A trend in bioanalysis is moving toward methods that require higher levels of sensitivity and reproducibility with decreasing sample volumes. To meet these needs, Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced Thermo Scientific SOLAµ solid phase extraction (SPE) micro elution plates.

Using award-winning SOLA SPE technology, SOLAµ plates are designed to deliver robust, reproducible processing at elution volumes as low as 25 µL. In company-conducted experiments, the new SPE plates have improved sensitivity over comparable SPE products as much as twenty-fold due to improved pre-concentration while maintaining high levels of reproducibility...

Analytik Jena AG wants to expand its business with analytical measuring technology and Life Science products in the Middle East region, one of the fastest-growing markets in the world in this field.

For its core segment Analytical Instrumentation, the Company added a renowned new distributor in Neo-Science & Group Co. "We have gained a very experienced dealer and specialists in our essential technology segments who will support our customers in the four largest markets of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain with a sizable employee team," said Torsten Olschewski, General Manager of the Analytical Instrumentation business unit at Analytik Jena AG...

Patent expiry and increasing generic competition is expected to make a handful of mega deals happen 

The challenges posed by expiring patents, the global economic slowdown, and price premium pressures are forcing the pharmaceutical and biotech industry to restructure and streamline strategies to boost profitability. Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have become the preferred approach to counter low margins as they give access to new markets while creating more revenue pools and, to some extent, compensating for depletion in the research and development pipeline...

Learning from sharks

Genetically engineered antibodies are deployed successfully in cancer diagnostics and therapy. Therapeutic antibodies against Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis are currently under development. An important criterion when designing suitable antibody fragments is their stability. Comparing the antibodies of sharks, which are very old from an evolutionary perspective, with those of humans, a team of researchers at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen discovered stabilizing mechanisms that can also be applied to optimize custom-tailored antibodies in humans...

When facing the unique requirements of the scientific, industrial and healthcare sectors, sometimes something more than an off-the-shelf solution is required.

Bibby Scientific designs and manufacturers a diverse selection of bespoke equipment, with each instrument specifically tailored to meet the needs of individual customers. By using its own proven designs as a basis and adding alterations, Bibby can produce solutions which directly meet with customer specs, ensuring that they get the results they require in the most accurate and reliable way possible...

Counter Terror Expo 2014, held on 29th and 30th April at Olympia London, proved to be as successful as ever, attended by some 8,691 industry leaders and delegations from across the world.

Firmly established as the leading international event of its kind, this year’s show – the 6th edition – saw a 10% rise in pre-registrations compared to 2013. As one visitor commented, “Counter Terror is an essential day for me. It prepares my business for the year ahead by allowing me to research new products and services as well as getting updated on new legislation...

TAP Biosystems (now part of the Sartorius Stedim Biotech Group), a leading supplier of innovative cell culture and fermentation systems for life science applications, today announced that it will be co-presenting a new bioprocess webinar with KBI Biopharma, a major biopharm contract development and manufacturing organisation.

Wednesday June 11th 2014 at 4pm BST / 5pm CEST / 8am PDT / 11am EDT.

The live event will detail how to use the ambr15™ automated microbioreactor system to speed up early process development of biologics. Bioprocessing experts, Dr Shahid Rameez, Process Development Scientist at KBI Biopharma and Joe Jirka, ambr Product Specialist at TAP Biosystems, will present technical data on the use of the ambr15 micro bioreactor system, as a small scale cell culture mimic...

Markel UK, the specialist insurer, has further developed the biomedical and life sciences liability product that it launched in November last year.

Its new combined policy adds specialist property damage and business interruption covers and is designed to meet the specific needs of the rapidly growing UK biomedical and life sciences sector. New coverage includes research and development protection, contamination and deviation in controlled environments within the property damage and business interruption sections. The existing protection offered for liability exposures includes injury, financial loss, clinical trials, employers’ liability, entity defence and directors’ and officers’ liability...

Drawing upon over 10 years’ experience - Warwick Analytical Service (WAS) is able to provide high quality laboratory analytical services for analysis of environmental samples from their facilities at the University of Warwick Science Park (Coventry, UK).

Driven by increasing governmental legislation – monitoring of contamination of air, land and water samples now needs to be undertaken by any responsible organisation producing waste and/or emissions. These monitoring processes are important not only for legislative compliance but also for assessing the risk that human activities pose to the natural environment...

A long-standing relationship with Agar Scientific has helped Dr Robert Young, currently working in the Cardiff Centre for Vision Science, throughout a research career spanning rheumatoid arthritis, ocular degeneration, osteoarthritis and corneal structure.

Use of microscopy has been at the heart of this work – covering various light microscopy techniques, transmission electron microscopy and 3D microscopy – and close ties with Agar have played a vital role, as Dr Young explained: “My first research lab had very close links with Alan Agar, the Company’s original founder. Alan used to come to the lab quite frequently, and we often got to test new products before launch...

The Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP), one of two Pittcon conference and exposition sponsors, is pleased to announce the 2015 Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award recipient. Alfred G. Redfield, Professor of Biochemistry and Physics, Emeritus, Brandeis University (Massachusetts).

This prestigious award, established in 1957, honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions in the field of spectroscopy. The award committee selected Redfield based on his many accomplishments in the advanced understanding, practical developments and applications in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance especially in nuclear-spin relaxation, as well as his leadership role in the scientific community and mentorship of young scientists...

THREE innovative businesses have signed up as new tenants at Liverpool Science Park’s £8m third building.

ASep Healthcare and Bartle Read have taken state-of-the-art office space, while Contract Analytical Laboratories will be moving from its existing premises at MerseyBio into new laboratory space. The three businesses join the first new tenants at the 40,000sq ft facility off Mount Pleasant including Ryder Architecture - the architects behind the scheme - and pioneering research company Karm Research Group...

Genevac, part of SP Scientific, has appointed BioPharma Process Systems (BPS) as exclusive UK distributor for its range of evaporator systems.

Biopharma Process System have successfully distributed SP Scientific's Virtis and FTS freeze drying products for over 20 years. Ian Bailey, who has been Genevac Senior Sales Executive in the UK for over 10 years, will be transferring to BPS, taking his many years’ experience with him to his new role. Alison Wake, Marketing Manager for Genevac commented "This move will consolidate our sales channels within the UK with one experienced and successful distributor whilst maintaining the personalised product support you have come to expect from Genevac...

Analytik Jena AG (Prime Standard: AJA, ISIN: DE0005213508) generated consolidated revenue of EUR 62.8 m in the first half of the current financial year (previous year: EUR 46.9 m), corresponding to an increase in sales of 33.7 %.

In the instrument business alone, where revenue of EUR 50.8 m was generated, sales were up by 8.2 %. At the conclusion of the financial year, Analytik Jena AG aims to achieve sales at the Group level of between EUR 103.0 m and EUR 105.0 m in the instrument business. Due to the large proportion of sales in Russia and in view of the crisis in Ukraine, Analytik Jena AG did not make any forecast for sales in the project business for the financial year...  

Syngene, a world-leading manufacturer of image analysis solutions, today announced its new G:BOX Chemi XX6 is being used by scientists at the Karolinska Institutet for multiplex imaging of IR fluorescent viral proteins on Western blots.

This is contributing to rapidly providing researchers there with accurate information on the efficacy of hepatitis B and hepatitis C DNA vaccines. Researchers in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden are using a G:BOX Chemi XX6 multi-application imager to analyse viral antigens on multiplex Infrared (IR) fluorescent Western blots...

Thermo Fisher Scientific and Evans Analytical Group team up to apply pulsed GDMS to analysis of non-conductive materials, depth profiling    

Scientists analyzing non-conductive, high-purity materials will soon be able to apply powerful high-resolution glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS) to this task. This will open the technique, for example, to analysis of high-purity sapphire used for flat panel displays, ceramics, alumina powder and other desirable applications, including thin-layer depth profiling of hard drive components...

Six companies have recently signed tenancy agreements to locate within MediCity, the health, beauty and wellness innovation hub based in Nottingham.

This brings the total to eleven companies who have chosen to have a base in this part of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone in the recently refurbished building on the Boots site in Beeston. The tenant companies cover a range of commercial activities including sports body-care, the manufacture of anti-ageing chewable vitamins, the development of apps for remote health monitoring, the development and printing of nanomaterials for high-performance applications across a range of industries, new healthcare brand marketing and intellectual property experts...

DHL Global Forwarding announced the launch of 15 new stations to the Thermonet network. More than 65 stations to be certified by the end of the year. 

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist within Deutsche Post DHL, announced that 15 more certified Life Sciences stations are going live in the second quarter of 2014, primarily in the Americas and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) regions. Adding to the existing Thermonet network, DHL is spreading the service across the globe for Life Sciences and Healthcare customers with temperature-controlled airfreight shipment needs...  

Malvern Instruments has been successful in securing £3 million support from the UK Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) that will lead to the creation of 47 new jobs in the UK over the next five years.

Small, smaller, Ministat

Ministats are the world's smallest cooling circulators. Thanks to their compact dimensions, the units can be operated in very confined spaces, for example in a laboratory fume cupboard or inside a technical plant.....

Labtech International Limited, a leading life science instrument, consumables and service supplier, announce the global launch of the 3DEP 3D dielectrophoresis cell analysis device.

The device was developed in a joint venture with The University of Surrey.  The team, led by Professor of Biomedical Engineering Michael Hughes, has developed a device that analyses the electrical properties of cells – with hopes for enabling the early detection of oral cancer and other medical conditions. The device is commercially available through Labtech International Ltd, a leading independent distributor of life science instrumentation, was formally launched in November at the American Electrophoresis Society (AES)....