Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed a method for the fast determination of PCDD/Fs in sediments, soils, bottom and fly ash (as incineration by-products) using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).

Application Note 10336, Determination of PCDD/Fs in Environmental Samples using Accelerated Solvent Extraction and GC-MS/MS,describes a sensitive and accurate GC-MS/MS method for determining levels of dioxins and furans in various environmental samples using GC-MS/MS. Instrumental LOQs using GC-MS/MS were calculated in the low fgL concentration ranges...

Research settles potential variance in performance of international broiler carcass sampling methods

As the world’s leading laboratory paddle blender for food microbiologists, Seward’s Stomacher^® 400 Circulator has been used in a recent evaluation of international sampling methods for the microbiological analysis of broiler carcasses after immersion chilling[1]. As a widespread pathogen, Salmonella can cause severe illness in humans. Global poultry industries have therefore deployed and maintained various food safety programmes to ensure that poultry is safe for consumption...

Supporting the future of cell-based research

Cellectricon, a leading provider of advanced cell-based screening technologies and services, has announced the two winners of its Cellaxess^® ACE project grant, supporting cutting-edge research in cell biology. The grant was awarded for project proposals utilizing Cellectricon’s Cellaxess ACE technology for the delivery of non-genetic material to adherent cells and cultures. The winners not only receive a Cellaxess ACE module and consumables, but will also benefit from Cellectricon’s on-going support and expertise throughout the project’s duration. Cellaxess ACE is a single electrode based electroporation system optimized for the in-situ transfection of all adherent cell types, which offers superior efficiency and cell viability due to minimal cell processing and the low voltages required...

With continuing expansion in the Far East, Titian guarantees local customer support

Leading sample management software provider, Titian Software, is making strategic investments in China to support the growing global popularity of its Mosaic sample management software. As part of this, Titian has recently granted exclusive distribution rights to LBD Life Sciences, who will represent Titian’s Mosaic in China and provide a more accessible support service for Chinese customers....

Pro-curo Software Ltd appoints Planer plc to distribute its sample tracking software worldwide

Pro-curo Software Ltd has appointed a new worldwide distributor, expanding its growing reach into the global marketplace. Through its teams located around the world, Planer plc will supply Pro-curo Software Ltd’s sample tracking software to users ranging from single, small laboratories to large institutes. As a supplier of controlled rate cryo freezers, incubators and loggers to IVF, veterinary, research, hospital and cell laboratories, Planer plc works routinely with researchers handling irreplaceable samples. The need for a reliable, tailored sample tracking system is therefore well understood, and Pro-curo software provides an ideal solution...

PHSS Annual Members Conference 2013, Microbial Aspects of Cleanroom Manufacture

Cherwell Laboratories will be offering expert knowledge and demonstrating their comprehensive range of specialist environmental monitoring and process validation products at the forthcoming PHSS Annual Members Conference 2013, Microbial Aspects of Cleanroom Manufacture. The annual conference, to be held at Wychwood Park Hotel, Crewe on 9^th & 10^th October 2013, coincides with the release of the new PHSS Bio-contamination technical monograph 20....

San Diego-based Sapphire Energy, the pioneer of an entirely new industry – Green Crude production – is taking advantage of the unique benefits of Bredel hose pump technology from Watson-Marlow Pumps Group.

Sapphire is using a Bredel 2100 for the shear sensitive transfer of algae used in an innovative fuel production process which offers the potential to transform America’s energy and petrochemical landscape. Backed by $100 million of government funding, in August 2012 Sapphire Energy opened its state-of-the-art Green Crude farm in Columbus, New Mexico....

Spectro Inc. Acquires Wilks Enterprise, Inc.

