A technical article is available from Genevac that describes a rapid, safe technique for drying oligonucleotide and DNA samples.

DNA and oligonucleotide samples are sensitive and care needs to be exercised during concentration. Research done at the Welcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (UK) shows that the Genevac EZ-2 evaporator is an ideal tool for concentrating SNP and oligonucleotides in microplates when preparing samples for microarraying and for Sequenon analysis. Compared to traditional methods, using the EZ-2 evaporator is shown to significantly speed up concentration rates, eliminate potential sources of damage to samples and also improve final sample quality...

Waters Introduces UPLC System for nano- to Microscale Separations – the ACQUITY UPLC M-Class System 

New UPLC System and Columns Drive Separations Efficiency and the Sensitivity of LC-MS Analyses to New Levels. Waters Corporation (WAT:NYSE) today introduced the new Waters® ACQUITY UPLC® M-Class System, an industry-first nano- to microscale UltraPerformance LC® (UPLC®) system rated for 15,000 psi operation. Coupled to Waters mass spectrometers, the system delivers the sensitivity to quantify and to identify vanishingly small concentrations of key molecules....

New patent for Spark Holland

Spark Holland B.V. is pleased to announce the publication of US patent no. US 8586382 B2 which relates to a method and an apparatus for desorption of a blood sample from a medical test sheet comprising at least one dried blood spot (DBS) for the purpose of biomedical analysis of the blood sample. The patent allows that the new method eliminates the need for first punching out a disc area of the test sheet containing dried blood sample, thus speeding up the procedure considerably and that on-line desorption of dried blood spots is faster and easier and allows for further automation of the process.

Bruker releases application note for analysis of sulfonamides in honey using Bruker’s Advance EVOQ Elite LC-MS/MS system

Bruker Chemical and Applied Markets (CAM), Fremont, California, US: Bruker releases application note for analysis of sulfonamides in honey using Advance EVOQ Eliteruker has released an application note detailing a simple, fast and robust method developed for the quantitation of sulfonamides in honey, using Bruker’s EVOQ Elite triple quadruple liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). Sulfonamides are a group of broad spectrum antibacterial drugs, used to prevent and treat bacterial growth in honey products...

Spark Holland OEM agreement includes patented DBS technology

Spark Holland B.V. and GERSTEL GmbH & Co. KG have announced an OEM agreement based on Spark’s patented dried blood spot (DBS) technology which recently received a US patent (US 8586382 B2). The OEM agreement includes the use of Spark’s innovative FTD™ technology and the Spark DBS Autosampler™, allowing GERSTEL to develop and market fully integrated automated DBS systems....

Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed a reproducible and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method combined with on-line solid-phase extraction for the sensitive determination of carbendazim in orange juice.

Application Note 1067: Determination of Carbendazim in Orange Juice demonstrates that this application—performed using a rapid separation liquid chromatography system—simplifies sample preparation and improves HPLC detection sensitivity with a method detection limit of carbendazim in orange juice of 0.2 μg/L. Although carbendazim is a fungicide used in many countries to improve crop production....

Wyatt Technology Corporation, the world leader in absolute macromolecular characterization instrumentation and software, will be launching the µDAWN™ at Pittcon 2014

The µDAWN is the world’s first multi-angle light scattering (MALS) detector that can be coupled to any UHPLC system in order to determine absolute molecular weights and sizes of polymers, peptides, and proteins or other biopolymers directly, without resorting to column calibration or reference standards. Wyatt Technology’s µDAWN connects to the Optilab® UT-rEX™, the first refractive index detector for UHPLC....

Scientists all over the world have been monitoring the statistical distribution of weather patterns over extended periods of time to measure the potential affects and significance of climate change.

This research not only studies past fluctuations, but also is used to predict future shifts in our climate and its global environmental impact. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is a leading environmental research center that focuses on the United Kingdom’s national scientific activities in Antarctica. Some of their current research includes long-term monitoring of global climate change via ice core sample analysis of the polar ice caps....

Markes International (Llantrisant, UK), a world leader in instrumentation for trace organic analysis, has announced the launch of a variable-energy electron ionisation source technology for GC–MS, Select-eV®.

By enabling the energy of ionising electrons to be changed, Select-eV breaks new ground in the field of GC–MS. It allows the production of reference-quality electron ionisation mass spectra with conventional full-fragmentation patterns, and repeatable ‘soft-ionisation’ spectra exhibiting reduced fragmentation and an enhanced molecular ion. Previous attempts to develop soft electron ionisation have been compromised by a dramatic drop in sensitivity.....

ACE UltraCore is a new range of ultra-inert solid-core (superficially porous) particle UHPLC/HPLC columns from Advanced Chromatography Technologies Limited. The monodisperse particle distribution of these phases combines high efficiency and performance, with a low column back pressure, to deliver exceptional chromatography. 

J. G. Finneran’s Ultra Low Bleed Aluminum Seals and 9mm R.A.M.^TM  Caps

J. G. Finneran’s Ultra Low Bleed Aluminum Seals and 9mm R.A.M.^TM  Caps are lined using an  LCMS high purity septa. This septa is ideal for very sensitive applications such as Mass Spec or when multiple injections are required.  Our Ultra Low Bleed Septa eliminates particulates with no interfering peaks.

The 6850 UV/visible spectrophotometer is Jenway’s first double-beam instrument with a variable spectral bandwidth – of 5nm down to 0.5nm.

