Virtual reality VR devices are increasingly being utilized within operating theaters and intensive care units where appropriate sanitation is vital to ensure that patients do not unnecessarily acquire hospital-associated infections The morphology of VR devices in conjunction with the variety of materials and internal components provides challenges to their repurposing ...More |Related Solutions: Mantis^®

Virtual reality (VR) devices are increasingly being utilized within operating theaters and intensive care units where appropriate sanitation is vital to ensure that patients do not unnecessarily acquire hospital-associated infections. The morphology of VR devices in conjunction with the variety of materials and internal components provides challenges to their repurposing. This study aimed to evaluate the microorganisms remaining on VR headsets following sanitation by laboratory staff in a medical education anatomy teaching facility. The external components and internal facial interface were swabbed and separately cultured on four AGAR plates (Horse Blood, Nutrient, bile Esculin, and Mannitol Salt). Colonies were counted, sampled, pooled and subsequently processed for shotgun metagenomic sequencing. A higher number of colonies were present on surfaces closest to the eyes and facial interface compared to the external components. Metagenomic analysis identified 27 pathogenic bacteria including 4 “ESKAPE” pathogens (Enterobacter sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella spp. and, Escherichia coli) and numerous organisms associated with ocular infections. A broad range of antimicrobial resistance genes were identified conveying resistance to Methicillin, Aminoglycosides, Macrolides, Tetracyclines, and Polymixins. Further research is required to ensure that current sanitization practices of VR head mounted displays are appropriate within high-risk hospital settings. Less |Related Solutions: Mantis^®

The PD- PD-L immune checkpoint is a pivotal target for cancer immunotherapy Monoclonal antibodies mAbs targeting the PD- PD-L interaction have achieved clinical success but face limitations including high production costs suboptimal tumor penetration and potential immunogenicity To address these challenges we present the DNA-linked Inhibitor Antibody Assay DIANA a ...More |Related Solutions: Mantis^®

The PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint is a pivotal target for cancer immunotherapy. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction have achieved clinical success but face limitations, including high production costs, suboptimal tumor penetration, and potential immunogenicity. To address these challenges, we present the DNA-linked Inhibitor Antibody Assay (DIANA)─a robust, high-throughput screening platform optimized for identifying and characterizing low-molecular-weight inhibitors of human PD-L1. DIANA integrates competitive binding with qPCR detection, enabling single-well determination of dissociation constants (Kd) and rapid screening of thousands of compounds. The assay was validated using three FDA-approved mAbs (atezolizumab, avelumab, and durvalumab), the PD-L1-binding macrocyclic peptide WL12, and the native PD-1 receptor, yielding Kd values consistent with the literature. DIANA demonstrated a broad dynamic range spanning more than 4 orders of magnitude, excellent robustness (Z′-factor = 0.94), and high tolerance to DMSO (up to 10%). We applied DIANA to screen two libraries: a 5,280-compound in-house library (pooled format) and a 1,298-compound commercial peptidomimetic library (individual format). While very weak initial hits were detected, none were confirmed in follow-up manual (non-HTS) experiments or in an orthogonal cell-based assay. Nonetheless, DIANA’s sensitivity, scalability, and minimal sample requirements establish it as a powerful tool for accelerating the discovery of next-generation PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and overcoming key limitations of conventional screening methods. Less |Related Solutions: Mantis^®

Recoverin is a key calcium sensor that controls the desensitization of the visual rhodopsin by GRK Previous studies have traditionally been conducted on bovine protein bRec while data on human ortholog hRec remain scarce Here we combine X-ray crystallography Xray absorption spectroscopy XANES quantum mechanical calculations molecular dynamics and functional ...More |Related Solutions: NT8^®

