Abstract: Apparatus for testing the solubility of a medical dosage form includes a chamber (12) for holding a solvent medium (18), in the preferred embodiment a bicarbonate based buffer system. The apparatus also includes a pH probe (66) which is connectable to a supply of carbon dioxide (32, 34), as well as to a supply of helium (40), the supplies being controlled by a control unit (50). The control unit (50) monitors changes in pH of the solvent medium (18) and, as appropriate, feeds pH increasing and/or pH reducing gas from the supplies (32, 34, 40) into the chamber (12). The control unit (50) is able to maintain a uniform pH during testing or to provide a dynamically adjustable pH during testing, for example to three or more different pH levels in order to test the performance of a drug carrier at different levels of acidity or alkalinity for example, mimicking the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for using a computer system to assist in planning a trajectory (960A, 960B) for a surgical insertion into a skull. The method comprises providing the computer system with a three-dimensional representation of the skull and of critical objects located within the skull, wherein the critical objects comprise anatomical features to be avoided during the surgical insertion. The method further comprises providing the computer system with a target location (770, 970) for the insertion within the skull. The method further comprises generating by the computer system a first set comprising a plurality of entry points, each entry point (760) representing a surface location on the skull, and each entry point (760) being associated (2D) with a trajectory (960A, 960B) from the entry point (760) to the target location (770, 970).

Abstract: A sensor device is provided to sample data from a fluid in a sealed environment. The sensor comprises a housing and a diamond within the housing. The housing is formed such that the device is reversibly insertable into the sealed environment so that the diamond directly interfaces with the sealed environment.

Abstract: There is disclosed a retroviral vector comprising a primer binding site, a long terminal repeat and an RNA packaging sequence, wherein the RNA packaging sequence is located 3? of the long terminal repeat and no long terminal repeat is located 3? of the RNA packaging sequence such that reverse transcription initiated at the primer binding site does not lead to reverse transcription of the RNA packaging sequence into vector DNA in a target cell. Also described is a host cell, a virion, a pharmaceutical composition, a method and uses including or involving the vector described above. Further, a cell or transgenic animal produced by using the vector is also described.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of a compound containing a moiety of formula (I) as a reagent for linking a compound of formula R1—H which comprises a first functional moiety of formula F1 to a second functional moiety of formula F2 wherein X, X?, Y, R1, F1 and F2 are as defined herein. The present invention also provides related processes and products. The present invention is useful for creating functional conjugate compounds, and specifically conjugates in which at least one of the constituent molecules carries a thiol group.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a multi-span chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) which comprises: i) at least one extra-cellular antigen binding domain; ii) a plurality of linked transmembrane domains; and iii) at least one intracellular signalling domain.

Abstract: A method of transferring a single metal atom from a first location to a second location on the surface of a metal oxide is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a material having a first metal atom deposited on a first oxygen atom vacancy of the metal oxide and transferring the first metal atom of the metal on the first oxygen atom vacancy to a second location on the metal oxide by applying a voltage to the first metal atom. The second location can be a second metal atom on a second oxygen atom vacancy of the metal oxide, where the first and second metal atoms form a first metal atom-second metal atom species, or a metal atom of the metal oxide, where the first metal atom and the metal atom of the metal oxide forms a first metal atom-metal atom of the metal oxide species.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for building a subject-specific statistical model of shape variation for an anatomical structure using a set of geometric representations of shape for the anatomical structure. Each representation is associated with one of multiple subjects, each subject having a respective subset of associated representations, and each subset comprising multiple representations including a reference representation. The multiple representations correspond to different shapes of the anatomical structure arising from physical motion and/or deformation thereof. The method comprises specifying a set of shape parameters whose values, for any given representation, characterize the shape of the representation, and for each subject, representing a probability distribution of the values of the shape parameters across the subset of representations associated with that subject by a set of subject-specific distribution parameters.

Abstract: The present invention provides a compound of formula I, a tautomer thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or N-oxide thereof for use in the treatment or prevention of cardiovascular disease or of an inflammatory disease or condition: wherein: V is N or CR3; X is N or CR4; Y is N or CR5; Z is N or CR6; B is —(C?O)R1, a 5- to 10-membered heteroaryl group, or a group L??-NRR?, wherein R and R? are the same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-C6 alkyl group or a C1-C6 haloalkyl group; R1 is a 5- to 10-membered heterocyclyl group, or —OR?, wherein R? is a hydrogen atom, a C1-C6 alkyl group or a C1-C6 haloalkyl group, or R1 is a proteinogenic ? amino acid, which is linked to the carbonyl moiety in the compound of formula (I) via the ? amino group, which amino acid is optionally esterified at the ? carboxylic acid group with a C1-C6 alkyl group or a C6-C10 aryl group, or R1 is —NR?R??, —NRIV-L??-CONR?R??, or —NRIV-L??-COOR, wherein R, R?, R?? and RIV are the same or different and e

Abstract: A micromechanical device has a functional layer. One or more layers are provided between the functional layer and the micromechanical device to provide stress relief.