This new instrument has highly stable optics and is particularly well-suited for use in laboratories where compliance to multiple regulatory agencies is required. The double beam optics and two detectors measure the sample and reference simultaneously for optimum measurement accuracy and stability over long periods of time. The 6850 has a variable spectral bandwidth of 0.5nm, 1nm, 2nm, 4nm and 5nm, giving flexibility whilst ensuring compliance to European Pharmacopeia requirements. The narrow spectral bandwidth ensures improved resolution.

Gas Chromatography Options Designed to Conserve Helium, Boost Flexibility, Add Usability

Scientists using gas chromatography (GC) can enjoy a number of new options with the Thermo Scientific TRACE 1300 Series GC system, designed to conserve helium, permit use of multiple detectors simultaneously, automate sampling gas workflows, and perform flame photometric detection. New options for the TRACE 1300 Series GC platform include...

The HT-4X centrifugal evaporator from Genevac provides optimised sample preparation capabilities for scientists working in the drug discovery environment. 

Built to the highest specifications, the HT-4X makes demanding applications routine.  Corrosive vapours such as trifluoroacetic acid may be removed by the standard system and an inert purge option allows high safety evaporation of flammable solvents. In addition, the HT-4X can also be used to achieve high speed lyophilisation of HPLC fractions and solvents used for reformatting samples. The HT-4X is a high performance evaporator that combines ease of use, compactness, operational versatility and efficient sample processing...

Trajan Scientific and Medical (Trajan) is pleased to announce that the Australian Research Council (ARC) has selected the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and Trajan’s proposal to create an ARC Training Centre for Portable Analytical Separation Technologies.

The program will see the Australian Government committing more than A$2.1 million funding from 2014 over three years, to establish and provide ongoing support to the Training Centre. The partnership of Trajan and UTAS combines industry knowledge and research to innovate in product design, development and manufacturing techniques. The ARC’s Industrial Transformation Training Centres Scheme aims to foster close partnerships between universitybased researchers....

Thermo Fisher Scientific is pleased to announce the expansion of the Acclaim™ Trinity™ family of HPLC column with new Acclaim Trinity P2 columns. 

The new columns are designed to screen a wide range of counterions, including cations, anions, mono and multi-valent ions with one analysis, thanks to advanced mixed-mode Nanopolymer Silica Hybrid (NSH™) technology. Simple LC screening of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and their counterions can be achieved with high sensitivity using the Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ Corona™ Charged Aerosol Detector...

Porvair Sciences reports strong growing demand for their Chromatrap® chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay technology from academic groups and biopharmaceutical organisations involved with epigenetic research.

Stephen Knight, Sales and Marketing Director commented "An expanding number of proven application solutions and the introduction of the Chromatrap® 96 HT solid-state ChIP high throughput platform has enabled us to more than double the number of research groups using ChromaTrap assay technology during the last 12 months".  He added "We are particularly pleased by the very positive feedback from early adopters of the technology"...

Thermo Fisher Scientific is pleased to announce a new technical note TN 139

Thermo Fisher Scientific is pleased to announce a new technical note TN 139: Determination of Anions in Fracking Flowback Water From the Marcellus Shale Using Automated Dilution and Ion Chromatography which demonstrates the use of in-line conductivity measurement to trigger automated dilution prior to separation and quantification of inorganic ions and organic acids in Marcellus Shale fracking flowback samples using ion chromatography...

Malvern Instruments has kicked off another year of its highly popular open-access webinar program and on 21 January the ‘Step into the Light’ webinar offers insight into the use of dynamic light scattering technology to improve the quality of biopharmaceutical data in purity profiles.

This is followed on 23 January by ‘Optimization and characterization of nanomaterials for drug delivery applications. Part 1 – Liposomes’.  ‘Where do I find source material in light scattering?’ is the topic on 28 January, and the first of this year’s laser diffraction masterclass series goes out live on 30 January. Accurately identifying impurities and generating purity profiles presents substantial challenges to biopharmaceutical developers, who require the most sensitive analysis methods available. ‘Step into the Light’ will explore the analytical challenges within biopharmaceutical development

VICI Valco’s new Cheminert C52 Series Injector presents our first integrated motor/valve assembly designed specifically to be built into an OEM system.

Using the well-proven Cheminert HPLC injector design and the 24 volt motor from our popular microelectric actuators, the C52 needs only to be connected to the instrument’s power supply. Control is simplified to require a single contact closure; the injector’s position is determined by whether the closure is held high or low. There’s even an easy way for the instrument to confirm the valve’s position by sensing the output from a built-in sensor...

A One Day Symposium Focussing on Advances in Natural Product Analysis - Syngenta Research Labs, 9th April 2014

Chromatographic & mass spectrometric analysis in vegetable matter, natural and food products will be explored by specialists from a variety of industries. An exhibition of analytical instrumentation and presentations by leading manufacturers will form an important element of the symposium.

New integrated module brings the power of mass detection to the lab bench

Microsaic Systems is pleased to announce the launch of the MiDas™ interface module which allows simple connectivity of its miniaturised mass detector, the 4000 MiD®, for on line and off line analysis. The MiDas compact integrated interface unit offers automated sampling, dilution and injection for direct mass spectrometry (MS) analysis at the lab bench or fume hood, representing a unique integrated solution for delivering main-stream MS analysis to the lab bench....