Recoverin is a key calcium sensor that controls the desensitization of the visual rhodopsin
by GRK1. Previous studies have traditionally been conducted on bovine protein (bRec), while
data on human ortholog (hRec) remain scarce. Here, we combine X-ray crystallography, Xray absorption spectroscopy (XANES), quantum mechanical calculations, molecular
dynamics, and functional assays to provide an integrated characterization of hRec. The
2Ca2+-bound hRec structure was solved at 1.60 Å, showing that, unlike bRec, hRec interacts
with ROS membranes at physiologically relevant submicromolar Ca2+ levels, due to a speciesspecific charge distribution that might influence membrane interactions. Both recoverins
form a set of Ca2+/Zn2+-bound conformers with improved functional performance. X-ray
crystallography (1.85 Å) and XANES revealed a specific tetrahedral Zn2+ site in 1Ca2+-bound
hRec, the first such site reported in the NCS family. In 1Ca2+-bound hRec, zinc promotes the
formation of active state, whereas in 2Ca2+-state of bRec, it significantly enhances GRK1
binding, as the latter can complement the Zn2+ coordination. These data refine our
understanding of recoverin function in humans and highlight its role as a key link between
calcium and zinc signaling in mammalian photoreceptors under normal and pathological
conditions. Less |Related Solutions: NT8^®

Macromolecular crystallography provides mechanistic understanding of biological processes and can be applied in drug design Nowadays the use of robotic systems for crystal growth and diffraction analysis is widespread and high-throughput protein-to-structure pipelines for ligand and fragment screening are revolutionizing the field However the identification of crystals is still largely ...More |Related Solutions: Rock Imager^®

Macromolecular crystallography provides mechanistic understanding of biological processes and can be applied in drug design. Nowadays, the use of robotic systems for crystal growth and diffraction analysis is widespread and high-throughput protein-to-structure pipelines for ligand and fragment screening are revolutionizing the field. However, the identification of crystals is still largely carried out through manual inspection, sometimes involving tens of thousands of images, which represents a bottleneck in an otherwise highly automated process. Here we describe AXIS, an AI-based Crystal Identification System combining the DINOv2 computer vision model, state-of-the-art transfer learning and MARCO, the largest crystallization dataset available to date, for automated crystal detection. AXIS can operate with both visible and UV light images and integrates a Lab-in-the-Loop approach combining ML and expert inputs for iterative learning and specialization. AXIS enables automated annotation of large crystallization image datasets with performance and accuracy comparable to that of human experts, and the Lab-in-the-Loop approach introduced here enables efficient adaptation to local conditions, facilitating widespread application, which has been a major limitation to date. AXIS can help to correct human errors in image annotation and removes critical bottlenecks, particularly in the context of extensive crystallization screens or high-throughput applications like fragment and ligand screening, unlocking the potential for higher levels of automation that are key in both fundamental and translational research. Less |Related Solutions: Rock Imager^®

Antisense oligonucleotides ASOs are promising therapeutics but safety concerns such as liver toxicity and off-target OffT effects necessitate thorough evaluation during the compound selection process This study leverages time course global proteomics and transcriptomics to assess ASO-induced changes in vitro comparing liver toxic versus non-liver toxic ASOs The research confirms ...More |Related Solutions: Mantis^®

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are promising therapeutics, but safety concerns such as liver toxicity and off-target (OffT) effects necessitate thorough evaluation during the compound selection process. This study leverages time course global proteomics and transcriptomics to assess ASO-induced changes in vitro, comparing liver toxic versus non-liver toxic ASOs. The research confirms that ASOs perturb different cellular pathways at both RNA and protein levels, effectively discriminating between liver toxic and non-liver toxic ASOs. Contrary to expectations, protein level reduction isn’t delayed relative to ASO-induced RNA reduction, highlighting the importance of understanding RNA and protein level relationships in specific model systems. Furthermore, many OffT effects observed at the RNA level do not directly translate to corresponding protein level changes. These findings suggest that current RNA-focused OffT assessment strategies capture predicted OffTs but could benefit from protein level studies that could potentially de-risk oligonucleotide drug (OND) candidates with seemingly problematic OffT profiles at the RNA level. The study underscores the value of global proteomics as a complement to RNAseq in ASO drug development, refining safety assessment and improving candidate selection. Less |Related Solutions: Mantis^®