Dr Glenn Crocker, CEO of BioCity, has received the ‘Private Sector Contribution’ award in the annual City of Nottingham Awards.

Dr Crocker has been recognised by his peers for his vision and leadership of the BioCity organisation since 2003, a year after BioCity Nottingham first opened its doors to fledgling life science companies. The UK’s largest bioscience business incubator is now the base for 76 companies employing 689 staff. According to the Awards citation he receives this accolade for the international prestige he has brought to the city through his work....

Polyplus-transfection SA, a privately-held company developing innovative technologies for molecular and cellular biology and Merck, a leading pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company with total revenues of EUR 11.2 billion in 2012, announce today a global prior use license agreement and extended supply agreement for Polyplus-transfection’s polyethylenimine (PEI) based transfection reagents. Financial details were not disclosed.

Polyplus-transfection has granted Merck rights to the prior use of PEI for transfection. Polyplus-transfection will also supply Merck sites worldwide with batches of high quality linear PEI transfection reagent. The reagent is specifically formulated and subject to appropriate quality controls (transfection activity and microbiological tests). These ensure reliable, safe and reproducible protein production in medium to large scale....

Experienced Electrical Engineer to further enhance Cherwell’s customer servicing

Cherwell Laboratories, leading supplier of microbiology media and instruments for pharmaceutical and related industries, is pleased to announce the recruitment of Iain Wren as its new Service Manager. Iain takes up the reins of Cherwell’s Engineering Department which is responsible for routine servicing and calibration of customers’ SAS microbial air monitoring equipment, plus Cherwell’s own manufacturing equipment and cleanroom services. Following a user survey, this department was recently commended by Cherwell’s SAS customers for excellence in customer support and high standards in product and service...

ModiQuest Research BV, the Dutch antibody generation services company, today announced that it has entered into a research collaboration with the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope (“BRICOH”) aimed at the generation of novel monoclonal antibodies against a target selected by and proprietary to BRICOH. 

During the collaboration, ModiQuest will make use of its proprietary B-cell selection technology, ModiSelect^TM.  Financials details of the collaboration were not disclosed. “We are delighted that the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope has selected ModiQuest Research as an antibody generation collaborator,” said Dr. Jos Raats, Managing Director of ModiQuest Research.  “This collaboration again demonstrates the value of our broad and unique technology platform for finding monoclonal antibodies against some of the most difficult antigen targets.”...

AstraZeneca is a pioneer in the development of continuous processing of solid dosage forms (tablets).

To further strengthen its clinical trial manufacturing capability in Mölndal (Sweden), AstraZeneca has recently invested in a continuous wet granulation unit, ConsiGma™25, from GEA Pharma Systems. The wet granulation unit will be used for the development of novel drugs and also to produce materials for clinical trials. AstraZeneca develops novel formulations and manufactures materials for global clinical trials in its R&D facility in Mölndal, Sweden. Larger-scale production is transferred to AstraZeneca’s commercial production facilities...

Major Food Ingredients Firm Chr. Hansen Installs TAP’s Automated Vial Processing System To Meet Increasing Demand for its High Quality Bacterial Starter Cultures.

TAP Biosystems, a leading supplier of innovative cell culture and fermentation systems and consumables for life science applications, is delighted to announce its Fill-It™; automated benchtop vial filling system has been installed at Chr. Hansen, a global bioscience company that develops natural ingredients for the food and nutritional industries. The system, which is being utilised for the first time in the food industry, will be used to improve processing throughput of large batches of vials containing bacterial starter cultures for use in variety of fermented food products. 

Olympus has launched its “Microscope Components for Integration” website, providing equipment manufacturers and system integrators with easy access to expert microscope component solutions for streamlined system development and construction.

When projects call for a high level of technical expertise and consultancy, the Olympus Component Business team (part of Olympus Microscopy) provides personalised component solutions facilitating reduced product development time. The comprehensive range of products and services can now be discovered online with the new “Microscope Components for Integration” website and serve a wide range of markets, including industrial inspection, spectroscopic analysis, metrology, life science and medical analytics...

Double-digit growth in Asia-Pacific and emerging markets to offset stagnation in US and Europe

The global mass spectrometry (MS) market is growing much faster than the high-end analytical instrumentation market. This is a sign that demand is high in this technologically-dynamic market with broad applications and diversified end-user bases despite limited capital budgets in academia and the economic uncertainty in the U.S. and Europe. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan’s Global Mass Spectrometry Market finds the market earned revenue of ....

Ian Samson, EMEA Regional Training Specialist for DuPont, offers his guidance on personal protection when working with cytostatics

According to the World Health Organisation, between now and 2020, the cancer rate will rise by 50%, producing 15 million new cases a year worldwide. As the number of cancer patients rises, so does the use of chemotherapy treatments using cytostatic drugs. While effective in treating disease, these drugs are also potentially hazardous for the oncology nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals who handle them...

Medilink East Midlands, the region’s life science industry association has witnessed burgeoning new business in the region’s pharmaceutical industry, in the two years following AstraZeneca’s announcement of closure in Charnwood.

Medilink delivers the region’s Healthcare and Bioscience iNet. Consequently the team engages extensively with the industry’s start–ups, offering fledgling companies the boost they need to successfully launch their businesses in the East Midlands. In March 2010, the pharmaceutical giant announced the closure of its research and development centre in Charnwood, Loughborough with the loss of around 1200 jobs, as part of a company wide cost-cutting programme...

