Access to Rapid Magnetic 3D Printing of Human Cells May Revolutionize Research Labs

Medicine

The development of 3D printing within the biological sector may mean the end of using animals for medical testing.

Earlier this year, a team of engineers from McMaster University in Canada developed a 3D printing technique that uses magnets to rapidly create artificial tumors which allows researchers to test new therapies and drugs.

This invention will also allow for personalized medications to match symptoms, instead of receiving the standardised one-size-fits-all treatments, as 3D printed cells can be manipulated to suit different researches.

The Engineers believe this new technique will allow researchers to create accurate 3D cell clusters with various cells layers to better match conditions inside the human body for regenerative medicine research.

According to a study published in Science Partner Journal, they (the engineers) were able to print 3D cancer tumor cells within six hours using the method.

If this method is to be successful,  this will eliminate the need for animals during studies altogether. After all, replicating 3D structures of human tissues will give researchers more accurate information about a medication’s results as it is closer to human biology than using animals.

The technology will also speed up the process of drug development by replacing the simpler testing on human cells in Petri dishes; further saving hundreds of millions of dollars from getting wasted on unsuccessful drug candidates that fail during human clinical trials.

“We have developed an engineering solution to overcome current biological limitations. It has the potential to expedite tissue engineering technology and regenerative medicine,” said Sarah Mishriki, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Biomedical Engineering and lead author. “The ability to rapidly manipulate cells in a safe, controllable and non-contact manner allows us to create the unique cell landscapes and microarchitectures found in human tissues, without the use of a scaffold.”

“This magnetic method of producing 3D cell clusters takes us closer to rapidly and economically creating more complex models of biological tissues, speeding discovery in academic labs and technology solutions for industry,” said Rakesh Sahu, a research associate.

U.S. Department of Health partnering with Johnson & Johnson company in R&D initiative to prevent pandemics.

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced they will enter a public-private partnership with Janssen Research and Development, a company owned by well-known corporate giant Johnson & Johnson.  The purpose of the partnership is to perform R&D of products that could aid in treatment and prevention of emerging infectious diseases, some with the potential to cause a pandemic.

According to Johnson & Johnson, the scale of this research is too high for any company or government to achieve on its on, but by bringing together the efforts of the private and public sector, the partners believe achievements can be made.  Combined skills and resources can be used to advance their research and aim to develop treatments for influenza and prevention methods should a pandemic arise.

Influenza affects more than one billion individuals each year with up to 500,000 deaths.  The partnership will continue research on a drug developed by Janssen, which could prevent the influenza virus from replicating and spreading in the body.  Also included in the project will be research on vaccines to protect against a wide range of seasonal and pandemic viruses.

The Department of Health and Human Services will provide the project with up to $43 million for R&D in the first year and up to $273 million over five years.  Janssen has agreed they will match the Department’s contribution and both parties will jointly manage operations and resources and share costs associated with this R&D project.

R&D investment in the medical and health industry has been growing in recent years and is expected to continue growing as investments advance.  R&D Tax Credits can support businesses in any industry in furthering their research and development initiatives.  If you would like to find out how your business could benefit from R&D tax credits, contact a Swanson Reed R&D Tax Advisor today.

R&D Growth In Higher Education

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A report focused on federal R&D funding for higher education, published by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), shows that 2016 is the fourth consecutive year in which federal R&D funding has decreased since its peak in 2011.

As of 2015 universities reported a 2.2% increase from the previous year at $68.8 billion in R&D spending. The data was collected from 906 degree-granting institutions that has spent a minimum of $150,000 the year prior.

Since 2011, where federal funding supported 62.5% of higher education R&D costs, R&D funding has declined by 13%. A decline in funding of 1.7% was recorded between 2014 and 2015. Of the $68.8 billion spent during 2015, federal funding covered only $37.9 billion dropping the percentage of funding to 55.2%.

While federal funding has decreased, research has continued to grow by 2.2% from the previous year with additional funding from other sources at 6.4%. Medical science was reported to have supported the highest growth rate spending $21.3 billion while biological and engineering sciences floated around $11 billion.

If  you would like to discuss the R&D Tax Incentive further, please do not hesitate to contact one of Swanson Reed’s offices today.