IN A BID to boost adoption of its next-generation mass spectrometry technology, AB Sciex has launched a bundled package of instruments plus software, training, standards, and validation services. The Accelerated Lab Integration Package is launched to coincide with the launch…
Transfection-free labelling for direct organelle visualisation
AN EASY method of labelling cellular structures without transfection agents is now available from Amsbio. The company says its lentiviral particles allow the direct visualisation of organelles and other internal cell structures, without manipulation. Real-time visualisation conventionally requires the use…
More efficient collagen coating of plates and flasks
A REGULAR but tedious task in many laboratories is the coating of disposable items of labware with extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen or fibronectin before performing cell culture operations. Now an application note from Integra Biosciences demonstrates how this…
Arbitrary polarisation control added to nanoscale IR spectroscope
IN THE quest to develop new high-performance polymers, one area of interest is to consider the orientation of the material at a molecular level. Speaking at Pittcon 2012 in Orlando, Florida, this week, Professor Bruce Chase of the University of…
Mass spectrometer is workhorse for routine operations
THE BEST-selling LC/MS/MS in history is how AB Sciex describes its API 4000, and so creating a replacement instrument is clearly not something to be undertaken lightly. The new 4500 series, unveiled this week at Pittcon 2012, is intended as…
Flow calorimetry from tiny samples for rapid enzyme screening
A LOW-COST flow calorimeter which characterises enzymes in just a few minutes, using samples measured in microlitres, is now available from TTP LabTech. ChipCal takes only two to ten minutes to process samples, making high-throughput screening of enzymes a viable…
Microarrrays target key cancer predictors
THE FIRST in a new line of cancer research microarrays from Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) promises confident detection of copy number variation (CNV) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on a single chip. The CytoSure Haematological Cancer +SNP array is used…
Weekly newsletter: blessed are the geeks, for they shall inherit the micropledge
IN THESE times of austerity, raising funds for scientific research is becoming quite a challenge. The regular channels – public agencies, universities, and private sector sponsors – are all having to trim their spending, and meanwhile the shortage of commercial…
Viewing cabinet looks like USS Enterprise prop
IT’S NOT exactly a case of life imitating art, but this laboratory viewing cabinet looks just like the thing Mr Spock spent many hours peering into. A couple of weeks ago we made a light-hearted photomontage of the life of…
Acronym of the week
WE’RE all used to seeing acronyms and abbreviations used – and sometimes abused – in the names of items of lab equipment and the names of scientific instrument companies. Sometimes these are quite clever, and make us smile. Sometimes they…
Centrifuge tubes for one-handed operation
THE HUMBLE centrifuge tube has to be strong enough to withstand the high g-forces it is subject to, while remaining resistant to the chemicals it holds and being able to be effectively sterilised. Now Porvair has introduced a new range…
Transilluminator for safe blue light imaging of fluorescent DNA gels
SYNGENE’s latest gel transilluminator is equipped with two banks of LEDs to provide excitation at the mid-blue wavelength of 470nm, making it suitable for use with the latest non-toxic DNA stains. The UltraBright-LED is described as a new generation of…
A new biomedical picture, every day
WE’VE been watching with interest since the new Biomedical Picture of the Day website went live (in beta testing, strictly speaking) a couple of months ago. Known as BPoD, the site is managed by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC)…
Confocal scope has evolved for live cell imaging
SINCE launching its C2 entry-level confocal microscope last year, Nikon reports increasing demand from users for a live-cell imaging version. This it has now provided, in the form of the C2 plus. This enhanced instrument has scanning speeds more than…
Elisa screens meat samples for colistin
COLISTIN, or polymyxin E, is a cationic lipopeptide antibiotic which is effective against most Gram-negative bacilli, but its use is restricted in the EU and Japan and therefore food of animal origin should normally be tested for colistin residues. The…
LC detector delivers thirty times the range and sensitivity
THE LATEST diode array detector for liquid chromatography from Agilent delivers 30 times more sensitivity and 30 times more range in linear UV than previous detectors, the company says. This makes 1200 Infinity Series equipped with the high dynamic range diode…
Night flight from orbit: incredible video from the ISS
HANDS up those of you who wanted to be an astronaut, or who still do. Yep, me too. While we wait for our respective national space agencies to finally identify us as the people they really need to send on…
Safe ergonomic storage of cryo tubes
A NEW storage rack for Thermo Fisher 2ml and 5ml Nunc Cryobank tubes rack is suitable for use with both manual pipetting and robotic systems, thanks to its removable lid. The company says that other racks usually lock into place,…
High-throughput amplicon resequencing by custom assay
FAST, simple, and inexpensive preparation of up to 480 amplicons per sample is the claim made by Fluidigm for its Access Array Target-Specific Primers, when used with its Access Array system. “Access Array enables researchers to amplify their specific target…
2012 webinar programme covers material characterisation
MALVERN has announced its programme of web-based training seminars – webinars – for 2012. Delivered in a number of languages, these ‘masterclass’ sessions cover a wide range of material characterisation issues, appropriate for beginners and experienced users alike working across…
Fastcam delivers high-quality slo-mo
PHOTRON’s new Fastcam SA7 has been designed around the needs of high speed imaging applications such as automobile safety testing, and can record high-resolution video frames at up to 3500 frames per second (fps). Employing a specialist CMOS sensor recording…
Polycarbonate electrodes to premiere at Pittcon 2012
A NEW range of rugged polycarbonate bodied 12mm electrodes for pH and ORP measurement will be shown for the first time at Pittcon 2012. Intended for general laboratory operations, the S150C and S151C-ORP electrodes from Sensorex are suitable for use…
Consumable cell products on sale at online store
A RANGE of cells and culture media for cell-based research is now available from Medicyte’s online shop. The company says this new web presence allows customers from the pharmaceutical, chemical, and cosmetics industries to order various cell products and other…
LabHomepage weekly news, 2 March 2012: instruments and alphabet soup
IN THE arms race that defines the chromatography market, each new iteration of instrument technology brings with it the need for new terminology. Back in the dark ages, we may have divided chromatography into simply ‘gas’ and ‘liquid’ methods, but…
Benchtop laser brings SERDS into the lab
We’re used to hearing about laboratories being populated by nerds, but Laser Components wants to see SERDS making its presence felt. Shifted Excitation Raman Differential Spectroscopy, SERDS, is a technique in which two Raman spectra generated by slightly different excitation…
Host-cell DNA clearance process now automated
A NEW automated process for the clearance of host-cell DNA promises higher recovery rates and highly sensitive qPCR. In the manufacture of therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies, the clearance of host cell DNA is a vital process for product safety.…
Rapid forensic assessment of glass trace evidence
DETERMINING the refractive index of glass fragments for forensic purposes is about to become faster and easier, says Craic Technologies, with the launch of its rIQ microspectrophotometry system. Glass particles are common at crime scenes, the company notes, and forensic…
How to determine CHN in volatile samples
A KEY factor in predicting the performance of petroleum fuels and lubricants is the percentage of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen (CHN) they contain. However, the volatile nature of these materials means that conventional elemental analysis is difficult to carry out.…
HPLC with added supercriticality
A NEW hybrid ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) launched by Agilent Technologies is the first to incorporate supercritical fluid chromatography capabilities. The 1260 Infinity Hybrid SFC/UHPLC system allows the researcher to select the most suitable separation method for the sample…
Powder rheometer gets updated software
BROOKFIELD Engineering has updated the software for its Powder Flow Tester powder rheometer, used to determine material characteristics in industrial and laboratory operations. Powder Flow Pro v1.2 includes two new features, designed to improve the usefulness of the information generated…