Month: November 2012

Assay kit gives rapid fructose determination

A NEW enzyme-based test to determine fructose in food and fermentation samples gives a result in only 15 minutes, says Bioo Scientific. The MaxSignal Fructose assay kit is described as a flexible format assay that uses a well-known enzymatic reaction…

Caption competition: microscope makes student sad

  THIS picture was sent to us by Meiji Techno, which has just commissioned a new suite of 365 microscopes at the University of Liverpool, UK. The university’s new central teaching laboratory was opened last month, October 2012, just in…

Better cell growth on these microplates

THE LARGE surface area of each well on the Krystal 24 microplate enables ‘unmatched’ cell growth, says Porvair Sciences. Each well holds a volume of 3.1ml, giving a large surface area, and the microplates are tissue culture treated to ensure…

Evaporator offers economy for small volume work

A NEW low cost, small volume evaporator for synthetic and medicinal chemists has been launched by KD Scientific.  The Centrifan PE dries solvents directly in the vial, which the company says increases evaporation efficiency. Many of the problems associated with alternative…

New association for UK lab managers

TRADE association for the instrumentation sector in the UK, Gambica, is in the process of launching a spin-off association for laboratory managers. The British Laboratory Managers Association, BLMA, is likely to have its first meeting in the spring of 2013,…

Light-scattering detectors ‘out-perform the opposition’

TWO NEW evaporative light-scattering detectors for liquid chromatography will deliver more sensitivity, higher efficiency, and better reproducibility that any alternative currently available, says Agilent. Promising up to nine times the sensitivity of rival detectors, the 1290 and 1260 Infinity evaporative…

Agilent offers lifeline to Nimblegen users (updated)

THE PHASING-out of Nimblegen arrays and associated services by Roche need not leave researchers in the lurch, says Agilent, as they can ‘transition immediately’ to very similar Agilent products. Whether third-party products might also be used is unclear, although LabHomepage…

How to avoid disaster on a Lims project

ACCORDING to John Boother, founder and CEO of Laboratory Information Management System (Lims) provider Autoscribe, many projects to implement a Lims collapse or fail because of inadequate planning. “Projects frequently go over budget or incur additional costs such as IT…