Breaking News on Laboratory Equipment

Weighing cells in solution

A new tool to weigh and count individual cells could be used to directly detect pathogens, monitor cells during cell-divison, or count the CD4 cells used to follow the progression of AIDS.

e-Nose how to sniff the good from the bad

Alpha M.O.S. has recently released an update for its Fox electronic nose (e-Nose) to provide faster analytical analysis of samples in R&D, quality control (QC) and process monitoring settings.

Technology Focus

Microwave-assisted science

Microwave instruments have been speeding up chemical reactions for over 20 years and the uptake of the technology is now spreading into the bioscience sector as well.

Product news in brief

LabTechnologist.com brings you a round up of brings you a round up of some of the latest releases for use in pharmaceutical and life science laboratories from Agilent, Alligator Bioscience, Applied Biosystems, Beckmann Coulter, Eksigent, Illumina, Oxoid and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Searching the colon crypt for biomarkers

Researchers have provided the first online searchable high-resolution 2D proteome of the human colon crypt to provide a tool for other proteomics researchers looking for biomarkers and drug targets.

No need to bypass a full cardiac profile

Pharma firms can now follow US regulator's recommendations for testing the cardiac safety of drug candidates more fully - thanks to a new addition to Millipore's services.

'Embrace complexity' to enhance drug discovery

A Californian-based pharma firm has signalled that embracing the complexity of human biology is the key to success in a wide range of drug discovery processes.

Jeol puts viruses under the microscope

The ever increasing sales of high-voltage field emission Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEMs) highlights the growing importance of understanding structure-activity relationships in structural biology.

Freeman Technology wins Queen's Award

Freeman Technology has been awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise 2007 for Innovation and recognises the development, commercialisation and sales success of its FT4 Powder Rheometer.

Industry news in brief

LabTechnologist.com presents its periodic round up of recent industry news with new developments at Affymetrix, Agilent, Eksigent, NuGEN, PANalytical and Shimadzu Corporation.

BioFocus on a primary path to screening

BioFocus DPI is developing a drug screening service that will use primary cells in an attempt to improve pharma productivity, although first it must persuade the industry that the technique is reliable.

There's something fishy in the water

A new method to identify the extent of contamination of our waterways by pharmaceutical products has identified three products previously unknown to accumulate in fish.

ABI to speed up drug compound screening

Applied Biosystems (ABI) and MDS Analytical have released a first-of-its kind mass spectrometry (MS) platform that they claim will allow the pharmacokinetic analysis of drug libraries 25 times faster.

Product news in brief

LabTechnologist.com brings you a round up of some of the latest releases for use in pharmaceutical and life science laboratories.

Leading pharmaceutical news franchise expands into US

Decision News Media leads the field in Europe for online pharmaceutical technology news with its In-PharmaTechnologist.com, and now plans to repeat the trick on the other side of the Atlantic.

Reactions feel the pressure in enclosed spaces

A new high pressure microreactor has been developed that increases chemical reaction rates compared to conventional alternatives - potentially saving exploratory chemistry labs time and space.

deltaDOT's Peregrine preys on mass spec applications

UK company, deltaDOT is awaiting the completion of its second production run of its novel high-resolution molecular analyser - the Peregrine - with over half the batch already sold.

Industry news in brief

LabTechnologist.com presents its periodic round up of recent industry news with new developments at Agilent, Ciphergen, Illumina, Inverness, PerkinElmer and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Agilent launch first microarray assay for miRNA

The first commercially available microarray based assay for microRNA (miRNA) has been launched by Agilent to aid in drug discovery research programs.

Harnessing the therapeutic power of venom

A new peptide library could make it easier for drug developers to fully exploit the known therapeutic effects of venoms.

Charles River's mini-lab 'out of this world'

Charles River Laboratories' portable endotoxin testing system, the Endosafe PTS, has been successfully used to detect bacteria on the International Space Station (ISS).

Detecting the 'last gasp' of dying cells

The first steps to a new tool, which could revolutionise drug research, have been taken by researchers measuring the electrical equivalent of a cell's last gasp.

Mapping the proteome of atherosclerotic plaques

The first large scale proteomic map of atherosclerotic plaques using complimentary techniques has revealed proteins previously not associated with the lesions, providing several new potential drug targets.

Leveraging the detection of proteins to new limits

A new millimetre-sized cantilever biosensor has been developed that can detect cells and proteins at lower levels than ever before even under flow conditions, opening the way for new biomarker applications.

Product News in Brief

A round up of recent product releases from across the industry, including new offerings from ABI, Affymetrix, Agilent, Aspectrics, Bio-Rad, Millipore and Waters.

Jasco takes chromatography supercritical

A new range of preparative scale supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and extraction (SFE) products promises cheaper and faster separations and extractions.

US stem cell patents 'invalid'

An initial ruling on the validity of three key US stem cell patents could lead to human embryonic stem cells becoming cheaper and more accessible in the US.

Mar Cor buys dialysis water business from GE

Mar Cor Purification has bought GE Water and Process Technologies' dialysis water business for $30.6m (€22.8m) to become the largest provider of dialysis water in the US, and plans to expand their presence in industrial life science markets.

PerkinElmer buys imaging software specialist

PerkinElmer have continued to expand their cellular imaging portfolio with the acquisition of software company Improvision.

Industry News in Brief

A round up of recent industry news from Abbott Laboratories, Bio-Rad, Horiba, MDS Nordion, Nimblegen, Roche Diagnostics and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

On-line glucose measuring with Finesse

The first step towards true in-line glucose monitoring for cell culture bioprocesses has been made that will allow greater control over the bioprocess manufacturing.

Nonlinear Dynamics unfolds new proteomics strategy

A new range of software has been launched to provide researchers with tools to analyse multiple proteomics techniques and yield more complete data sets.

Amgen puts the brakes on Irish plant plans

US biotech Amgen has announced plans to delay construction of its major new manufacturing plant in Cork, Ireland.

Fragmenting bio-sugars yields sweet structural information

New research has shown that the application of a mass spectrometry technique to glyconconjugates could lead to a greater understanding of biological structures and their activity.

Roche expands antibody presence with THP purchase

Roche has continued its spring spending spree with the $56.5m (€42.2m) purchase of antibody research specialist Therapeutic Human Polyclonals (THP).

Covance takes biomarker biz further

Covance is seeing the high potential of the booming market for biomarkers and has decided to devote an entire expert team to support clients with biomarker-related services.

GE and BAC extend purification pact

GE Healthcare and the Bio Affinity Company (BAC) have extended their biopharmaceutical partnership to develop purification media for Factor VIII (FVIII) for the treatment of haemophilia A.

New home for the EU's pharmaceutical quality standards

The Council of Europe has inaugurated new premises for its European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) in Strasbourg.