THE ABSENCE of background glare proved a decisive factor when pie manufacturer Pukka Pies sought an improved colony counter for use at its microbiological laboratory in Leicester, UK. The Acolade colony counter from Synbiosis is used to count mixed colonies…
Month: April 2012
Delivering RNAi agents into myeloid and neuronal cells
TWO NEW proprietary transduction reagents offer the directed delivery of RNAi agents into myeloid cells and neuronal cell, both primary and in cell lines. MyeloAim and NeuroAim, available from Bioo Scientific, can transduce siRNA to targeted cells for efficient gene…
150,000 inorganic crystal structures this database
CLAIMING to be the world’s largest database of fully determined inorganic crystal structures, the ICSD (Inorganic Crystal Structure Database) now includes over 150,000 evaluated records. Produced by Fiz Karlsruhe in Germany and NIST (National Institute for Standards and Technology) in…
HPV panel streamlines assay qualification
THE NEW HPV Genotype Qualification Panel from Seracare has been launched in response to rising demand for HPV (human papillomavirus) assay qualification. “Increased awareness of the risks of human papillomavirus (HPV) has generated a need for accurate testing,” said Chris…
Portable NIR analysers promise more non-destructive power
THREE models of the ASD LabSpec 4 line of portable near-infrared (NIR) spectrometers are now available in the UK and Ireland, via distributor Analytik. These new instruments for the non-destructive analysis of materials feature improved optical design to give a…
Machine engineering at the genetic level
WE THINK of engineering as the creation of machines, while genetic engineering is the manipulation of genomes. These two disciplines come together in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGem) competition, which encourages students to exploit the growing power of biotechnology…
Assays promise a new approach to leukemia research
THE HIGH sensitivity detection of genetic variation in leukemia samples, made possible by the use of 454 sequencing via newly-released sequence-based assays, offers a new direction for cancer researchers says Roche. The company’s new GS GType Primer Sets allow the…
Faster access to pure chiral compounds with screening kits
ORGANIC chemists can expect fast and easy access to optically-pure chiral compounds from their racemic mixtures when using the new Maybridge Chiral Resolution Screening and Purification Kits, says Thermo Fisher. Under normal circumstance, it can take days or even weeks…
Antibodies for Ureaplasma parvum
Ureaplasma are very small free-living bacteria that, like the mycoplasmas, have no cell walls. Named for its metabolic utilisation of urea, it possesses a small simple genome. Ureaplasma parvum is the genus found in the human urogenital tract. Its presence has been associated with several conditions including urethritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, congenital pneumonia and neonatal meningitis. ViroStat introduces a set of new monoclonal antibodies to U parvum that have applications in Elisa and IFA.
Scientists stifled by Canadian government
ENACTING a policy that might seem more at home in North Korea, or in the darkest days of Soviet oppression, the Canadian government agency Environment Canada has issued instructions to its scientists attending an international polar research conference not to…