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…
Faster sample preparation after accelerated solvent extraction
ACCELERATED solvent extraction (ASE) is a well-known method to greatly speed up the concentration of semi-solid and solid samples by employing elevated temperatures and pressures to remove solvents more quickly than would otherwise be possible. Genevac has now launched a…
Sharp deals available on diamond knives
MARKING a new distribution arrangement with diamond knife manufacturer Diatome, Agar Scientific is offering a range of deals on ultra-sharp diamond knives. As well as what it promises are attractive prices on new knives, Agar will take trade-in diamond knives…
Black microplates protect samples from light
LIGHT-sensitive samples present a particular problem in the laboratory, as photon-induced degradation can occur almost anywhere. Porvair says its high quality black microplates offer protection against light-induced sample degradation, even over long periods. These black microplates are made from an…
Are you taking the pee?
IF SO, Medline Scientific offers a range of scientific urine collection kits which it says includes all the components necessary for safe and hygienic specimen collection and handling. These CE and IVD approved kits are available with or without boric…
Raman microspectroscope with multiple laser colours
CRAIC Technologies has added further laser wavelengths to its Apollo Raman microspectrometer, with blue, green, red, and infrared now available. Used in conjunction with a light microscope, the Craic Apollo measures Raman spectra from samples or selected areas of large…
Liquid handling automation now integrated with sample prep
DESCRIBED as a ‘game-changing’ development in laboratory automation, Agilent’s new Encore Multispan liquid handling system combines multispan pipetting with a robotic arm to deliver what the company promises will be a new level of productivity and throughput. The system should…
Software automates materialographic identification
THE NEWEST version of Olympus’s materials science microscopy imaging software, Stream 1.8, provides new features to integrate and automate materialographic workflows. These include the automation of a multiple stage location engine, extended data management, and new additions to optional extensions.…
Zebrafish image scores Nikon prize
THE WINNING image in the 2012 Nikon Small World photomicrography competition is an image of the blood-brain barrier in a live zebrafish embryo, submitted by Dr Jennifer Peters and Dr Michael Taylor of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This is…
weekly news: Going supersonic by unconventional methods
I’VE NEVER had the experience of going supersonic, but have recently been considering two of the less usual methods of doing so. Given the chance, I’m not sure which I’d have a go at first. The simple method is that…
New sorting cytometer from Bio-Rad
EAGER to launch a new cell sorting system for smaller laboratories and those seeking to offer cell sorting to individual researchers, Bio-Rad will launch its S3 cell sorter in January 2013. This is a rebadged system from Propel Labs, which…
Alphanumeric storage tubes are laser-etched
NEW range of sample storage tubes from Micronic have their alphanumeric codes permanently etched by laser for long-term legibility. Available in 0.5ml, 0.75ml, 1.1ml, and 1.4ml volumes, the tubes are manufactured from a single component and have a flat polypropylene…
How to engineer surfaces for specific cell adhesion properties
A NEW mimetic library of extracellular matrices has been launched by Amsbio. Including almost 300 biomimetics of fibronectin, vitronectin, laminin, and collagen, the new extracellular matrix (ECM) library should prove useful for engineering the surfaces of plates or scaffolds to achieve…
Lims designed to keep IT managers happy
Autoscribe says the latest version of its Matrix Gemini laboratory information management system (Lims) provides flexibility within a framework that will satisfy IT managers. Matrix Gemini is an application for 32 or 64 bit platforms, designed specifically for Windows and…
Analysing cell fermentation in high-throughput applications
ROCHE says its new Cedex Bio HT analyser gives highly reliable determination of metabolites and substrates in mammalian and microbial cell fermentation. The system delivers precise analytics, it says, to allow flexible adaption of additional test menus, and can process…
Free molecular modelling software
JUST DAYS after launching its TorchV10 molecular modelling software, Cresset has released a free version. Offering 3D molecular viewing, sketching, and editing, TorchV10lite is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. The software works with 2D and 3D structures, displaying the…
Alliance to tackle lipidomics research
TWO LEADING suppliers of analytical tools to laboratories worldwide have announced a new alliance to offer complementary technologies which they hope will help clinical researchers boost lipidomics research. By integrating their systems, Agilent Technologies and Premier Biosoft say they hope…
Next-generation molecular design on the desktop
MOLECULAR design on the desktop is the promise of TorchV10, described as a next-generation software tool for medicinal chemists. Offering molecule design and 3D SAR (structure-activity relationship) modelling, the package allows molecule properties to be visualised and modified easily, says…
Comprehensive range of ready-to-use RNAs
AMSBIO’s range of ready-to-use RNA samples now includes mRNA / microRNA tissue preparations, plus RNAs from a number of stages of mouse and rat development. The company has generated over 4000 RNAs in total, ready for immediate shipment to the…
Spectrometer ‘will transform’ EMR teaching
THE LAUNCH of the AffirmoEX electron magnetic resonance (EMR) system will regenerate the teaching of EMR in universities and colleges, says Oxford Instruments. The company has developed and customised this compact benchtop spectrometer, and is introducing it along with a…
Extract nucleic acid automatically with this workstation
THE NEW Thermo Scientific Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction WorkStation offers consistent, high-speed purifications by combining several Thermo Fisher tools into one turnkey package. Thermo says the workstation enables users to process samples from virtually any source, providing cost- and time-effective…
Widest mouth of any autosampler vial
THE VASE-like neck of JG Finneran’s Versa Vial has a 9mm opening, which the company says is the largest for any autosampler vial. This design makes it easier to add samples to vials by pipette, and safer to empty. The…
When should you use radiation resistant lenses?
CONVENTIONAL optical elements like lenses and prisms can suffer from degradation when exposed to high energy radiation, with the glass they are made from gradually turning brown or grey in colour, reducing their optical transmittance. These ‘browning’ issues may be…
Low cost analysers for diabetes and ketosis
TWO new low-cost point-of-care (POC) analysers, for diabetes management and ketosis testing, will be introduced at November’s Medica exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany, by EKF Diagnostics. The show will see the European launch of the Quo-Lab glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) analyser for…
Weekly news: For whom the Nobel tolls?
DOES anybody still place any importance on the Nobel Peace Prize, or has this once-prestigious award finally made a mockery of itself one time too many? In the world of science, in the public eye at least, no accolade has…
Haematology analyser wins FDA approval
A FULLY automated bench-top haematology analyser from Diatron, the Abacus 3CP, has gained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It now joins the company’s flagship Abacus 5 with what is known technically as 510(k) pre-market approval. The…
Intelligent pipetting for every laboratory
EPPENDORF’s new Xplorer Plus electronic pipette incorporates a number of ‘intelligent’ functions to improve the simplicity, precision and reproducibility of liquid handling in the laboratory. Specifically designed for work involving complex or long pipetting series, and requiring the exact setting of…
Flow chemistry reactors ‘are better than batch’
FLOWSYN integrated flow reactor systems from Uniqsis are designed to exploit the many advantages of flow chemistry in micro-reactors over batch chemistry operations. Flow chemistry offers better reproducibility and scalability, improved yields and fewer problems with unstable intermediates or exothermic…
Raman spectrometers made more affordable
SMALLER than its predecessors, the new Advantage series of Raman spectrometers from DeltaNu, available from Analytik, promise high performance at lower cost for academic and industrial markets. Advantage series instruments are suited to the analysis of solutions, gels, powders and…