Often, we use the terms’ bacterial endotoxin’ and ‘pyrogen’ interchangeably. They refer to phospholipid-polysaccharides (also termed lipopolysaccharides, or LPS). And there’s a chance that these pyrogens may be released from decaying Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli. Following cell death, these complex macromolecules emanate from compromised outer cell walls. If unchecked, it can induce and […]

In the compounding of pharmaceuticals, Primary Engineering Controls (PECs) are critical in ensuring final product integrity and public safety. Equipment such as compounding aseptic isolators (CAIs) and biological safety cabinets (BSCs) must be contamination free, and this requires diligent monitoring to maintain standards to PEC ISO 5 classification. According to USP <797> guidelines, flat interior […]

Biosensing Technology When we think of fungi – and who doesn’t when we all have so much extra time to ponder the bizarre? – we tend to think of either the mushrooms we add to our Friday night pizza or the trippy psilocybin-laden ‘magic mushrooms’ that are, we understand, enjoying something of a renaissance as […]

We recently revisited the subject of fungal and microbial pathogens in contamination-controlled environments such as cleanrooms and were pleasantly excited to note the significant degree to which the topic sparked discussion.

If we were called upon to characterize last year in just two words, we would undoubtedly select unprecedented and pandemic as the most obvious watchwords of 2020. And at this point in time their definition is abundantly clear. But, as we start 2021, a couple of terms have resurfaced that apparently remain somewhat opaque, among […]

All year we have brought you stories that inform, inspire, and uplift, some – we hope – even bringing you a wry smile. Last year, our ‘Best of…’ saw research on India’s lunar lift off, Apple’s super-fast A12 bionic chipset, and the thrifty romance of lab-grown diamonds. This year, the trend is for our primers […]

We talk a lot about vaccines these days, and for good reason. But it’s easy to forget that, even in the excitement swirling around COVD-19 vaccine development, other bio-medical research is quietly also being conducted in our nation’s cleanrooms and laboratories. So we’re going to take a mini ‘Pandemic Pause’ today and shift the focus […]