Inverted Terminal Repeats (ITRs) are DNA sequences flanking the transgene of interest to signal incorporation into adeno-associated virus (AAV) or genome insertion by transposases. Despite sharing the ITR element name, viral vector and transposon ITRs differ in sequence and important properties that need to be considered in handling these vectors.
Commonly, when a person hears about Escherichia coli (E. coli), the news is negative. But it’s only a specific strain of E. coli detected on food that wasn’t cleaned or stored properly that’s a health hazard. When it comes to biotech, however, E. coli rocks! It’s been the workhorse for the creation of a multitude of products due to:
The field of medicine has its landmark moments where scientific innovation has triumphed, and there are events within the field that have been heartbreaking failures. The search for a Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine had been one of those failures, but ultimately became a success.
Witnessing firsthand the growth of cell and gene therapy to progress more programs to the bedside is an exciting time in the biotechnology industry, particularly with new partnership approaches being developed. I was able to get an overview of one particular partnership during a podcast featuring Tom Foti, VP of Protein Business unit at Aldevron, and Kris Saha, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Medical History and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin.
Collaboration has always been an important part of scientific research and discovery, especially when you combine the resources of strategic partners in science, clinical, engineering and manufacturing.
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I’ve spent most of the last 30 years in marketing and sales for molecular biology research products. During that time, I’ve been responsible for software platforms and instrumentation, but my main focus has been on reagents and consumables – nucleic acid purification, PCR, cloning tools, and so forth.
