Making a strong debut in the regional synthetic RNA field over the last few years, SABio has recently added transfection reagents to it product range to supplement its key platform of siRNA and miRNA products.

Teaming up with Biontex Laboratories (Germany), an established manufacturer of advanced transfection solutions, SABio has launched in Singapore Biontex's METAFECTENE® SI+ - a transfection reagent optimized for siRNA/miRNA transfection in mammalian cells.

METAFECTENE® SI+ is unique in enabling users to perform their siRNA/miRNA transfection during cell seeding, thereby eliminating rinsing and saving days from a knock-down screening protocol. Because of the time savings, two successive result-dependent transfections can be performed within a single working week.The system also ensures high knockdown rates, requires low RNA concentration and exhibits very low toxicity, enabling it to be used for all cell lines and primary cells.

We are excited to announce that SABio will be among exhibitors at Biopharma Asia Convention 2014, which will take place in March 10-13, 2014 at Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre. The 7th annual BioPharma Asia Convention is the leading event for Asia's biopharma industry. Bringing together decision makers and influencers from pharma, biotech, academia, CROs and CMOs it delivers an unparalleled opportunity to convene, network and deliberate.

We invite you to stop by SABio's booth C40, which will be located in the Ruby area. Furthermore, SABio will present a poster on its ongoing R&D projects in the poster exhibit area. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Last week we commemorated the relocation of SABio laboratories to NTU Innovation Centre. The event to mark this occasion, RNAi Scientific Session, was held on November 6, 2013, and was attended by scientists, researchers and technopreneurs from NTU and other Singapore universities. A talk about RNAi, its applications and methodology was given by Prof. Mariano Garcia-Blanco, an internationally renowned expert in RNA biology.

SABio team thanks all the participants for making this event a success. Our thanks also goes to Genewired team, whose members attended our event. Recent relocation of SABio laboratories to NTU has been featured on Genewired.

It has been nearly two months since SABio relocated to the vibrant and welcoming research community at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) campus. To commemorate the occasion, we are organising a scientific session dedicated to RNA Interference (RNAi), to which you are cordially invited.

A talk, titled "RNA Interference, a Powerful Tool to Investigate Gene Function (Caution: Like All Powerful Methods, It Must Be Handled with Care)" will be given by Prof. Mariano Garcia-Blanco, a world-renowned expert in RNA biology. Prof. Garcia-Blanco is Director at Duke Center for RNA Biology, Duke University, USA; Charles D. Watts Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, USA; Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for European Alternative Splicing Network of Excellence, the International Centre of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council (USA), and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The talk will address:

• RNAi background, applications and methodology
• How to use RNAi in reductionist experiments & en masse
• Method concerns and limitations and how these can be assuaged

To attend, please register here. We are looking forward to seeing you at the event!

We are excited to announce that effective September 1, 2013, SABio opened its new laboratory and office at the Innovation Centre at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). We are looking forward to further growing in the vibrant Innovation Centre incubator environment with ample possibilities for interactions with innovative biotech, medtech, engineering and IT companies started by NTU students.

Since relocation, we have closed our former lab at SingHealth Research Facilities at Outram Park. We will warmly remember our stay at the SingHealth lab, where SABio has matured into a  reputable home-grown biologic reagents producer. SABio  started its operations there 2.5 years ago, and our first products were synthetic oligonucleotides and siRNA, which were beta-tested by SingHealth and  Duke-NUS laboratories. They later became loyal and supportive customers. SABio has also further expanded its biologics offerings by introducing catalogue antibodies, custom antibody production services, and synthetic peptides. The RNA product spectrum has also grown, as new products and custom protocols were developed by our R&D team. 
 
Upon relocation to NTU, SABio continues its R&D projects in RNA and antibody field incepted over the last two years, and is constantly on a look out for new opportunities to grow its innovations, technology and business. Here at NTU we foresee further opportunities for collaborations and partnerships, while will continue fostering valuable relationships we developed during our stay at the vicinity of SingHealth, NCCS, and Duke-NUS.

SABio has recently launched several ready-to-use RNA ladders that can be used as size markers in various gels:

• microRNA (miRNA) Marker - a set of three synthetic single-stranded RNA oligonucleotides (17, 21 and 25 residues long) supplied in a loading buffer.


• siRNA Marker - a set of three synthetic double-stranded RNA oligonucleotides (17, 21 and 25 base pairs long) supplied in a loading buffer.

As with other products from our catalogue, we promise free 24 hours delivery in Singapore. Contact us atorders@sabio.com.sg for quotations and ordering!

We offer:

• Standard 5-30-mer peptides
• Longer (>30aa) peptides
• Amounts from milligrams to grams
• Purity level of your choice – from crude to >98%
• Variety of modifications (N-, C-terminal, intra-sequence, special amino acids etc.)
• Mass spectral analysis and HPLC tracing reports included with each order
• Competitive pricing & volume discounts for large orders

“Kristina’s demonstrated success in engaging critical stakeholders of the companies where she has worked and her focused leadership style will be critical as we work to grow SABio and bring its products to the market” said Mr Damien Lim, General Partner of BioVeda Capital and a member of the SABio board.

Said Dr. Rutkute, “I look forward to lead and continue to grow SABio into a profitable company that can serve the biologics needs of the research communities in the universities, research institutes, academic medicine centers of public hospitals and biotech/pharmaceutical companies in Singapore and the region.”

Dr. Rutkute was previously with Acumen Research Laboratories, and the Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology at A*STAR.  She received her B.Sc in Biochemistry and a M.Sc in Medical Biology from Vilnius University, Lithuania, and a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, USA.

SABio is hiring!

We are looking for:

• Scientist/Senior Scientist
  
• Research Assistant
  
• Sales & Marketing Executive
  
• 
  

Read the job descriptions on our Career page and send your CV to careers@sabio.com.sg if you are eager to join our team!

SABio’s founder A/Prof. Subhash Vasudevan (Duke-NUS), who researched Celgosivir since 2007 as a means to fight dengue, was one of the initiators of the trial. The drug was initially developed for other infectious diseases like HIV, and was not used to treat dengue fever until now. “We are taking an old drug and asking if there is a new use for it,” said A/Prof. Subhash Vasudevan . “There are no antiviral drugs ready to go into clinical trials against dengue at this point, except for this one”.

Pending the outcome of clinical trials, Celgosivir may become the world’s first drug to treat dengue fever. Currently, only  supportive treatment is available for dengue. About 5,330 dengue cases were reported in Singapore last year, and up to 100 million people are infected annually worldwide.

More information about CELADEN clinical trial can be found at www.celaden.sg .