SBE – August 2012

August 2012

Biotechnology News

•	Researchers have identified a new stem cell population which may be accountable for giving rise to neurons responsible for higher thinking. Additionally, the study paves the way for scientists to produce these neurons in culture, marking the first step in developing enhanced treatments for cognitive disorders (i.e. schizophrenia, autism). Scripps
•	New research raises hopes for cell therapies, showing that heart muscle cells differentiated from human embryonic stem cells can integrate into existing heart muscle of guinea pigs, electrically stabilize the injured heart, and beat in sync. University of Washington
•	The NIH, DARPA and FDA are collaborating to develop a technology platform aimed at creating 3-D chips with living cells and tissues that accurately model the structure and function of human organs such as the lung, liver and heart in an effort to test new drugs, minimize adverse effects, and speed up drug development. NIH
•	NSF is soliciting topics for Enhancing the Bioeconomy using emerging Biological Technologies (EBBT). Proposals must use a biologically-based approach (i.e. synthetic biology, systems biology, metabolic engineering, proteomics, bioinformatics, and computational biology) to address business opportunities in key industry sectors including biomedical, biomanufacturing, and sustainable agriculture. NSF
•	Global biotech merger volume has reached levels ($25B) not seen in four years (since Roche acquisition of Genentech) as big pharmaceutical companies pursue deals to get access to new drugs, especially in therapeutic areas such as cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Large pharmaceutical companies with expired patents are also looking for products to supplement their drug development efforts. Reuters
•	A new review article on downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies has recently been published. The article focuses on recovery and purification challenges from bench to commercialization. Process trends in design and validation are reviewed. Biotechnology Progress

SBE News

Register today for the next SBE Bailey Webinar, presented by Harvey Blanch on September 27th at 2:00pm (EDT). Dr. Blanch will discuss the role of genetic engineering and molecular biology in expanding industrial biotechnology.

SBE introduces a new short course on cellular bioprocessing instructed by leading expert
Wei-Shou Hu. The course will take place in Pittsburgh on Sunday, October 28th. Register today!

Save the date for SBE's Award Lectures at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh.

•	2012 D.I.C. Wang Award Lecture presented by Jim Swartz (Stanford) on October 29th at 3:15pm.
•	2012 James E. Bailey Award Lecture presented by Terry Papoutsakis (University of Delaware) on October 30th at 6:00pm.

SBE would like to thank Pfizer for sponsoring the SBE Hospitality Suite, three years in a row.

SBE Conferences Update

Register now for SBE's Sustainability in (Bio)Pharmaceuticals conference to be held November 11-14, 2012 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and co-chaired by Conchita Jimenez-Gonzalez (GSK) and Gene Schaefer (J&J). The conference will address multi-use vs. single use bioprocess decisions. Keynote speakers include SBE Advisory Board Member- Paul McKenzie (J&J), among others. The Call for Posters is still open – submit your abstract today.

Call for Papers: SBE's Fourth International Conference on Biomolecular Engineering (ICBE) will be held January 13-16, 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, FL and co-chaired by Ali Khademhosseini (Harvard) and Kristala Prather (MIT). Keynote lectures will be given by George Church (Harvard Medical School), Jim Collins (Boston University), Virginia Cornish (Columbia University) and Nicholas Peppas (University of Texas-Austin).

Call for Papers: SBE's 3rd International Conference on Accelerating Biopharmaceutical Development (AccBio 2013) will be held in February 24-26, 2013 in Coronado Island.
Co-located with AccBio is Quality by Design in Biologics. Both meetings will review strategies, technical fundamentals, and industrial case studies, and will bring together industry, academia and regulators to address challenges and opportunities for biopharmaceutical development

Meeting Updates

Genetics of Industrial Microorganisms is announcing its 12th International Symposium taking place on June 22-28, 2013 in Cancun. For more info visit: http://www.smbb.com.mx/GIM2013-Cancun/.

Student Corner

Interested in starting up a student chapter this semester? Contact us at bio@aiche.org.

Save the Date. International Conference on Biomolecular Engineering. Jan. 13-16, 2013. Hyatt Pier Sisty Six. Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Comments?

SBE's e-Connections is edited by Adrian Fay, Web Science Editor, with input from SBE staff. Contact us at bio@aiche.org.

Join Now

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Member benefits include:

•	Subscription to SBE's semi-annual BioSupplement to Chemical Engineering Progress.
•	Discounts on leading biological engineering conferences including SBE and SBE cosponsored meetings and courses.
•	Access to online membership directory.
•	A voice in education, employment and technology advancement topics.