December Product and News Briefs

December 20, 2012 | Briefs for December include new products from Linguamatics, PerkinElmer, Titan Software, SoftGenetics, and Optibrium; industry news from IBM, Agilent, CLC bio and an internship opportunity in Singapore; a free trial from Partek; and more.  

December New Products 

Linguamatics has launched version 4.0 of its text mining software platform, I2E. The new Linguamatics I2E WSAPI (Web Services API) will open up the power of state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) based text mining to a broader range of users within the organization by allowing easier and more focused interfaces for different audiences. Regardless of how many disparate data sources need to be mined, I2E now has the power to analyze and extract information and knowledge from all of them simultaneously. Linguamatics I2E can now deal with recognition of novel compounds, which will give informaticians, researchers and patent analysts the power to investigate uncharted areas of innovation.   

PerkinElmer has launched a new range of assay kits utilizing AlphaLISA technology to help improve the safety testing, manufacturing and quality control of biotherapeutic drugs. The kits use PerkinElmer’s AlphaLISA technology to achieve higher quality results than the comparable ELISA (technology in half the time, helping to accelerating the drug discovery process. AlphaLISA press release The company also recently launched the latest version of its inForm Advanced Image Analysis Software, a patented automated image analysis package for accurately quantifying biomarker expression in tumors and surrounding tissues. Ideal for researchers studying the location and quantification of biomarkers within tissue sections, the software enables cancer researchers to define the tissue regions of interest for accurate and automated per cell quantification of a specific biomarker with both tumor and stroma. inForm press release  

Titian Software has released Mosaic 5.0, the latest development of the software for the expert management of samples, including compounds, biological collections, reagents and standards. Mosaic 5.0 provides comprehensive inventory management features, which include handling multiple substance types, managing storage locations and supporting configurable sample-set management and usage restrictions. As well as a powerful interface for the simple ordering of stock samples, Mosaic also provides convenient interfaces to request the dispensing, customizable selection, reformatting and dilution of samples into the desired format. Mosaic orders are progressed using Mosaic’s workflow management and fulfillment modules that integrate with a variety of manual and automated storage systems and instruments for maximum functionality. The Mosaic 5.0 software is available to new customers and to existing users via Titian’s support and maintenance program. Titian Software 

Cenduit has introduced a new study simulation and forecasting service that will enable clinical trial sites to better plan and control supplies for their patients. When integrated with Cenduit’s interactive response technology (IRT) services, the new service will give sponsors complete confidence in their clinical supply chain. The new system helps further minimize the risk of drug supply overage and drug outages at sites and accelerates drug development through increased supply chain productivity. The system also allows clinical trial supply coordinators to test different supply scenarios before implementing them, and to identify in advance the risks associated with any supply strategy. Cenduit 

SoftGenetics latest version of its NextGENe software which now includes a module for Copy Number Variation (CNV) analysis, a user selectable reporting capability, as well as several additional user requested enhancements. The CNV tool uses a proprietary method for normalizing coverage between the two samples. A new custom reporting option provides users with the capability to tailor the analysis reporting to meet their specific needs. Users easily select from NextGENe’s myriad reports to meet internal reporting criteria. Generated reports can either be printed or saved as an electronic file. SoftGenetics [PDF] 

Optibrium has announced a new version of its StarDrop platform. Version 5.3 introduces new features focused on the design of virtual libraries, guided by StarDrop’s unique multi-parameter optimization capabilities to prioritize compounds with the best balance of properties for synthesis and testing. Press release [PDF] The company is also collaborating with Digital Chemistry on the integration of Digital Chemistry’s unique BIOSTER database of bioisostere replacements with the StarDrop software suite. This combination will allow drug discovery teams to quickly identify novel, high quality compounds based on the BIOSTER molecular transformations and prioritize these within StarDrop’s intuitive environment that guides the design and selection of compounds with an optimal balance of properties. Press release [PDF] 

December News Briefs  

IBM has agreed to acquire Texas-based private company StoreIQ, a provider of solutions for unstructured enterprise data. The move expands IBM’s Information Lifecycle Governance (ILG) suite, which helps companies analyze, automate and implement governance policies across big data and dispose of that information in an automated way. eWeek 

Organovo Holdings, a creator and manufacturer of functional, three-dimensional human tissues for medical research and therapeutic applications, is working together with researchers at Autodesk, the leader in cloud-based design and engineering software, to create the first 3D design software for bioprinting. The software, which will be used to control Organovo's NovoGen MMX bioprinter, will represent a major step forward in usability and functionality for designing three-dimensional human tissues, and has the potential to open up bioprinting to a broader group of users. Press release 

Eisai Co. of Tokyo and University College London have entered into a new agreement to establish a drug discovery and development collaboration. The alliance will involve researchers from both organizations working together to investigate innovative new ways of treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other related disorders. The goal of the collaboration will be to identify and validate novel drug targets, develop new therapeutics and evaluate them in proof-of-concept clinical trials. Press Release 

Agilent Technologies and SRI International have signed a licensing agreement to offer laboratory research customers a package that combines Agilent’s latest release of GeneSpring GX, GeneSpring NGS, Mass Profiler Professional and Pathway Architect version 12.5 with SRI International’s complete BioCyc Pathway Database Collection. The integrated package will allow scientists to access, combine, visualize and analyze biological data sets across multiple “omics” experiments (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics). Press Release 

CLC bio is participating in the European FP7 project, STATegra. STATegra aims to develop a user-friendly integral analysis platform for different ‘omics data that is capable of providing a more efficient use of genomics technologies. To start, the project will generate and integrate data obtained in proteomic, metabolomic and epigenomic experiments. 

Experience@Singapore is offering a research summer internship program for undergraduate and graduate students in science, technology, research and engineering. From Nov. 15, 2012 to March 1, 2013, the program is accepting applications for internships in Singapore. The program offers: opportunities to interact and be mentored by senior research talent, exposure to research opportunities available in Singapore, a taste of Asia’s cultural diversity, monthly stipend of SGD 1,500 (approximately US $1,200), and a one-time travel allowance of SGD 1,500 (approximately US $1,200) for students travelling from U.S. to Singapore. Experience@Singapore 

ICON won the Clinical Research Team of the Year award for a second consecutive year at the annual 2012 Scrip Awards. ICON won the award for an extremely quick start-up of a large Phase III clinical trial for a promising gynaecological compound in a selective population. ICON selected 109 sites in 15 countries within two weeks of receiving the final protocol and prepared and submitted 133 regulatory and ethics submissions within three months. ICON 

Continua Health Alliance has established a working group in India. Continua is the non-profit industry organization dedicated to advancing personal connected health by promoting end-to-end, plug-and-play connectivity of personal health devices and establishing industry standards for interoperability. In addition to India, Continua has operations in the United States, European Union, China, and Japan. Continua also announced the appointment of a Chair for the India Working Group, Rajendra Gupta. Gupta works with India’s Ministry of Health, the United Nations, World Health Organization (WHO). He also serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Digital Health, and US-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund. Continua [PDF] 

Morehouse School of Medicine invested $600,000 in a mobile clinical research unit that will allow researchers to access individuals in rural areas. The vehicle will be used to conduct similar research to what Morehouse School of Medicine is able to do in its own labs at the Clinical Research Center. Atlanta Business Chronicle 

December Free Trials 

Partek Flow provides complete analysis for RNA-Seq, smRNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, Targetted Sequencing, Exome, and methylation applications. Align, stats, differential expression, variants, indels, and visualization in one place. Try it now.