Spectro Inc., a leading Chelmsford, Mass.-based developer and manufacturer of analytical tools and software for the industrial performance fluids market, today announced it has purchased Wilks Enterprise, Inc. for an undisclosed sum. Wilks, based in Norwalk, Conn. and established in 1995, specializes in the development and manufacture of mid-infrared (mid-IR) application specific analyzers that are used for biofuel, petrochemical, environmental, quality control, manufacturing and ambient air monitoring measurement...

Agar Scientific, a leading supplier of microscopy accessories and consumables, has increased the production of their world-leading filaments for electron microscopy.

As a leading supplier of accessories for microscopy, Agar Scientific has a world-renowned reputation for the manufacture and supply of replacement filaments for many of the world's leading makes of electron microscopes. Now back in production are new and re-filamented, JEOL K Type filaments. 
Agar filaments are specifically designed for electron microscopes for the majority of the leading manufacturers including Cambridge/LEO/Zeiss, FEI, JEOL and Camscan. The filaments are made with specially designed jigs which ensure accuracy and reproducibility in production...

iXon EMCCD camera's exceptional low light performance opens the door to real-time implementation of atomtronics

Since the first demonstrations of Bose-Einstein condensation in 1995, ultra-cold matter has become a fertile and lively field of study. Research around the world is establishing a high level of understanding of the underlying physics for applications, such as inertial guidance systems, atomic clocks and quantum computing. Teams are also beginning to design and build compact, low-power instrumentation for handling ultra-cold atoms...

Biocatalysis and metagenomics used for generation of improved hydrocolloids with potential therapeutic properties

Libragen, a contract research organization dedicated to biocatalysis and metagenomics, has been a major contributor to the success of PolyModE (Polysaccharide Modifying Enzymes), a large collaborative research project funded by the European Community. The project, which began in 2009 and ended in April this year, looked at developing novel polysaccharide modifying enzymes for the optimized use of hydrocolloids as, for example, food additives or novel therapeutic agents in the food sciences and medical industries....

Malvern Instruments is to showcase the company’s range of analytical solutions for pharmaceutical materials characterization at the 2013 AAPS Annual Meeting & Exposition, from 11-14 November in San Antonio TX, USA.

Visitors can tap into the expertise of Malvern’s technical and applications specialists and find out how the company’s range of technologies and instrumentation provides valuable information across the entire pharmaceutical development spectrum, from pre-formulation through to quality control. New systems on show will include the Viscotek SEC-MALS 20 multi-angle light scattering detector for GPC/SEC. The new Viscotek SEC-MALS 20 has more detectors than any other commercially available multi angle light scattering system

Pharmaceutical formulation development and manufacturing services provider Molecular Profiles Ltd., a subsidiary of Columbia Laboratories, Inc., (Nasdaq: CBRX) has been selected as the formulation development partner for a major pan-European collaborative project.

The UK-based company has been chosen by clinical stage biopharmaceutical company Telormedix SA (Telormedix) to develop both topical and solid dosage formulations for the use in the treatment of psoriasis. The project, operating under the acronym PAT (Psoriasis Anti-inflammatory Treatment), will involve other consortium partners Biopta, Midatech Biogune and the University Hospital Zurich....

Suffolk (UK) based Vapourtec has partnered up with Dr Nicholas Leadbeater and the New Synthetic Methods Group at the University of Connecticut (USA) to produce a new guide entitled “An Introduction to Flow Chemistry – A Practical Laboratory Course”.

Aimed principally at undergraduate teaching laboratories within colleges and universities but also a great asset to the research lab, the 100 page manual details a set of ten continuous-flow processing experiments, each of which can be easily delivered in conjunction with Vapourtec’s E-series flow unit during a regular lab period. Dr Leadbeater, Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut and widely recognised as one of the leading lights in the fields of flow chemistry and new educational initiatives, commented: “Flow chemistry offers a lot of exciting possibilities in terms of running reactions for a wide variety of industries and it’s vital that it is encouraged and nurtured in the field of education...

