A COMPANY which offers bespoke microbiological testing has secured £100,000 investment.
Perfectus Biomed, based at Sci-Tech Daresbury, received £50,000 from The North West Fund for Biomedical, managed by SPARK Impact, and another £50,000 from venture capital company Midven. Perfectus Biomed specialises in the microbiological testing of biofilm encased bacteria. Persistent biofilm infections have been linked to chronic non-healing wounds, failed medical implants and catheter infections...
Preclinical program of translational research tasked with identifying new target proteins
Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) and the Curie Institute, through its Curie-Cancer partnership under the Institut Carnot label, today announce the establishment of a three-year research collaboration to identify new therapeutic targets for the development of treatments for ovarian cancer. The aim of the collaboration between Sanofi and Curie-Cancer is to revisit the basic biology of this type of cancer through a translational research approach...
Cemtec (Enns, Austria) a specialist provider of grinding technologies for the mining, mineral and cement industries, is using Insitec real-time particle sizing technology from Malvern Instruments to provide fully integrated, automated milling solutions that deliver high efficiency at competitive cost.
An exchange of equipment, between the two companies, has led to the installation of an Insitec system for the control of dry milling at Cemtec’s extensive pilot plant facility and now customers of both companies can see for themselves how real-time particle sizing can transform process performance. “Increasingly customers are looking for us to provide turnkey, often automated, milling circuits, rather than a stand alone mill,” said Mr Plochberger, Head of R&D and Process Technology at Cemtec...
Resolve Optics has supplied a high performance 8-channel optical module to Specialised Imaging (Tring, UK) to enable researchers to undertake UV imaging experiments at ultra high speed using their SIM ultra high-speed framing camera.
Using the new UV optical module and UV ICCD enables the SIM camera to optimally operate inthe 230-400nm region allowing scientists to study phenomena that emit ultraviolet radiation during the initial phase, such as corona from a pre-streamer in electrical discharge studies. Resolve Optics has a proven track record of developing state-of-the-art optical solutions that meet the highest standards and solve the most challenging problems for its customers...
In a new paper published in Polymers & Polymer Composites (Vol 21, No 1, 2013), researchers at Kingston University in the UK report the results of continuing work to examine the effects of gamma irradiation on intraocular lenses (IOLs) used in cataract surgery. Triple detection gel permeation chromatography (GPC) using the Viscotek TDAmax system from Malvern Instruments was a key analytical tool in this work.
Baljit Ghatora and co-authors examined medical grade poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), which is used especially widely in developing countries to make rigid intraocular lenses and for which low cost, convenient gamma irradiation is increasingly the preferred method for sterilisation. Previous reports have suggested that gamma irradiation has the potential to alter the structural features of the polymer, such as molecular weight and molecular size distribution, which in turn may impact the efficacy and performance of IOLs....
Read MorePfizer identifies Synexus' South African clinical research sites as INSPIRE sites - first in AfricaJun 28, 2013
Three of Synexus’ South African dedicated clinical research centres Stanza, Watermeyer and Nyeleti have been identified by Pfizer as meeting the exacting standards that the company demands to join a worldwide network of INSPIRE sites which must be both highly productive and effective.
INSPIRE, which stands for Investigator Networks, Site Partnerships and Infrastructure for Research Excellence, means that these sites have early access to Pfizer‘s portfolio data and advanced information regarding the clinical trials to be sponsored by Pfizer. They are also involved in publications in scientific journals, protocol design, advisory boards and the sharing of best practice across the INSPIRE network...
Vidyo Delivers High-End Scalability and Interoperability, Connecting over 600 Institutes and Universities Across 113 Countries Through Video Conferencing
Vidyo, Inc. today announced it was selected by CERN to support global, large-scale, real-time collaborative video conferencing among a community of 20,000 scientists from over 600 institutes collaborating with the European Organization for Nuclear Research. CERN’s Vidyo infrastructure has the scalability and capacity to hold collaboration sessions with hundreds of participants in a single video conference...
Market leaders in temperature controlled microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments report on the use of their dynamic MDSG600 stage for geological research at the Geological Survey of Finland.
Founded in 1886, the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) was created to promote the systematic and sustainable use of the Earth's resources through the production and dissemination of geological information to society. The GTK is Finland's national geoscientific information centre and it participates actively in international research and project work, with the areas of focus falling into three main categories: mineral resources and exploration; energy supply and environment; and land use and construction...
NanoSight announces that Particle Technology Labs, PTL, has established cGMP compliance for Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, NTA, and this is now available on a contract basis to the pharmaceutical industry.
PTL is the leading particle characterization research and advisory company in the United States, providing assistance to a wide range of industries. Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, NTA, has been adopted for both research-based projects and as a quality control tool for regulated industries. PTL’s NanoSight LM10-HSB instrument is certified cGMP as of June 4, 2013. cGMP refers to the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations enforced by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...
