CRESSET has relaunched its FieldScreen system for ligand based virtual screening as Blazev10. This software uses the shape and electrostatic character of known ligands to search large chemical collections for molecules with similar properties, in order to return diverse new…
Endotoxin assay uses no animal material
A HOMOGENEOUS fluorescence microplate assay using recombinant Factor C derived from horseshoe crab, for measuring endotoxin (Lipopolysaccharides, LPS) in pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical equipment, has been launched by Hyglos. The EndoZyme assay exploits pioneering work published by Japanese researchers working…
Microplate evaporator for Pittcon preview
A NEW microplate evaporator from Porvair Sciences will be shown to the public for the first time at Pittcon 2013. The new UltraVap Mistral (pictured) is the latest version of the company’s popular UltraVap sample concentrator, promising even easier integration…
Rotors to make centrifuges work harder
A RANGE of four new rotors promise to make Eppendorf’s 5804 and 5810 centrifuges more productive than ever. Already known as the ‘workhorses’ of company’s range, the new rotors increase the capacity of the machines, also offering savings in running…
Wireless datalogger promises precise temperature and humidity recording
THE LATEST model in TandD’s RTR-500 datalogger series, the RTR-507/507L, provides automatic logging of temperature from -30 to +80C and humidity from 0 to 99%RH. Humidity measurement accuracy is said to be +/-2.5%. Used with a RTR-500 base unit, the…
Weekly news: Cooler than cool is the hottest news this week
THERE’S no doubt in my mind about the, erm, hottest story in science this week – although I have already given up hope of ever properly understanding it. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany,…
Gas-liquid reactor gives continuous-flow carbonylation
A NEW approach to gas/liquid reactions has resulted in a protocol to reproducibly perform carbonylation chemistry under continuous flow through conditions. Using a Uniqsis GAM II gas-liquid reactor, laboratory scientists at Sygnature Discovery in Nottingham, UK, developed the method to…
Microplate dispenser is ‘world’s most precise’
DISPENSING precise volumes of fluids into microplates can be a critical factor in many laboratory operations, and plenty of manufacturers of lab automation systems take pride in the accuracy of their equipment. Redd&Whyte reckons its Preddator liquid handling system is…
Secure data management for smaller chromatography labs
MOST commercially-available laboratory data management systems are aimed at larger labs, says Agilent, announcing the launch of OpenLab Data Store with Lab Applications which is targeted at smaller chromatography laboratories. The package provides secure central storage of data produced by…
Controlling temperature during live-cell imaging
A CONSTANT concern when imaging live cells in the laboratory is maintaining a survivable environment for the microscopic subjects. Now Okolab has introduced its T Plates to provide a steady temperature on the microscope stage. Said to be compatible with any…
Tailored automation of PCR setup and nucleic acid purification
THE LATEST Eppendorf automated pipetting systems are, says the company, uniquely tailored for PCR setup and nucleic acid purification. The EPMotion P5073 and M5073 simplify othwerwise complex and labour-intensive pipetting jobs, promising to save time and improve the reliability and…
3D cell building scaffold now shipping
THE FIRST commercial shipments of Alvetex Scaffold 96 well plates, which facilitate the growth of cell structures in 3D, were made in mid-December 2012 says Reinnervate. “The pent-up demand for Alvetex Scaffold in a 96 well format meant we immediately…
384 channel pipette set for SLAS 2013 launch
INTEGRA has chosen the annual meeting of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) to launch its new 384-channel handheld electronic pipette. Capable of both 96- and 384-channel pipetting, the new Viaflo 384 is said to be ideal for…
Darkfield illumination now possible on virtual slide imaging
OLYMPUS says its new VS120 virtual slide microscope system is the only microscope-based virtual slide system to offer darkfield illumination. This novel whole slide imaging system also offers brightfield and fluorescence illumination. Darkfield imaging is favoured in situations where the…
Streamlining pathology sample handling in UK hospital labs
NEW SOFTWARE to improve the way samples are handled in pathology laboratories is about to be tested in the UK. The new Automated Sample Receipting (ASR) system has been developed by InterSystems for its Ensemble platform, and is to be…
Spheroids make better models when assessing cancer cell invasion