Abstract: There is described a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding for a functional preproinsulin protein wherein the nucleotide sequence has at least 86% identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO. 1. Also described are: vectors comprising the nucleic acid molecule for expressing the preproinsulin protein; host cells comprising the nucleic acid molecule or a vector; a transgenic animal comprising cells comprising the nucleic acid molecule or the vector; a pharmaceutical composition comprising the nucleic acid molecule or the vector; a method of treating diabetes comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of the vector to a patient suffering from diabetes; the nucleic acid molecule for use in therapy; and the nucleic acid molecule or the vector for use in the treatment of diabetes.

Abstract: The present invention concerns compounds for use in the prevention of viral replication and/or the prevention or treatment of a viral infection, wherein the compounds are selective inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase, and methods of preventing viral replication and/or preventing or treating viral infections in a subject comprising administering a prophylactically or therapeutically effective amount of the compounds.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a linker for forming conjugates of a protein or peptide with a therapeutically active agent and which comprise a thiomaleamic acid moiety that is susceptible to cleavage under the pH conditions prevalent in the lysosome.

Abstract: A method for producing an engineered tissue scaffold for neural repair is described. The method includes tethering a hydrogel matrix seeded with tension-generating cells to a frame, and allowing the tension-generating cells to generate tension within the matrix, such that the cells self-align. The matrix may then be at least partially dehydrated to form a sheet. The tension-generating cells are stem cells capable of differentiating into cells having Schwann-cell-like properties, or are derived from such stem cells. In preferred embodiments, the cells are neural stem cells, for example conditionally immortalized neural stem cells of fetal cortex origin.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for registering pre-operative three dimensional (3-D) image data of a deformable organ comprising vessels with multiple intra-operative two-dimensional (2-D) ultrasound images of the deformable organ acquired by a laparoscopic ultrasound probe during a laparoscopic procedure. The apparatus is configured to: generate a 3-D vessel graph from the 3-D pre-operative image data; use the multiple 2-D ultrasound images to identify 3-D vessel locations in the deformable organ; determine a rigid registration between the 3-D vessel graph from the 3-D pre-operative image data and the identified 3-D vessel locations in the deformable organ; and apply said rigid registration to align the pre-operative three dimensional (3-D) image data with the two-dimensional (2-D) ultrasound images, wherein the rigid registration is locally valid in the region of the deformable organ of interest for the laparoscopic procedure.

Abstract: There is described a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding for a functional ?-galactosidase A protein wherein the nucleotide sequence has at least 85% identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO. 1. Also described is a vector, host cell or transgenic animal comprising the nucleic acid molecule; and a pharmaceutical composition comprising the nucleic acid molecule or the vector. Further, the use of the nucleic acid molecule in a method of treating Fabry disease is described.

Abstract: A fuel cell comprising at least two stacked fuel cell boards (22) which each comprise a membrane of substantially gas impervious electrolyte material and at least two electrode pairs wherein the anode and cathode of each said electrode pair are arranged on respective faces of said membrane. An electrode of each pair of electrodes is connected to an electrode of an adjacent pair of electrodes by a through-membrane connection (13) or by an external connection on a Printed Circuit Board, comprising an electrically conductive region of said electrolyte material. A method for forming the through-membrane electrical connections in the electrolyte membrane is also disclosed.

Abstract: A layered body comprising: a core region; at least one intermediate layer disposed around the core region; and an outer layer disposed around the at least one intermediate layer, wherein at least one of the at least one intermediate layers comprises a gas, the layered body having at least one dimension, measured across the body and through the core region, of 100 ?m or less.

Abstract: The present invention relates an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor for use in the treatment or prevention of fibrosis.

Abstract: A layered body comprising: a core region; at least one intermediate layer disposed around the core region; and an outer layer disposed around the at least one intermediate layer, wherein at least one of the at least one intermediate layers comprises a gas, the layered body having at least one dimension, measured across the body and through the core region, of 100 ?m or less.