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THBI Summit: The Best Meeting to Learn about TX Biotech Industry

By: 
Linnea Fletcher
Fri, Feb 15 2019

What did I learn at the meeting? The first panel had representatives from all over Texas talking about what is happening in their areas. From El Paso to Houston to the Central Texas Area to Dallas, strategic partnerships area, and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute (CPRIT) funding is making a positive difference. For example, Emma Schwarz, President and Executive Director, Medical Center of the Americas in El Paso talked about how they are partnering with the biotech industry in Juarez, Mexico. Wayne Roberts, CEO of CPRIT, presented on the positive impacts of the institute. It is... Read more

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Algae - from pond scum to bioproducts

By: 
Sandra Porter
Mon, Jan 14 2019

Algae is becoming an important organism in biotechnology for the producing multiple products and cleaning up wastewater.  Learn about companies that focus on algae and education initiatives to help students learn how to work with micro-algae species. Read more

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2018 CSBI Life Sciences Workforce Trends Report

By: 
Sandra Porter
Wed, Jun 20 2018

The Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI) released the 2018 Life Sciences Workforce Trends Report June 5, 2018 at the BIO International Convention held in Boston, Massachusetts June 4-7. The report provides a national snapshot of the current and anticipated talent needs of the nation’s dynamic life science industry.  

The biotech industry continues to be a leading driver of employment across the country, providing 1.73 million jobs in 85,000 companies. In 2017, employers listed almost 264,000 postings for... Read more

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Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Grant

By: 
Poornima Rao
Tue, Apr 24 2018

Joseph Oleniczak has been awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching
Program Grant through the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs and the Institute of International Education. This grant is competitively selected
for award by the Presidentially-appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
and made possible through funds that are appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress.
The purpose of the Fulbright Award in Teaching Program is to provide K-12 teachers
with the opportunity to take a leave of absence... Read more

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CRISPR 101

By: 
Linnea Fletcher
Mon, Jan 15 2018

Looking for a handy guide to CRISPR technology? A biotech company in Silicon Valley (Redwood City) has a nice eBook. The company is named Synthego Read more

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New Trend in Hiring Endangers Two Year Biotech Programs?

By: 
Linnea Fletcher
Sun, Jan 14 2018

Dr Porter sent me an article on a possible new trend in hiring biotechicians. Companies are now going back to students with a 4 year degree. Interestingly we are seeing the same thing in Austin ---at least in the companies that are being bought by larger companies whose HR are out of state. One of our two year students, Isabel James, is now going back to UT to get her 4 year degree because of this trend. She will find that UT is actually offering less lab instruction in upper division courses -while in the two year ACC Biotech Program we continue to focus on this lab based education and... Read more

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Notes from Synbiobeta

By: 
Todd Smith
Wed, Oct 11 2017

@synbiobeta concluded it’s #sbbsf17 annual meeting on synthetic biology Oct 5, 2017. The progress companies are making in harnessing biology as a platform for manufacturing and problem solving is world changing.

What is Synthetic Biology?

Synthetic biology is a term that is used to describe the convergence of biotechnology and engineering. The dramatic cost decreases in our ability to read and write DNA (sequence and synthesize), combined with increasing capabilities in automation and informatics has catalyzed a new sub-industry within biotechnology.... Read more

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AC2 Supported DMC Students are Finalists for NSF Innovation Challenge

By: 
jhatherill
Mon, Apr 10 2017

https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=191589&org=NSF&from=news Read more

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VESTA Partners with AC2 Bio-Link Regional Center

Linnea in front of the VESTA booth.
By: 
Linnea Fletcher
Mon, Feb 20 2017

This weekend I attended the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association (TWGGA) Annual Conference and Trade Show in San Marcos. I was there representing the new partnership between VESTA and the AC2 Bio-Link Regional Center. Scott Kohls, co-PI for the VESTA Center, manned the booth and trained me to deliver the "correct spiel" to interested participants. Austin Community College is the latest college to join the consortium of schools who support VESTA. VESTA offers online courses in wine making (enology), viticulture, and the business of wine making. The online components include an hour each... Read more

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New HIV Self-Test --what are the implications?

By: 
Linnea Fletcher
Thu, Oct 27 2016

I came across this article today in GEN --and to me its a sign, the tip of the iceberg, of what is going to be developed in the future, and be available to the public (and therefore, grocery stores everywhere)---"New HIV Self-Test Wins $2.6M Gates Foundation Grant Atomo Diagnostics has won a $2.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation toward developing a rapid diagnostic test for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) designed to enable people in developing countries to test themselves. By developing an affordable, reliable, and simple HIV self-test, Atomo and the... Read more

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Stem cell Therapy and Regenerative medicine - a revolution in healthcare !

By: 
Poornima Rao
Mon, Jul 25 2016
Mini – BIOMAN 2016: Stem Cells in a Regulated Environment : July 19 -21 2016 at Alamance Community College, Graham, North Carolina                                                                                       Professor Bill Woodruff (Co-PI NBC2) and Dr. Maggie Bryans (PI – NBC2)  

The conference started with Introductions and overview on all the basics of Stem cell technology and applications. With focus on Regenerative medicine and stem cell therapyTypes of Bio manufacturing and different levels of Clean room Gowning... Read more
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Stem Cell Teacher Academy: A Fun & Educational Workshop

Stem Cell Adademy
By: 
Deborah Davis
Tue, Jul 19 2016

Dr. Thomas Tubon is at Bluegrass Community and Technical College this week to present his awesome workshop, The Stem Cell Teacher Academy. This is the second day. Most all the participants are from local high schools in BCTC's service area, with a few exceptions. However, there is tremendous diversity amongst them:

  • One participant traveled all the way from Florida;
  • One has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated;
  • 5 of the participants either have twin children or are a twin themselves;
  • One is a champion weight lifter;
    • ... Read more
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Stop and smell the.......Medicine?!

By: 
Elizabeth Stewart
Mon, Apr 25 2016

The brain is a tricky organ to treat, being both important and complex!  Not like the appendix for example, which is as close to disposable as you can get as far as internal organs are concerned. To add to the trickiness the body has a barrier system to protect the brain from "intruders" whether harmful or beneficial, making delivering a drug to the brain somewhat akin to storming a castle.  

However Austin-based Mystic Pharmaceuticals is building a drawbridge.  The company's recently issued patent "Dose-Dispensing... Read more

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To succeed with LIMS, you must first fail

LIMS Suck
A favorite way to learn what other thinks is...
By: 
Todd Smith
Wed, Mar 30 2016

A goal of the AC2 Bio-Link Regional Center (AC2) is to incorporate LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) in to biotechnology classes, possibly as a component of bioinformatics instruction. This is reasonable because students entering the workforce will have advantages over others if they have some experience with such systems. Also, CSO's  and incubators need to consider LIMS to manage lab operations, train students in modern practices, and support their clients. 

Sounds easy.

Getting, planning, building, using, and maintaining LIMS is a challenging endeavor. So... Read more

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On the problem with race-based medicine

Dorothy Roberts explains why race-based medicine is bad medicine...
By: 
Linnea Fletcher
Wed, Feb 17 2016

This morning I watched an amazing TED Talk on how medicine uses “race” in diagnosing disease. I thought it was particularly good based on the point of view of the presenter. This woman socially identifys with being “black” but ancestrally is of both European and African descent based on her “white” father’s and “black” mother’s ancestry. The talk made me reflect on how I am classified when I check that box Caucasian—such a broad classification. Especially when actually ancestrally I am ¼ Swedish and ¾ Scotts-Irish –not just Caucasian. Genetically I carry the gene for Factor V Leiden, a... Read more

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