Biotech Paper watch: Signaling

Signaling tools paper watch: Biotechnology Journal and sister journals Signaling methods in Current Protocols: In vivo imaging with FRET Visualizing kinase signaling Signaling book highlights: Bacterial signaling Structure and function in cell signalling Yeast: Molecular and cell biology Signal transduction pathways BioEssays highlights Biotech round the world: Indonesia: Facts and figures Biotech instituts Biotech companies Drug companies enter Indonesia     

Biotech news from South Africa (SA)

South Africa: An introduction Biotech in South Africa South Africa National Biotech Audit 2007 Biotech facts and figures in SA GMOs in South Africa The SA Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Blue Gene for Africa initiative to catalyze research activities CSIR research highlights Biopad: Biotechnology Partnership for Africa's Development Global biotech lab in Cape Town Wellcome Trust institutional research capacity strengthening in Africa Cancer on the rise in Africa South African firm wins Global Business Council Award Japan-Africa summit on African science and technology BTJ paper watch: South Africa     

Biotech paper watch

BTJ best cover contest Biotech paper watch: Triple knockout cell lines in one go Turning carbon dioxide into liquid fuel Dual malaria/cholera vaccines from chloroplast Automated single cell clone picking Disulfide trapping of yeast surface proteins pH changes upon freezing of buffered solutions Identifying cancerspecific glycosylation p53, a double-edged sword in the fight against cancer Most read in BTJ: SUMOylation and cell signalling Bioengineering news: Biofuels for future generations Textile wastewater decolorization Engineering joint cartilage     

Biotech in the financial crisis

Cover illustration: Biotech in the financial crisis. This special issue of Biotechnology Journal covers how the current financial turmoil creates problems but also chances for biotech. Forum articles and biotech highlights ask whether biotech can rescue economy and environment (green growth). Image © PhotoDisc, Inc.     

Special highlight: Korean biotech

Government R&D investment in biotechnology Biotechnology in Korea – R&D policy and activities Molecular nutrition in Korea The BK21 project for Functional foods and Nutrigenomics at Yonsei University Korean Biotech facts and figures Institut Pasteur Korea Korean company profiles Korean biotech news     

Editorial: Advances in biotech

As Biotechnology Journal is entering its third volume, its shape and branding become more defined. After the success of last year's “Methods and Advances in Biotech” issue, I would like to quickly glance back at BTJ 2007 content (Table 1), and consider a frame for future directions to take in 2008.     

Polymer and Textile Biotech

Cover illustration: Polymer and Textile Biotech. Polymer biotechnology has led to highly functional materials with wideranging applications from textiles to medicine. This includes protective clothing, which could for example be used for future space trips, as well as for tissue engineering. This special issue of BTJ, edited by Georg Guebitz, Graz University of Technology, Austria (co-edited by Giuliano Freddi and Artur Cavaco-Paulo) provides a broad overview of novel biotechnological approaches for processing of materials and textiles. Cover image: Astronaut © Lasse Kristensen – Fotolia.com     

Cover Picture: Biotechnology Journal 6/2010

Cover illustration: Biotech Methods and Advances. This issue of Biotechnology Journal covers methods for systems metabolic engineering as well as downstream processing. The cover image shows an artist's impression of a magnetic fusion protein consisting of antibody like particles (pale blue) and ferritin subunits (pale green) encapsulating an iron core (red). These “Magnetizable antibody-like proteins” are described by Dehal et al. pp. 596–605 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/biot.200900273). Art by Mark Bradshaw, Pixelweave 3D.     

Research and application of biotechnology in textile industries in China

Textile industry is a conventional and pillar industry in China, which possesses a considerable proportion of the national economy. In recent years, special attention has been paid to the application of biotechnology in textile industries in China. As an interdiscipline between natural science and engineering science, textile biotechnology has much effect on China's textile industry. This paper summarizes current developments and highlights those areas where biotechnology might play an increasingly important role in China's textile industry as follows:

(1) Development of new types of textile fibers and polymers, such as Bt cotton naturally colored cotton, colored silk and silk gene-sequence, spider silk non-wovens, chitin fiber and chitosan derivatives, etc.

(2) Application of enzyme technology in textile wet processing, such as alkaline pectinase, PVA-degrading enzyme, cutinase and catalase used for cotton preparation, neutral cellulase for denim washing, transglutaminase for wool modification, protease for silk degumming as well as pectinase and hemicellulases for retting of bast fibers.

(3) Treatment of textile effluents with biotechnology.

Biotec Visions July 2009

News: Mutagenic biodiesel blends – Technicolor cancer imaging – Anticancer nanoparticle – Increased oxygen transfer in baffled microtiter plates – Transgenic barley growing on acid soil – Brain music – Laser light-induced brain waves – First genome sequence of ruminant species Special issues: Cytometry of microbes – Food-borne Mycotoxins Book highlights: Biotech funding trends – Biotechnology in Flavor Production Opinion: Another biofuel blunder? Tips and tricks: Good to know: Gel Electrophoresis Test your knowledge. Do you recognize this? Most read Writing tips Briefs: A hypothetical new model of LDL – Gaden Award – Patenting hES cells in Europe     

Enzymes in Bast Fibrous Plant Processing

The program COST Action 847 Textile Quality and Biotechnology (2000–2005) has given an excellent chance to review the possibilities of the research, aiming at development of the industrial application of enzymes for bast fibrous plant degumming and primary processing. The recent advancements in enzymatic processing of bast fibrous plants (flax, hemp, jute, ramie and alike plants) and related textiles are given. The performance of enzymes in degumming, modification of bast fibres, roving, yarn, related fabrics as well as enzymatic bonding of lignocellulosic composites is provided.     