AMSBIO says there is a growing need for more complete and physiologically predictive cancer invasion models, and so has launched its new 3D Culture 96-Well BME cell invasion assay to address this. The BME (basement membrane extract) assay offers a…
Randox lab tests blog gets makeover
RANDOX has unveiled the new design of its popular Lab Tests blog, which provides a useful resource for professionals to learn about the company’s innovations as well as relevant diagnostics research and industry news. The blog was created to act…
Weekly news: the power of scientific video
I’VE ALWAYS been a sucker for scientific imaging competitions, which is just as well as this seems to be one of the main growth areas in science today. Every month seems to bring along a new competition for scientists to…
Continuous flow reactions made easier for simplified chemical synthesis
SYNTHESIS capabilities in the laboratory can be improved using a new range of modular flow systems based on the Binary Pump Module (BPM) and FlowSyn flow reactor from Uniqsis, says the company. The original FlowSyn flow reactor is described as…
Malvern opens São Paulo applications lab
MATERIALS characterisation instrument maker Malvern Instruments has opened a new applications and demonstration laboratory in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The new laboratory, located within the existing premises of its parent company Spectris, provides support to customers and joins the group’s other…
Bio-Rad closes deal to buy AbD Serotec
BIO-RAD Laboratories has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AbD Serotec, a supplier of antibodies and reagents, from MorphoSys, for €53 million (about US$70 million) in cash. The transaction is expected to be completed in January 2013. “We are impressed with…
Turbomolecular vacuum pump improves lab efficiency
THE FIRST in a new series of high performance turbomolecular vacuum pumps from Agilent, the TwisTorr 304 FS, has applications in analytical instrumentation, research programmes, and the semiconductor and nanotechnology sectors. TwisTorr 304 FS features a novel type of floating…
Extract more data from microplate analysis
MOLECULAR Devices’s SoftMax Pro data acquisition software has been updated to smooth the acquisition and analysis of experimental data from microplate readers, especially in regulated environments. SoftMax Pro 6 GxP is said to make it easy to upgrade from previous…
Lonza cell culture media added to Sartorius portfolio
SARTORIUS Stedim Biotech (SSB) is taking over the global sales and marketing of Swiss company Lonza’s cell culture media and buffers used in the manufacture of protein-based therapeutics and vaccines. As part of the same agreement announced today, Lonza is…
Better temperature control means better viscometry results
THE LATEST addition to RheoSense’s VROC (viscometer/rheometer-on-a-chip) family, the Microvisc TC, provides precise temperature control for the handheld Microvisc viscometer. Temperature dependence is one of the most important factors in determining viscosity, and a tiny variation can generate significantly errors…
Detection time for mycoplasma reduced from a month to a day with PCR test
ROCHE reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the use of the Roche MycoTool PCR-based mycoplasma detection test for release testing of one of the company’s biopharmaceutical products. This makes MycoTool the first commercially-available mycoplasma polymerase…
Microscope imaging software ‘breaks the limits’ of resolution
THE LATEST release of MetaMorph software from Molecular Devices enables the online microscopic analysis of cell compartments at nanometre scale, boosting resolution by a factor of more than ten, the company says. In conventional light microscopy, images of biological details…
Nucleation technology can be retrofitted to freeze dryers
SP SCIENTIFIC says that its ControLyo nucleation on-demand technology can now be retrofitted to a wide range of production freeze dryers. The technology was originally developed and patented by Praxair, and licensed by SP for use on development freeze dryers…
Rotifer video scoops Bioscapes microscopy imaging competition
THE 2012 Olympus Bioscapes microphotography competition has been won by a video showing the feeding habits of freshwater rotifers. The video was made by Ralph Grimm, a teacher from Jimboomba, Australia, who beat off stiff competition from over 2000 entries.…
Weekly news: the science of seasonal spending
IT CANNOT have escaped your attention that, here in the western world at least, we are currently in the middle of the annual panic-inducing spendfest we call Christmas. The wallet-emptying season seems to start earlier each year, presaged by the…