AGILENT Technologies has released version 12.0 of GeneSpring, its bioinformatics software, with new capabilities for the analysis of next-generation sequencing data and the facility to work across for transcriptomic, metabolomics, and proteomic platforms – or as Agilent describes it, ‘multi-omics’.…
Hunting down nano particles in the wild
A NEW project to develop instruments to detect and classify nanoparticles in the environment has been launched under FP7, the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme. The Smart-Nano project is coordinated by the Swiss Electronic and Microtechnology Centre (Centre Suisse d’Electronique…
Autosampler accessory streamlines IC workflows
BY AUTOMATING inline pre-injection measurements of conductivity and pH, the Dionex AS-AP Sample Conductivity and pH Accessory from Thermo Fisher Scientific will save users substantial time and effort, as well as providing more consistent results than manual methods, the company…
Lab life, in cartoon motion
HATS off to Life Techologies, for the latest in its excellent series of promotional videos. The tale of PhDiva and the Mystery Band has just been released on YouTube, and has already scored a few thousand views. This clever animation…
Aluminium microplate gives better heat transfer
THE PLASTIC microplate is such a standard feature of the modern laboratory that the advantages of other materials for specific applications might be forgotten. JG Finneran says its 96-well aluminium microplates are the preferred choice for lab work where uniform…
Monoclonal antibodies target Herceptin
LATEST addition to the range of anti-idiotypic antibodies from AbD Serotec are used to target Herceptin (Trastuzumab), an anti-cancer drug. The six new antibodies are useful for monitoring patient serum for Herceptin levels, and have potential applications in preclinical research.…
Keynote speakers announced for second SLAS conference
NOBEL winner Harry Kroto joins biomedical engineer Mehmet Toner and TV journalist Charles Sabine as a keynote speaker for the second annual conference and exhibition of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS), to be held 12-16 January 2013…
Hardness testing machine spurs lab enlargement
SIGNIFICANT investment at Keighley Laboratories led the company to expand its test house facilities to accommodate a new automatic hardness tester. Such is the footprint of the machine, a Zwick Roell ZHV-10 automatic micro and macro hardness tester supplied by…
Weekly news: the staggering speed of R&D decision making
HERE in the UK, we have been enduring the annual round of misery known as Budget Day. Along with the inescapable increases in taxes for anybody that drinks, smokes, drives, or for that matter breathes, these austere times also bring…
How to evaporate solvents from DNA and other specimens
THE REMOVAL of water and organic solvents from samples of DNA, RNA, and other biological specimens is a slightly more delicate task than the average laboratory evaporation procedure. Samples are typically of low volume and are heat-sensitive, and so may…
Syringe filters promise better sample prep
A REVAMPED range of single-use syringe filters from Thermo Fisher should make sample preparation in the laboratory more reliable process. Previously known as the Sun-Sri Titan2 and National Scientific Target ranges, the new Titan3 and Target2 filter ranges have been…
HIV research pioneer is keynote speaker at xMap 2012
LUMINEX has announced the first details of its 2012 Planet xMap symposium, the tenth in the series. Dr Jean William Pape, director and founder of the Gheskio Centres in Haiti, will deliver a keynote presentation at the event, held 10-11…
UV transilluminator needs little space
SPACE on the lab bench seems to always be at a premium, and as a result many equipment manufacturers promote their products on their small physical size. Latest to join the trend is UVMan, which says its Slimline UV Transilluminator…
Nanotech meets biotech at Nano4Life 2012 event
THE SPEAKER line-up for the annual one-day Nano4Life conference and exhibition, being held on 17 April 2012, has been confirmed. Hosted at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, UK, on 17 April 2012, this fourth event in the series sees presentations in four…
Shields up! Protect your optics from laser debris
PLACING anything in the path of a high-power laser presents certain risks, and that includes the expensive optics that are part of the experiment. While these may not be damaged by the laser itself, they may be in the path…
Microarray combines aCGH probes with SNP content