Decolorization of practical textile industry effluents by white rot fungus Coriolus versicolor IBL-04

Textile industry discharges a vast amount of unused synthetic dyes in effluents. The discharge of these effluents into rivers and lakes leads to a reduction in sunlight penetration in natural water bodies, which, in turn, decreases both photosynthetic activity and dissolved oxygen concentration rendering it toxic to living beings. This paper describes the decolorization potential of a local white rot fungus, Coriolus versicolor IBL-04 for practical industrial effluents collected from five different textile industries of Faisalabad, Pakistan. Screening of C. versicolor IBL-04 on five effluents showed best decolorization results (36.3%) for Arzoo Textile Industry (ART) effluent in 6 days followed by Crescent Textile Industry (CRT), Itmad Textile Industry (ITT), Megna Textile Industry (MGT) and Ayesha Textile Industry (AST) effluents. Optimization of different process parameters for ART effluent decolorization by C. versicolor IBL-04 showed that manganese peroxidase (MnP) (486 U/mL) was the lignolytic enzyme present in the culture filtrates with undetectable lignin peroxidase (LiP) and laccase. The MnP synthesis and effluent decolorization could be enhanced to 725 U/mL and 84.4%, respectively, with a significant time reduction to 3 days by optimizing pH and temperature and using 1% starch as a supplementary carbon source.     

Safe biotechnology

Summary The Working Party on Safety in Biotechnology of the European Federation of Biotechnology reported [Künzi M, et al. Safe Biotechnology (1) — General considerations. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 21:1–6] on the classification of human pathogens and other microorganisms. It is proposed to relate the various risk classes of these organisms to the categories of physical containment for recombinant DNA (rDNA) organisms according to the OECD report [OECD Report (1986) Recombinant DNA Safety Considerations, Paris].In view of the differences in the numbering systems of the EFB for risk classes (1–4) and the OECD system of Good Industrial Large Scale Practice (GILSP) and containment categories 1–3, the former have been given alternative names. Relationships of the EFB-Classification of Microorganisms according to risk and OECD safety precautions have been defined (Table 1).Report prepared by the Working Party on Safety in Biotechnology of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB)     

非洲：生物科技发展日趋重要

非洲是世界上生物科技最不发达的地区,现代生物科技在许多非洲国家还是新鲜事物。但近年来,非洲国家对生物科技的发展充分重视,不断加强生物人才培养,积极开展国际合作,高度重视生物安全,参与各种UNEP/GEF生物安全计划,并在非盟组织以及国际机构的引导和支持下,成立了生物科技高水平专家组（ABP）,撰写了“非洲生物技术发展报告”提出非洲生物技术发展构想。了解和研究非洲生物科技发展现状及动态对我国生物科技的发展以及开展中非合作有着重要的意义。     

Recent developments in textile wastewater biotreatment: dye metabolite fate,aerobic granular sludge systems and engineered nanoparticles

Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology - Textile wastewater (TWW) represents a major source of pollution worldwide, carrying high organic loads, recalcitrant azo dyes and engineered...     

Biotech industry highlights

New on the market German start-ups in the spotlight Biotech crops: Double-digit growth Industrial prizes and grants     

News from industry

News on the market Network: Life Science Corridor France Biotech industry highlights Recent drug patent expirations     

结核灭活疫苗的临床研究进展

分枝杆菌灭活疫苗(inactivated mycobacterium vaccines)是一种最原始、简单制备方法的产物,但在结核疫苗史上始终拥有一席之地。从早期的旧结核菌素和死卡介苗以及中期唯一的分枝杆菌疫苗,到如今逐个出现的新疫苗,分枝杆菌灭活疫苗仍受到研究者的重视,其用途也从结核病患者的免疫治疗,扩大到潜伏感染人群的预防和卡介苗(Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, BCG)初免后的加强免疫。现就分枝杆菌灭活疫苗的临床研究历史和现状作一综述,为新疫苗的研制提供参考。     

狂犬病病毒抗体胶体金检测试纸的制备

通过胶体金免疫层析技术建立一种特异、便捷、快速的狂犬病病毒抗体检测方法,对犬等动物免疫狂犬病疫苗后的抗体水平监测提供参考。用醋酸锌沉淀法沉淀狂犬病病毒CVS11,Sepharose 4FF进行层析纯化。用柠檬酸三钠还原法制备的胶体金,标记纯化的狂犬病病毒,喷于试纸的结合释放垫 (金标垫),将SPA (葡萄球菌表面A蛋白) 和纯化的兔抗狂犬病病毒IgG分别喷于试纸的T (检测线) 处和C (对照线) 处,组装试纸条。用制备的试纸条对261份犬血清进行检测,与快速荧光灶抑制试验 (RFFIT) 检测的结果一致;对已知效价的犬狂犬病毒中和抗体 (VNA) 大于0.5 IU,结果为阳性;对狂犬病病毒中和抗体 (VNA) 小于0.5 IU/mL的血清,结果为阴性。制备的狂犬病病毒抗体胶体金检测试纸检测犬血清抗体,具有特异、便捷、快速的特点,能够检测出狂犬病病毒中和抗体大于0.5 IU的血清,适用于临床犬血清抗体水平监测,具有良好的应用前景。