SP Scientific has announced a new LyoLearn webinar, due to run on 27th June 2013, entitled 'Sub-visible Particles: Impacts on Aggregation Pathways, Adverse Immunogenicity and Regulatory Expectations for Therapeutic Proteins'.
During the session, Dr. John Carpenter Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Co-Director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, University of Colorado (USA), discusses key areas and presents the latest results from his research. In addition, he will highlight the particle counting instruments that have been vital to the progress made to date. Over the past several years there has been greatly increasing attention on sub-visible particles in therapeutic protein products...
Xylem’s YSI brand of biochemistry analyzers provides a simple yet critical solution to monitoring the secondary fermentation process in both bioprocessing and life science applications.
During the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development attendees see an Azul Airways AMJ 700 flying overhead. It’s not just any AMJ 700 – it’s fueled by renewable jet biofuel made from cane sugar. In California, a lab manager at a winery producing Chardonnay varietals is working through the bacterial fermentation process, which converts malic acid to lactic acid to decrease the acidity of the wine. This crucial step will soften the taste, to ultimately make it more palatable to his customers...
Metrohm is proud to present its latest monograph, a practical guide to near-infrared spectroscopic analysis in manufacturing processes.
The new monograph covers all aspects of NIR Spectroscopy starting from a summary of theory of vibrational spectroscopy and ending with an overview of industrial applications, a glossary, and references to additional literature. The new monograph is free and can be downloaded from the company’s website....
Event Date: June 27, 2013 at 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Multi-mode microplate readers are a useful tool for cell-based assays. These instruments use PMT-based optics to provide a cell population-averaged assay signal relative to assay controls that can quantify biomolecule expression, activation, inhibition and post-translational modulation. Fluorescence microscopy allows the analysis of sub-populations of cells or even analysis of a single cell, depending on the magnification used...
Read MoreCan an improvement in pipetting deliver cost savings and protect staffJun 24, 2013
New White Paper on Pipetting Ergonomics aims to protect researchers
Pipetting is a forceful and repetitive activity, and there is a strong association between pipetting and the occurrence of repetitive motion injuries. In fact, pipetting for just over an hour a day over the course of a year is enough to put researchers at risk, and the chances increase exponentially with workload and age. A new white paper about “The Ergonomics of Pipetting” has now been published by METTLER TOLEDO...
TTP Labtech, global developer and manufacturer of innovative, high quality, automated laboratory equipment, has signed an agreement with Dart NeuroScience, LLC (DNS), a specialised pharmaceutical company, to supply its modular compound storage and retrieval systems, comPOUND® and comPILER®. The platform will enable the safe, long-term storage of the newly formed and rapidly expanding DNS small molecule compound libraries, supporting the company’s quest to discover innovative drugs and targeted therapies for life-long cognitive vitality and the treatment of memory disorders...
FREE NanoSight Webinar on the use of Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis in Drug Delivery Research.
NanoSight, leading manufacturers of unique nanoparticle characterization technology, address the challenges of nanoparticle control and analysis in the latest of their popular webinar program. On Thursday 6th June, NanoSight hosted a webinar to look at how Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) is used to as a characterization tool during the development of drug delivery systems. During the webinar NanoSight.....
INTEGRA has released a new video demonstrating a solid phase extraction (SPE) microplate method for reproducible, high throughput isolation of high-quality DNA-free total RNA.
Large scale gene expression screening projects require reliable high-throughput methods to isolate high quality RNA from a large number of samples. To meet this need, a growing number of commercial 96-well format RNA isolation kits are now available. Typically such kits are compatible with commonly used 96-well plate vacuum manifolds enabling the extraction (isolation) procedure to be accelerated...
A new application note from Porvair Sciences details a protocol for its Chromatrap® ChIP assay kit that has been developed to enrich epigenetic marks from primary human tissue cells.
Chromatrap® Pro-A, the novel solid-based matrix for chromatin immunoprecipitation assays (ChIP) has been successfully used for isolation of high quality chromatin from difficult biopsy material. Focusing on an application to precipitate epigenetic marks from primary endometrial stromal cells - results show high abundant epigenetic marks from 1 million cells isolated from a tissue biopsy, with selective amplification of positive gene targets relative to negative IgG and negative gene loci....
Center Recognized by Waters Centers of Innovation Program for Research into Food and Flavor Chemistry
At a ceremony at the University of Minnesota, Waters welcomed the Flavor Research and Education Center within the Food Science and Nutrition Department at the University of Minnesota into its Centers of Innovation Program. The Flavor Research and Education Center under the direction of Prof. Devin Peterson and Prof. Gary Reineccius strives to develop a science-based understanding of food flavor and related chemistry, in particular, flavor generation, characterization of flavor compounds, and flavor delivery in foodstuffs....
Merck Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck, today announced the expansion of its biomarker testing service capabilities with the launch of flow cytometry services at its North America facility.
The service supports exploratory and GLP-requiring studies, and includes full and flexible assay development, validation and sample testing services using clinically established flow cytometry instrumentation. The launch completes the significant investment Merck Millipore has made over the past two years to develop flow cytometry services globally, building on the existing industry-leading flow cytometry capabilities of the company's European testing site in Oxford, UK...