THE LATEST addition to Oxford Gene Technology’s microarray range promises accurate and economical detection of copy number changes and loss of heterozygosity, all on a single array. The CytoSure ISCA +SNP combines array comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) probes with fully…
3D video microscopy using a single lens
THE FASHION for 3D presentations in cinema may be waning, but in the laboratory sector there remains much excitement about the possibilities presented by the technology. Today sees the announcement of a deal between Toshiba Imaging and ISee3D, a Canadian…
Seminars address EU Water Framework Directive
A SERIES of seminars being held in European cities in 2012 will focus on the EU Water Framework Directive and the recent changes it has made to regulations covering water analysis across the continent. These have important ramifications for laboratories…
StarDrop now interfaces with FieldAlign
EARLIER this year, Optibrium and Cresset announced a ‘technology exchange’, which has now manifested in the first practical collaboration between the companies. The latest version of Optibrium’s compound identification software, StarDrop 5.2, includes a module to access Cresset’s 3D compound…
Handbook details scanning probe microscopy accessories
A NEW catalogue of accessories for its scanning probe microscopy (SPM) systems including the NanoWizard, ForceRobot, and CellHesion has been published by JPK Instruments. Available in printed and digital (PDF) form, the 20-page handbook shows how the modular approach followed…
Design a molecule, win an iPad
CAN YOU design a molecule biologically similar to, but not the same as, a specified reference compound? The task isn’t quite as easy as simply swapping an atom or two, as the newly-designed molecule must be synthetically tractable and drug-like,…
Faster tools for food safety and fish identification
A NEW project to verify the accuracy of food labelling, and to quickly identify strains of salmonella, will see Agilent Technologies develop new tests based on mass spectrometry and lab-on-chip techniques, under an agreement with the US Food and Drug…
Digital pathology software now includes stereology
GAINING valuable information about 3D features from 2D tissue sections makes stereology a valuable tool in the modern pathology laboratory. Now Definiens has expanded its software range with new stereological analysis methods. The latest release of its Tissue Studio histological…
Newsletter 16 March 2012: scientific journal favours pseudo-science
YOU don’t have to be psychic to share my delight at the publication of some ‘negative’ scientific results this week in PLoS One, the free-access online journal.There remains a bit of a stigma around so-called negative results, but as my…
Particle sizers get Analytica launch
FRITSCH is using Analytica 2012 to launch two new models in its Analysette range. The two new Analysette 28 particle analysers measure the shape and size of particles in powders and bulk solids, and in suspensions and emulsions. The Analysette…
You’ve heard of table dancing…?
NOVEL versions of the periodic table are everywhere these days, with Mendeleev’s grid being used to classify everything from social networks to bloggers, to comic books, and even heavy metal music. It’s all good pointless fun, and is something we…
Pulseless pumping proves vital for water contamination testing
AN AREA of growing interest for water suppliers is the removal of pesticides and other potentially harmful micropollutants from water being treated, but this presents an unusual challenge in the laboratory. Water being delivered to the rapid column test is…
Compact microplate sealer handles all types and sizes
SEALING microplates is an important but routine laboratory task, usually done through the use of a microplate sealer. Many of these tools, however, are large and expensive, and require both electrical power and compressed air. Porvair Sciences’s new MiniSeal Plus…
Bromodomains and profiling kits to boost drug discovery
AMSBIO says that bromodomains – protein domains containing about 110 amino acid units – are emerging as a new class of target for drug discovery research, alongside Histone deacetylase (HDAC) and histone acetyltransferase (HAT). Bromodomains – BRDs – are found…
Sequencing the genome of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
A REPORT this week from Madrid recounts the novel use of the latest genomic sequencing system to unravel some of the secrets of new strains of the bacterium of Klebsiella pneunomiae. Researchers at the University Hospital La Paz Research Institute…