D614G: Putting the Mutation in Perspective
Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, scientists have speculated about the risks of mutation and what this could mean for therapeutics and vaccines. In this blog, we explore the nature viral mutation, what is known about the D614G mutant of SARS-CoV-2, and introduce our...
Lyme Disease: A Rapidly Emerging Bacterial Infection in Need of New Diagnostics
This article was first published on Clinical Lab Products. Lyme disease is now the most common and fastest growing vector-borne illness in the Western world. A two-tiered antibody testing approach is currently used for clinical diagnosis, but suffers from several...
The Yearly Race for an Influenza Vaccine and the Role of Reagents
In this blog, we explain how seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines are developed, manufactured and validated, and introduce our contract services for the rapid development of custom influenza reagents. The Influenza Viruses: A Quick Recap The influenza viruses are...
The Endemic Coronaviruses and What They Might Tell us About COVID-19
While less-well known than some of their counterparts, the 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1 human coronaviruses are a significant cause of respiratory disease worldwide. The evolutionary histories and host associations of the endemic coronaviruses also provide important...
Q&A: An Insight Into COVID-19 Serology
During the course of the current coronavirus pandemic, we have all been aware of the urgent need for nucleic acid testing to identify people currently infected with SARS-CoV-2. The second form of testing needed are serological immunoassays, which can identify past...
A Q&A with David Flavell of Leukaemia Busters
In this blog, we speak with Dr. David Flavell about his scientific career, the legacy of Leukaemia Busters, and the recent impact that COVID-19 has had on his research. Tell me about your scientific background David. I was born in a seaside town called Southport in...
Avoiding the Immunopathology Pitfalls of a COVID-19 Vaccine
In the second of a three-part series on COVID-19 vaccines, we explore the potential challenges in stimulating safe vaccine responses and outline the role that diagnostics will play in guiding their development. Rogue Responses Antibodies play a crucial role in...
Designing for Differentiation: Why We Need Highly Specific Diagnostics for a COVID-19 Vaccine
Assessment of vaccine-induced immune responses in clinical trials will require highly specific diagnostic assays to ensure safety. This blog was originally published on Clinical Lab Manager. The Vaccine Race Vaccines are the most effective means of preventing...
An Early Look at Vaccines for COVID-19
In the first of a three-part series on the design, immunology and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, we take an early look at the major technologies under development and weigh-up the challenges these vaccines will face in reaching late-phase clinical trials. Why We...
The Bumpy Road to a Cytomegalovirus Vaccine
The development of a cytomegalovirus vaccine has been 50 years in the making. Are there any technologies in the pipeline that could prompt a breakthrough? This article was originally posted online at The Medicine Maker, a Texere publication. To say that...
Why We Need Antigen and Antibody Tests for COVID-19
RT-PCR is the workhorse of viral diagnosis and has been invaluable in COVID-19 case confirmation and isolation guidance. However, while fast and sensitive, PCR suffers from some inherent drawbacks that limit it to diagnosis during the acute phase of infection. To...
Gonorrhea: What’s Currently in the Clinical Pipeline?
This article was written by our friends at Infectious Diseases Hub, a free-to-access website that aims to deliver up-to-date, essential research and information on all aspects of microbiology, virology, mycology and parasitology – from bench to bedside. Infectious...
Novel Coronavirus Antigens Now Available
The Native Antigen Company is now offering recombinant S1 and S2 glycoproteins for SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in response to urgent demand. These reagents are suitable for use in basic research and the development of diagnostics and vaccines. S1 Glycoprotein S2...
The Why and How of Protein Conjugation
In this blog, Lead Assay Development Scientist, Toni Ertl discusses the basics of protein conjugation and introduces our new range of conjugation kits for the labelling of antigens and antibodies. Detecting Proteins If you’re trying to detect or measure the presence...
Going Viral: Why We Need New Diagnostics For a Safe and Effective Dengue Vaccine
This article is taken from European Biopharmaceutical Review January 2020, pages 44-46. © Samedan Ltd. The Dengue VirusDengue is the world’s most prevalent and consequential arboviral disease. Current estimates indicate that as many as 390 million dengue infections...
Why We Need New Diagnostics for the Zika Virus
This article has been published in Volume 2, Issue 3 of the IBI journal. While Zika is no longer in the public eye, it hasn’t vanished. Recent outbreaks across Asia and Africa are reminders that Zika is alive and well, and with no effective countermeasures available,...
Clostridium difficile Toxins: The Nuts and Bolts
In this blog, we describe the mechanisms of action of the Clostridium difficile A and B toxins, and discuss their use in research and medicine. The Native Antigen Company provides biologically active C. diff toxins, as well as inactivated toxoids for a range of...
Where Are We At with CMV Vaccine Development?
In this blog, we discuss the need for a CMV vaccine, the current vaccine strategies that are in development, and introduce our range of CMV antigens and antibodies. Cytomegalovirus The human Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an enveloped, icosahedral 150-200nm pleomorphic...
Paper Synopsis: Measles Induces Immune Amnesia
In the midst of widespread concern about growing anti-vaccination sentiments, worldwide, a study published this month suggests that Measles virus infection can also ablate acquired immunity to other diseases. In this blog, we introduce the concept of immune amnesia,...
Achieving Diagnostic Specificity with Dengue Envelope Domain III
In this blog, we discuss the structure and function of Flavivirus Envelope protein, its ability to elicit a broad range of antibody responses, and present our new range of Dengue virus Envelope DIII proteins for diagnostic and vaccine development. Envelope Protein: A...
Coronaviruses: The Next Disease X?
For much of their known history, the coronaviruses were regarded as relatively benign pathogens with little potential to cause human harm. However, the emergence of SARS and MERS in recent decades has brought coronaviruses into the global spotlight. In this blog we...
Better Access to Reagents Is Needed for Neglected Tropical Disease Research
Neglected tropical diseases Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of infectious diseases that almost exclusively affect low income populations in settings with inadequate sanitation and limited access to health care. Found in tropical and subtropical...
Pertussis Toxin: The Nuts and Bolts
The Native Antigen Company manufactures high-quality Pertussis toxin in its native format for a range of applications and is offering a 30% discount* on this product for the remainder of 2019. In this blog we explain the structure, mechanism-of-action and applications...