Market leaders in temperature controlled microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments, report on the use of their innovative CAP500 heating stage for geological research at the new Sanya Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering (SIDSSE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Founded in 1956, The Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences is devoted to scientific investigation and research on basic, hydro, environmental, and karst geology. Further areas of interest are exploration geophysics and geochemistry; rock and mineral analysis; and efficient mineral resources utilization. A new modern hydrothermal laboratory is being built as part of the new Sanya Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering (SIDSSE), a division of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences...

Autoscribe has recently conducted a satisfaction survey with its Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) customers worldwide.

Autoscribe’s CEO, John Boother, said: “Producing management software suitable for use in wide and varied laboratory environments requires much more than just programming skills. We wanted to understand our customers’ feelings about all the aspects of our business, from the sales experience through implementation and support services as well as the quality of the software itself.”..

Clostridium difficile and norovirus appear to be the main causes of concern for infection control professionals as we enter the winter months according to the latest survey.

Conducted at Infection Prevention 2013, the survey revealed that 48% of the respondents highlighted C difficile as the primary cause of concern and 36% highlighted norovirus. Carried out by Bioquell, a provider of no-touch infection control solutions to the healthcare industry, the survey of 170 infection control nurses and senior practitioners were asked to rank various pathogens in order of priority and also indicate any others that they were concerned about....

A recent academic paper published in the journal Organic Process Research and Development by the Group of Prof Steven V. Ley, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge (UK) outlines a possible breakthrough for the manufacture of breast cancer drug Tamoxifen involving flow chemistry technology developed by UK specialist chemical engineering firm Vapourtec.

A prominent feature in the success of the research carried out, profiled in the article “Continuous flow-processing of organometallic reagents using an advanced peristaltic pumping system and the telescoped flow synthesis of (E/Z)-tamoxifen”, was the use of Vapourtec’s E-Series flow chemistry system that enables the processing of organometallic reagents....

Developed as an alternative to B27® * - GS21 from AMSBIO is a next generation serum-free neural media supplement, based on the formulation of NS21 Supplement, designed to improve the overall growth and performance of primary neurons.

GS21 has been specifically optimized for the maturation and long-term viability of primary rat and mouse neurons in culture, without the need for co-culture with astrocyte feeder cells. In experimental tests, GS21 has been shown to significantly improve long-term viability of rat and mouse primary neurons in vitro, as well as enhance neurite outgrowth of primary neurons in culture. Beneficially, GS21 also supports growth and maintenance of primary neurons at low or high cell density plating...

High profile group members drawn from research and industry

Malvern Instruments is marking the second anniversary of the market leading Mastersizer 3000 laser diffraction particle sizing system with the introduction of a host of innovative software updates and an extension to the Mastersizer family, the Mastersizer 3000E.

A global leader for particle sizing, Malvern’s Mastersizer range has become synonymous with laser diffraction. The Mastersizer 3000 delivers unique performance and productivity benefits, wrapped in a stylish, compact and practical instrument design. New software features, developed in response to customer feedback, now make it easier than ever to obtain accurate particle size information....

French government funding confirms the considerable potential of Nosopharm’s new class of antibiotics and ensures their progression to regulatory preclinical development  

Nosopharm specializes in the research and development of new anti-infective drugs, today announces that it has secured funding of EUR 870,000 (USD 1.18 million). The company is receiving this funding as part of the OOPERA project (Odilorhabdin: Preclinical optimization and study to combat antibiotic resistance), which commenced in the first quarter of 2013 and is scheduled to last three years. A total of EUR 1.6 million (USD 2.2 million) in funding has been allocated to this project...

Photon Control Inc. is pleased to announce that their research and development partner Photon Control R&D Ltd. has received an NSERCC (Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada) Engage Grant with the University of Victoria to work in Collaboration with Dr. Alexandre G. Brolo and team on research of Raman Spectroscopy.

Dr. Alexandre G. Brolo (UVic Chemistry) is a specialist in nanomaterial’s and is world-renowned in the field of Raman spectroscopy, especially in surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Dr. Brolo says, "collaborating with a local B.C. company provides a valuable learning opportunity to the University for applying research to a practical problem, which could make a positive impact to society in the future.”..

With the acquisition of GERO Hochtemperaturöfen GmbH & Co. KG, the VERDER Group extends the product portfolio of its Scientific Division in the heat treatment segment.

The company is a leading manufacturer of vacuum furnaces and furnaces for applications under special atmosphere. The instruments are used both in industrial processes and research. The headquarters are located in Neuhausen near Stuttgart, where GERO generates a turnover of 7 Mio. €. Managing Director Roland Geiger founded the company more than 30 years ago. All instruments are developed, manufactured and assembled at the headquarters in Neuhausen. Sales and distribution have so far been focused on Europe, complemented by some activities on a worldwide level...

New Cherwell cleanroom manufacturing facility extended to over 950m²

Cherwell Laboratories, leading supplier of microbiology media and instruments for pharmaceutical and related industries, is continuing with the investment and expansion programme of its cleanroom production facilities. To increase capacity for future demand from Cherwell’s ever growing customer base, Phase II of the expansion programme will boost Redipor^® microbiological prepared media plate filling and bottle production capabilities. The new cleanroom facility will be further extended by 230m² to over 950m²...

NORTH West pharmaceutical company Proveca Limited has reached a key agreement with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that will enable the development of a new drug designed for children and young people.

The EMA’s Paediatric Committee (PDCO) adopted a positive opinion on the paediatric investigation plan (PIP) for the development of Glycopyrronium – a drug designed to combat chronic pathological drooling (sialorrhoea) in children. Children living with motor or neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy, are often unable to effectively swallow the saliva they produce resulting in unavoidable chronic drooling. Glycopyrronium will help to reduce this unintentional and disabling loss of saliva...