Isolation and light chain shuffling of a Plasmodium falciparum AMA1-specific human monoclonal antibody with growth inhibitory activity.

Background: Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite causing malaria, affects populations in many endemic countries threatening mainly individuals with low malaria immunity, especially children. Despite the approval of the first malaria vaccine Mosquirix™ and very promising data using cryopreserved P. falciparum sporozoites (PfSPZ), further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms of humoral immunity for the development of next-generation vaccines and alternative malaria therapies including antibody therapy.

Noursamycins, Chlorinated Cyclohexapeptides Identified from Molecular Networking of Streptomyces noursei NTR-SR4.

The noursamycins A-F are chlorinated cyclic hexapeptides, which were identified and isolated from the strain Streptomyces noursei NTR-SR4 overexpressing a LuxR-like transcriptional activator. The molecules were structurally characterized by mass spectrometric analyses and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques. The enzymatic machinery involved in the biosynthesis of these peptides is represented by a modular nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), and the corresponding gene cluster was identified in the S.

Keeping pace with the increasing demand for high quality drug candidates in pharmaceutical research: Development of a new two-step preparative tandem high performance chromatographic system for the purification of antibodies.

In the area of biological drug development, high throughput (HT) technologies are key to identifying the most promising therapeutic candidate in a time-efficient and market-competitive manner. While efficient cloning and expression methods exist, HT downstream processing mainly relies on liquid handling workstations applying miniaturized chromatography columns or resin-based 96-well plates to shorten process development time. However, there is still a lack of generic, preparative chromatographic methods devoid of aggregates and endotoxins with sufficient throughput.

Investigation of potential endocrine disrupting effects of mosquito larvicidal Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) formulations.

Bti is successfully used as a biological control agent for mosquito control. It has proven to be ecological friendly, and thus, is used in ecologically sensitive habitats. Recent investigations of groundwater in Germany have detected estrogenic activity in five consecutive groundwater wells in a region where Bti is applied.

Isothiocyanate-containing mustard protects human cells against genotoxins in vitro and in vivo.

Background: Human intervention trials in which cytogenetic biomarkers are used as intermediate endpoints in carcinogenesis are implicitly required to support the assumption of chemo-preventive efficacy.

Methods: To evaluate the genotoxic and anti-genotoxic properties of defined isothiocyanate-containing mustard, we first used a human liver cell-line and then conducted a controlled pilot human intervention trial. Blood from volunteers served as surrogate tissue for time-kinetic analysis of the chemo-preventive effect of mustard consumption.

High anti-lymphoma activity of bendamustine/mitoxantrone/rituximab in rituximab pretreated relapsed or refractory indolent lymphomas and mantle cell lymphomas. A multicenter phase II study of the German Low Grade Lymphoma Study Group (GLSG).

On the basis of a preceding phase I study, the current trial explored bendamustine in combination with mitoxantrone and rituximab (BMR) in patients with stage III/IV relapsed or refractory indolent lymphomas and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) with or without prior rituximab containing chemo-immunotherapy (R-chemo) treatment. Therapy consisted of bendamustine 90 mg/m(2) days 1 + 2, mitoxantrone 10 mg/m(2) day 1, rituximab 375 mg/m(2) day 8. Treatment was repeated on day 29 for a total of four cycles.

Physicians' judgement and comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) select different patients as fit for chemotherapy.

Introduction: Elderly cancer patients are a very heterogeneous population. A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) shall help to identify more precisely those patients who are fit, compared to those who are vulnerable or frail, when deciding on chemotherapeutical treatment.

Methods: In a prospective trial, 200 cancer patients treated in an out-patient setting were judged by their physician for their fitness for chemotherapy as fit, vulnerable or frail.

Elimination of background in film-based applications.

Erase-It Background Eliminator is a solution used directly on processed film to remove background or improve data resolution. Traditional methods, such as optimization of the scientific protocol or better estimation of exposure time, are tedious and uncertain. Nevertheless, autoradiography continues to be a simple, effective method to visualize data.