A research published in the journal Nature shows that a vaccine has successfully cleared a monkey version of HIV from the bloodstreams of infected animals. 

The research team looked at the SIVmac239 (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus), a form of HIV found in monkeys, which is 100 times more aggressive and tend to kill them within 2 years after being infected.

The vaccine is based on the cytomegalovirus (CMV), which is part of the herpes family. Researchers then used the infectious power of CMV to sweep throughout the body. But instead of causing disease, they modified it to tell the immune system, and particularly the T-cells, to fight off the SIV molecules.

16 monkeys were vaccinated and then exposed to SIVmac239. In nine of the cases, the monkeys’ immune systems were able to fight off infection and destroy the virus. Those monkeys remained SIV free between 1.5 to three years later.

This success leads the US scientists to believe they can use a similar approach to test a vaccine for HIV in humans. Researchers engineered a CMV virus which generates the same immune response but whose virulence has been modified to the point where they think it is unequivocally safe

“This would first have to pass through the regulatory authorities, but if it does, he said he hoped to start the first clinical trials in humans in the next two years” one of the research team members, Professor Louis Piker says.

So far, HIV infection has only been cured in a very small number of highly-publicized but unusual clinical cases in which HIV-infected individuals were treated with anti-viral medicines very early after the onset of infection or received a stem cell transplant to combat cancer.

This latest research suggests that certain immune responses obtained by a new vaccine may also have the ability to completely remove HIV from the body.” It could also give support to another research made in Denmark, where scientists are investigating a way to fight off HIV reservoirs thanks to panobinostat, a molecule usually used to treat cancer

If you want to get the latest news about the Pharma and Healthcare, stay tuned on our blog and webinars presentations.

For over 5 years, smart grid and energy efficiency pundits hyped up a rosy future for OEMs by projecting almost unlimited demand for energy infrastructure projects. One could have been led to believe that utilities and their customers were queuing up to adopt the latest technologies.

But then reality set in. Commercial & industrial customers require shorter payback periods to justify infrastructure upgrades to energy efficient technology.  Long sales cycles, competition from new entrants, and the time required to bring new solutions to market have tempered both financial forecasts and profit margins. Adding to this, growing regional markets like Brazil have trade and tariff policies that drive local content requirements.

But all is not doom and gloom. There are strategies you can adopt to free up cash flow, accelerate time to market and mitigate risk when entering regional markets. As the global leader in supply chain solutions, Flextronics has been partnering with leading OEMs to help them more efficiently deliver solutions from concept to their customers – whether the customer is across the world or across the street.  Our experience in energy ranges from generation to distribution, smart meters to energy storage, and even LED lighting to energy management.

Even commercial & industrial businesses and their property managers can now reduce procurement costs while benefitting from utility cost savings of energy efficient lighting solutions.

Are you interested in learning how you can improve your company’s bottom line?  Join us for a complimentary webinar on 1st October at 3pm BST where we discuss case studies and strategies to grow your profitability.

Sanket Amberkar
Company website: www.flextronics.com/energy
Twitter: http://twitter.com/flextronics
YouTube: www.youtube.com/flextronicsintl

It’s been a sun-filled summer here at Business Review and after our 2 month break of webinars we’re ready to get back to business, starting with our 3 pharma webinars coming up this week!

3M, Covance and Acurian are ready to discuss their business insight, new techniques and research with you as well as take any of your questions– don’t miss this opportunity.

Register now to secure your place:
10th September: 3M; A New Way to Purify Therapeutic Proteins
11th September: Covance; Understanding the Impact of DMPK Properties on the Future Success of a Drug Candidate
12th September: Acurian; Revealing the True Value of Patient Recruitment

Steve Bolton, Marketing Program Manager for the Ensemble for QA/QC informatics platform at PerkinElmer Informatics, has recently written a piece as part of the QA/QC Insight blog series. Within this he discusses opportunities that integration between the lab and SAP can provide for you.

But are you worried about the complexity, time and cost involved? While many people are reluctant to try, in this two part series, Steve looks at two approaches to SAP QM integration that address these concerns.

He’ll start by considering a simple integration that connects instruments and data systems directly with SAP QM. Click here to read the full story.

Join PerkinElmer’s free webinar entitled ‘Create a Working Integration Between QA/QC Laboratories & SAP®’ on the 18th September at 3pm London/ 10am New York. Read more

Have your chance to listen to Jeroen de Haas, Director QA/QC Applications and Bill Wiersma, Sr. Field Marketing Professional, both from PerkinElmer, as they discuss how laboratories can retain flexibility and control over processes and enhance efficiency as they integrate with SAP. Join the discussion by sending in your questions and have them answered live! Read more

Meticulous planning and execution of shutdown maintenance work will minimise the risk to personnel while maximising efficiency and curtailing downtime of the asset.

Take a look at our brochure to see what products and services we can offer or view some of our case studies.

In your opinion what has been the biggest technological advance(s) when it comes to maintenance shutdowns and what else can be done to improve efficiency while protecting the safety of operational staff?

Scott Garner, Business Development Manager
Sandy Peter, Process Plant Solutions Manager

Scott and Sandy are presenting their webinar on the 9th October at 3pm London/10am New York. Have your chance to listen to them, send in your questions and have them answered live. Why not join the webinar and learn more?

Well, it certainly can be messy and rich in operational issues that need instant attention. What’s the biggest issue you face? At Paqell, we cannot remove the need for sulphur removal but we can change the way it’s done. Remember the 80’s? Back then, Paques technologists were searching for a better alternative method to remove sulphur from gas. The result was a logical combination of a well proven scrubber and a novel way to regenerate the scrubbing liquid so it could be used again. You could take a peak right now at www.paqell.com/video to see what they came up with. Let me know what you think of the process.

The result is a technology that does not require a high temperature or pressure to operate and has no free H2S after absorber entry. The sulphur output is a slightly moist sulphur at ambient temperature; no need for melters or degassers. Our customers like it just the way it is but we’re committed to make it even better! What improvements would you like to see?

Why not join our webinar and learn about an interesting alternative you can put on the table next time Sulphur becomes an issue?

René Bakker
Paqell Business Manager

René is hosting the Paqell webinar on the 24th September 2013 at 3pm London/10am New York. Have the chance to listen to René, send in your questions and have them answered live. Read more.