans. The types of high-lectin foods that have dangerous health effects include peanuts, whole grains, raw kidney beans or red kidney beans, raw potatoes, lentils, wheat germ, and raw soybeans. For people more sensitive to lectins, it’s recommended to have a lectin-free diet.
Working in the life sciences requires specialized lab equipment for R&D, whether it involves drug discovery, manufacturing a medical device, or creating diagnostics. But using working capital or cash reserves to purchase lab equipment might not make sense at the moment.
The instruments powering this industry are generally expensive, which means you’re stuck paying high upfront costs every time you buy a new piece of equipment. Always purchasing with cash can be detrimental to your business financially. Instead, you might consider financing or leasing what your lab needs.
Equipment leasing and equipment financing are two different ways you can acquire new lab equipment, however, there are some differences between the two. Most notably, an equipment loan, which is a type of financing, has different characteristics—meaning it’s structured differently—than an equipment lease.?
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Fusion tags are widely used?in labs for the identification and isolation of recombinant proteins that are expressed in bacteria or other cells (such as E.coli, plants, or mammalian cells). Out of many, one of the most commonly used ones is the Biotin tag.
Biotin is a small protein of molecular weight 244.31. It’s?used for the synthesis?of valine, isoleucine, and fatty acids and in the gluconeogenesis process. It?specifically binds to streptavidin?and avidin at a fast rate and forms a complex with an extremely high affinity (Kd, ~ 10-14 mol/L). The process of biotin labeling is known as biotinylation.
Protein biotinylation involves covalently attaching biotin molecules to other biomolecules, such as antibodies, peptides, proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), oligonucleotides, and others. It’s a fast and specific reaction that does not alter the natural roles of biomolecules.?
The development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)?brought Kary Mullis a Nobel prize in chemistry in 1992. The high-throughput technique has revolutionized research in molecular biology by allowing researchers to create many copies of the target sequence or gene of interest through?PCR assays.
Based on the application or RNA samples that need to work on,?PCR has many types: Multiplex PCR, Long Range PCR, Hot-Start PCR, High-Fidelity PCR, Real-Time RT-PCR, and Nested PCR.
In?quantitative RT-PCR?(also known as RT-qPCR or quantitative reverse transcription PCR), the target RNA sequence is detected and amplified by the combined power of reverse transcription and quantitative PCR or real-time PCR. It?allows the real-time analysis?of amplified DNA using fluorescent dyes during the usual 40 PCR cycles of the procedure.?
Biotech accelerators offer funding, mentorship, and a variety of business support to early-stage biotech startups looking to scale and, eventually, commercialize a product. Many of these organizations also work with healthcare and life sciences companies not necessarily focused on using biotechnology for business and product development.
While biotech incubators tend to offer similar educational resources, they’re more known for providing office and lab space to early-stage companies. This is just one of the key differences between accelerators and incubators, regardless of the industries each organization focuses on.
Deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs)?are the building blocks of the DNA molecules, the genetic material of most organisms. It?includes dATP, dTTP, dGTP, dCTP, and dUTP. During DNA replication, these nucleotides lose two phosphate groups to get incorporated into the amplifying chain of DNA.
dUTP is deoxyuridine phosphate that is a?close structural congener of dTTP?(deoxythymidine triphosphate). The nucleotide can be easily incorporated into organisms’ genomes by pairing with dATP during replication in the place of dTTP. The reaction is known as uracilation, which leads to non-mutagenic dU/A base pairs.
Structurally dUTP consists of a deoxyribose sugar, three phosphates, and a pyrimidine base—uracil.?The?IUPAC name of 2′-Deoxyuridine 5′-triphosphate?is [[(2R,3S,5R)-5-(2,4-dioxopyrimidin-1-yl)-3-hydroxyoxolan-2-yl]methoxy-hydroxyphosphoryl] phosphono hydrogen phosphate.
Whether it’s a single bench in an incubator or a dedicated facility, life sciences companies often pay a lot of money to buy or lease lab space. A lab bench can cost thousands of dollars per month to simply rent, and buying property is generally a multi-million dollar expenditure.
According to STAT+, a lab bench and a couple of shelves at?LabCentral?in the Kendall Square neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts,?cost one researcher $4,600 per month, back in 2019. It wasn’t just LabCentral, either. At the time, lab space cost per square foot in Kendall Square was averaging close to $100 per square foot.
Despite the costs of the bench, the researcher, Scott Robinson, found that paying for the space put him at ground zero of a robust life-sciences hub.
Boston isn’t the only example of areas with high rent for lab space. According to Statista,?the highest rent for laboratory and life sciences space in 2020?was in London, with average costs of $113 per square foot. New York followed behind with average per square foot prices of $105.
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