WE’RE big fans of the wider open source movement, here at the LabHomepage, and are particularly interested to see it developing into the laboratory. Open source is an umbrella term covering everything from the way scientific research is published to the coding behind some smartphone apps, and the movement is now beginning to make its presence felt in lab technologies.
This week, even the BBC caught on to the phenomenon. A group of enthusiasts in the UK had pooled their resources to buy a PCR machine, as part of the Manchester Mad Lab project. This citizen science operation had imported an OpenPCR machine – an open source instrument that costs just $600, and was setting about using it to tinker with some biological building blocks.
The BBC coverage, mostly on the Radio 4 Today programme and also reflected on its news website, veered between faintly astonished praise for the fact that people are keen enough on science to join such a club, and faintly fretful concerns about the release of bioengineered organisms that would make a poor plot in a sci-fi novel.
Two things here are worthy of note. First is that the OpenPCR machine was created less than two years ago, and got off the ground through a successful crowdfunding exercise (regular readers will recall we discussed crowdfunding in this newsletter just a couple of weeks ago). Such was the enthusiasm for the idea, the project won twice the funding it sought in just six weeks.
Second is that, for the last decade or more, we’ve been led to expect huge changes from the biotechnology revolution – but so far, actually rather little has changed. The computer revolution of the 1970s came about mainly through motivated individuals tinkering in their garages and making the most of open source technologies, rather than the big corporations throwing billions at their R&D departments. Machines like OpenPCR, finance through crowdfunding, and movements like the Manchester Mad Lab might just be the way the biotech revolution finally happens.
I hope you find the LabHomepage website, and this weekly newsletter, useful. Comments and feedback are always welcome: thesecretlabproject@gmail.com. Please help us build our circulation base by forwarding this to any friends that might like it, and suggest they subscribe at http://eepurl.com/itOV2
best wishes
Russ Swan
editor, LabHomepage.com
This week’s top stories: 30 March 2012
1. Cell monitoring may replace animal tests
THE EUROPEAN Union’s Cosmetics Directive has effectively banned the use of animals for toxicity testing of cosmetic products and ingredients, coming into force in March 2009. However certain exceptions…
http://labhomepage.com/1334/assay/cell-monitoring-may-replace-animal-tests/
2. Bringing DNA diagnostics to the point of care
A NEW programme to bring a novel microfluidic DNA-based testing and diagnostics technology to point-of-care settings has been launched by a consortium of LingVitae, Plarion, and…
http://labhomepage.com/1341/diagnostic/bringing-dna-diagnostics-to-the-point-of-care/
3. 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…
http://labhomepage.com/1312/pcr/lab-life-in-cartoon-motion/
4. 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…
http://labhomepage.com/1324/particle-characterisation/hunting-down-nano-particles-in-the-wild/
5. 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…
http://labhomepage.com/1317/chromatography/autosampler-accessory-streamlines-ic-workflows/
6. 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…
http://labhomepage.com/1300/drug-development/monoclonal-antibodies-target-herceptin/
7. 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…
http://labhomepage.com/1286/materials/hardness-testing-machine-spurs-lab-enlargement/
8. Bioinformatics software analyses next-gen sequencing data
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,…
http://labhomepage.com/1329/proteomics/bioinformatics-software-analyses-next-gen-sequencing-data/
9. 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….
http://labhomepage.com/1305/labware/aluminium-microplate-gives-better-heat-transfer/
10. Mini-stirrer packs a stylish punch
STIRRING volumes of up to one litre at speeds between 350 and 2000rpm, the new SM5 Mini Stirrer from Stuart offers effective magnetic stirring in a small…
http://labhomepage.com/1354/sample-preparation/mini-stirrer-packs-a-stylish-punch/