Lentiviral vectors (LV) have been increasingly used as a tool for gene and cell therapies since they can stably integrate the genome in dividing and nondividing cells. LV production and purification processes have evolved substantially over the last decades. However, the increasing demands for higher quantities with more restrictive purity requirements are stimulating the development of novel materials

Preclinical animal studies are essential to the development of safe and effective stem cell therapies. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is a powerful tool in animal studies that enables the real‐time longitudinal monitoring of stem cells in vivo to elucidate their regenerative properties. This review describes the application of BLI in preclinical stem cell research to address critical challenges in producing

Growing environmental concern sparked renewed interest in the sustainable production of (bio)materials that can replace oil‐derived goods. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are isotactic polymers that play a critical role in the central metabolism of producer bacteria, as they act as dynamic reservoirs of carbon and reducing equivalents. PHAs continue to attract industrial attention as a starting point

The production of recombinant proteins usually reduces cell fitness and the growth rate of producing cells. The growth disadvantage favors faster‐growing non‐producer mutants. Therefore, continuous bioprocessing is hardly feasible in Escherichia coli due to the high escape rate. We investigated the stability of E. coli expression systems under long‐term production conditions and how metabolic load

Generation of high‐affinity monoclonal antibodies by immunization of chickens is a valuable strategy, particularly for obtaining antibodies directed against epitopes that are conserved in mammals. We established a generic procedure for the humanization of chicken‐derived antibodies. To this end, high‐affinity binders of the epidermal growth factor receptor extracellular domain were isolated from immunized

Combination therapy has emerged as one of the most promising approaches for cancer treatment. However, beyond remotely‐triggered therapies that require advanced infrastructures and optimization, new combination therapies based on internally triggered cell‐killing effects have also demonstrated promising therapeutic profiles. In this revision, we focus on self‐triggered strategies able to improve the

The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line is commonly used for the production of biotherapeutics. As cell productivity directly affects the cost of production, methods have been developed to manipulate the expression of specific genes that are known to be involved in protein synthesis, folding, and secretion to increase productivity. However, there have been no large‐scale CHO‐specific functional screens

Adeno‐associated viral vectors (AAV) are efficient engineered tools for delivering genetic material into host cells. The commercialization of AAV‐based drugs must be accompanied by the development of appropriate quality control (QC) assays. Given the potential risk of co‐transfer of oncogenic or immunogenic sequences with therapeutic vectors, accurate methods to assess the level of residual DNA in

Viral vectors have a great potential for gene delivery, but manufacturing at a pharmaceutical scale is a big challenge for the industry. The baculovirus‐insect cell system is one of the most scalable platforms to produce clinical‐grade recombinant Adeno‐Associated Virus (rAAV) vectors. The standard procedure to generate recombinant baculovirus is based on Tn7 transposition which is time‐consuming and

Janus particles having two surfaces with different physicochemical characteristics have been applied to many fields including photonic, electronic, and biomedical applications. To expand the usability of Janus particles, a technique to manipulate the particle movement is required. For that purpose, a dielectrophoresis (DEP) method can be a promising candidate; however, independent manipulation or separation

Background: Combinatorial cancer therapies mediated by nanomaterials can potentially overcome the limitations of conventional treatments. These therapies are generally investigated using 2D in vitro cancer models, leading to an inaccurate screening. Recently, 3D in vitro spheroids have emerged in the pre‐clinical testing stage of nanomedicines due to their ability to mimic key features of the in vivo

Microcarriers (MC) are synthetic particles used in bioreactor‐based cell manufacturing of anchorage‐dependent cells to promote proliferation at efficient physical volumes, mainly by increasing the surface area‐to‐volume ratio. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are adherent cells that are used for numerous clinical trials of autologous and allogeneic cell therapy, thus requiring avenues for large‐scale

John C. March Matthew Wook Chang There has been considerable hype surrounding synthetic biology since its inception. Researchers laid claim to the potential of finally realizing our biological future through genetic manipulation. Unfortunately, early work indicated just how challenging harnessing biology to work for us in the way that electricity and chemistry already had. However, over the past 15

Heparosan is a non‐sulfated polysaccharide and potential applications include, chemoenzymatic synthesis of heparin and heparan sulfates. Heparosan is produced using microbial cells (natural producers or engineered cells). The characterization of heparosan isolated from both natural producers and engineered‐cells are critical steps towards the potential applications of heparosan. Heparosan is characterized

Biotechnol. J., 2019, 14, 1800517 https://doi.org/10.1002/biot.201800517 In the original published article, the minus sign on the right‐hand side of Equation 4 was incorrectly presented. p K H i s = p H + l o g 10 H i s + 1 H i s 0 = 6.0 − 0.5 I 1 + I (1) The correct Equation 4 should have a plus sign on the right‐hand side and is presented here. p K H i s = p H + l o g 10 H i s + 1 H i s 0 = 6.0 +