Read MoreJPK reports on single molecule research at IISER Pune in India using AFM and CellHesion techniquesJun 12, 2013
JPK Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation for research in life sciences and soft matter, reports on the work of the Nano-Mechanics Laboratory at the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) Pune, India.
The Nano-mechanics group develops and uses novel techniques to understand molecular processes and has recently developed new instrumentation in the fields of single molecule force spectroscopy and correlation spectroscopy. There are three main areas of research: protein folding using AFM, measuring the mechanical properties of supported lipid bilayers and following the mechanical response of nano-confined fluids. This last area is performed on home-built instruments....
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Perfectus Biomed, based at Sci-Tech Daresbury, received £50,000 from The North West Fund for Biomedical, managed by SPARK Impact, and another £50,000 from venture capital company Midven. Perfectus Biomed specialises in the microbiological testing of biofilm encased bacteria. Persistent biofilm infections have been linked to chronic non-healing wounds, failed medical implants and catheter infections...
Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) and the Curie Institute, through its Curie-Cancer partnership under the Institut Carnot label, today announce the establishment of a three-year research collaboration to identify new therapeutic targets for the development of treatments for ovarian cancer. The aim of the collaboration between Sanofi and Curie-Cancer is to revisit the basic biology of this type of cancer through a translational research approach...
An exchange of equipment, between the two companies, has led to the installation of an Insitec system for the control of dry milling at Cemtec’s extensive pilot plant facility and now customers of both companies can see for themselves how real-time particle sizing can transform process performance. 
Using the new UV optical module and UV ICCD enables the SIM camera to optimally operate inthe 230-400nm region allowing scientists to study phenomena that emit ultraviolet radiation during the initial phase, such as corona from a pre-streamer in electrical discharge studies. Resolve Optics has a proven track record of developing state-of-the-art optical solutions that meet the highest standards and solve the most challenging problems for its customers...
Baljit Ghatora and co-authors examined medical grade poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), which is used especially widely in developing countries to make rigid intraocular lenses and for which low cost, convenient gamma irradiation is increasingly the preferred method for sterilisation. Previous reports have suggested that gamma irradiation has the potential to alter the structural features of the polymer, such as molecular weight and molecular size distribution, which in turn may impact the efficacy and performance of IOLs....
Vidyo, Inc. today announced it was selected by CERN to support global, large-scale, real-time collaborative video conferencing among a community of 20,000 scientists from over 600 institutes collaborating with the European Organization for Nuclear Research. CERN’s Vidyo infrastructure has the scalability and capacity to hold collaboration sessions with hundreds of participants in a single video conference...
Founded in 1886, the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) was created to promote the systematic and sustainable use of the Earth's resources through the production and dissemination of geological information to society. The GTK is Finland's national geoscientific information centre and it participates actively in international research and project work, with the areas of focus falling into three main categories: mineral resources and exploration; energy supply and environment; and land use and construction...
PTL is the leading particle characterization research and advisory company in the United States, providing assistance to a wide range of industries. Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, NTA, has been adopted for both research-based projects and as a quality control tool for regulated industries. PTL’s NanoSight LM10-HSB instrument is certified cGMP as of June 4, 2013. cGMP refers to the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations enforced by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...
During the session, Dr. John Carpenter Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Co-Director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, University of Colorado (USA), discusses key areas and presents the latest results from his research. In addition, he will highlight the particle counting instruments that have been vital to the progress made to date. 
The new monograph covers all aspects of NIR Spectroscopy starting from a summary of theory of vibrational spectroscopy and ending with an overview of industrial applications, a glossary, and references to additional literature. The new monograph is free and can be downloaded from the company’s website....
Pipetting is a forceful and repetitive activity, and there is a strong association between pipetting and the occurrence of repetitive motion injuries. In fact, pipetting for just over an hour a day over the course of a year is enough to put researchers at risk, and the chances increase exponentially with workload and age. 
Large scale gene expression screening projects require reliable high-throughput methods to isolate high quality RNA from a large number of samples. To meet this need, a growing number of commercial 96-well format RNA isolation kits are now available. Typically such kits are compatible with commonly used 96-well plate vacuum manifolds enabling the extraction (isolation) procedure to be accelerated...
The new catalogue contains:
The service supports exploratory and GLP-requiring studies, and includes full and flexible assay development, validation and sample testing services using clinically established flow cytometry instrumentation. The launch completes the significant investment Merck Millipore has made over the past two years to develop flow cytometry services globally, building on the existing industry-leading flow cytometry capabilities of the company's European testing site in Oxford, UK...
The Nano-mechanics group develops and uses novel techniques to understand molecular processes and has recently developed new instrumentation in the fields of single molecule force spectroscopy and correlation spectroscopy. There are three main areas of research: protein folding using AFM, measuring the mechanical properties of supported lipid bilayers and following the mechanical response of nano-confined fluids. This last area is performed on home-built instruments....