The new Olympus FluoView FVMPE-RS, a dedicated multiphoton microscope system, enables high-precision, ultra-fast scanning and stimulation, allowing researchers to see deep within specimens, take measurements at the highest speeds, and capture images, even when working under the most demanding conditions.

With its high speed and precision performance, the FVMPE-RS is designed for electrophysiology and optogenetics studies. It is also a good match for applications such as high-speed calcium and in vivo imaging, peristalsis and blood flow studies, mosaic imaging, connectomics and functional brain imaging, stem cell research, and any field that requires precise colocalisation, uncaging, simultaneous imaging/stimulation, extensive real-time signal processing, or multipoint mapping....

Edinburgh instruments are delighted to announce that LiCONiC AG have selected the Edinburgh Sensors Gascheck IR CO₂ sensor for integration into their range of CO₂ Incubator products.

LiCONiC AG manufacture a wide range of automated incubators for use in life science research applications including cell screening.  Selective high quality CO₂ measurement is essential in automated incubator performance because the regular access challenges the chamber environment. Using Gascheck sensors enables LiCONiC to deliver the required controls without dependence on temperature or humidity...

AICR funding awarded to University scientists

Aberdeen scientists are investigating if antibodies found naturally in sharks could be used to target breast cancer. AICR, the Scottish cancer research charity, has awarded biologists from the University of Aberdeen a grant of over £200,000 to analyse if IgNAR – a special antibody found only in sharks – can be used to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. The three-year study will look at two molecules - called HER2 and HER3 - found on the surface of cancer cells. When these molecules pair-up on the surface of a cancer cell, they signal it to grow and divide... 

In the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Life Sciences CRM Software 2013 Vendor Assessment (Doc # HI242172, July 2013), IDC Health Insights reports that cloud-based solutions, including Veeva CRM, part of Veeva System's Commercial Suite, have now entered the mainstream.

According to the IDC MarketScape, this move is driven by next-generation applications that provide advanced functionality and mobile capabilities, along with the flexibility of the cloud. In this new report, IDC Health Insights evaluated all major CRM solution providers for life sciences and named Veeva Systems as a leader. The IDC MarketScape reported, "Veeva's CRM software scored extremely well in this IDC MarketScape, with Veeva positioned in the Leaders category. Veeva CRM's ease of use, user interface, and breadth of functionality are among the best in the industry, and the company's sole focus on the life sciences industry boosts Veeva's unique understanding of market wants and needs...

Experiments with neutrons at the Technische Universität München (TUM) show that the antidepressant lithium accumulates more strongly in white matter of the brain than in grey matter.

This leads to the conclusion that it works differently from synthetic psychotropic drugs. The tissue samples were examined at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) with the aim of developing a better understanding of the effects this substance has on the human psyche. At present lithium is most popular for its use in rechargeable batteries....

Columbia Laboratories Inc. has acquired Molecular Profiles Ltd., a privately-held, cash-flow positive, U.K.-based pharmaceutical development services company, for cash and Columbia’s Common stock totalling approximately $25.0 million, in aggregate.  

This acquisition was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, and by Molecular Profiles’ shareholders as well.  No further approvals are anticipated to be required. Columbia Laboratories, Inc. has since announced the appointment of three experienced healthcare executives with over 65 years collective industry experience to its Board of Directors, effective immediately..../

For the first time ACHEMA 2015 is training the spotlight on three major themes

Process Analytical Technology (PAT), Industrial Water Engineering and Biobased Production will be the highlights of the world’s leading event for the process industry set to take place from 15 to 19 June 2015 in Frankfurt am Main. It goes without saying that other areas, from laboratory and analytical techniques to packaging...

Endecotts Ltd, the largest producer of quality test sieves and sieve shakers, will again ‘fly the flag’ at the Lab Innovation exhibition 2013 stand A24. Endecotts will be promoting the following products under the ‘Proud to be British’ theme as well as carrying out a ‘Win a day trip to London’ competition.