Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global leader of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, has announced the launch of the SARS-CoV-2 Variant RT-PCR Assays for research use only (RUO). The assays can detect SARS-CoV-2 (the virus associated with COVID-19) variants of concern, including P.1, B.1.351, and B.1.1.7, by distinguishing specific mutations in SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) often prior to a next generation sequencing (NGS) workflow for confirmation....
Moderna, a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, and Samsung Biologics, a leading global CDMO providing a fully integrated end-to-end contract development and manufacturing service, today announced a Manufacturing Services and Supply Agreement in which Samsung Biologics will provide large scale, commercial fill-finish manufacturing for mRNA-1273, Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine....
Due to the corona crisis hand sanitizer became part of our daily routine. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60 to 95% alcohol is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), with the main components being ethanol, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and/or n-propanol. To determine the effectiveness and impurities of the hand sanitizer a GC analysis can be performed. This analysis faces many challenges since hand sanitizer is made in a water matrix, which is a difficult matrix for Gas Chromatography....
A team of international scientists have identified key cellular factors that are crucial for the infection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The study – led by the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford and the Rosalind Franklin Institute and published in Molecular Cell – provides crucial new insights into the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle, revealing new pathways to target the virus within host cells and leading the way for potential new treatment options as we move into the next phase of the pandemic....
AMSBIO has launched two new biotinylated formats of the 10E4 Heparan Sulfate antibody (high and low biotin) along with a starter pack to allow scientists to test both formats at a reduced cost. Heparan Sulfate (HS) is a highly sulfated linear polysaccharide that is attached to a core protein to form HS Proteoglycans on the cell membrane or in the extracellular matrix....
Analytik reports how its Microfluidizer® processors are enabling researchers develop a range of therapeutic formulations including vaccine adjuvants, liposomes and lipid nanoparticles. By reducing particle size uniformly, Microfluidizers from Analytik are helping a growing number of pharmaceutical companies and Contact Development and Manufacturing Organisations (CDMOs) improve the efficacy, bioavailability, stability and process efficiency of their drugs....
Look at every stage of the development of COVID-19 vaccines and you will find a commonality — automation. From genome sequencing to clinical trials and mass production, the development speed was made possible using highly repeatable automated processes. Here Matthew Dean, sales engineer for medical applications at precision motor and drives specialist maxon UK and Ireland, discusses how improvements in motors and drive systems have enabled the development of the automated technology needed to address today’s challenges....
Over the past 20 years, Worldwide Glass Resources® has emerged as a leader in custom vial design, engineering and manufacturing for global Distributors, OEM’s, Diagnostic and Packaging Companies. From personalized custom barcoded high recovery vials for Pharmaceutical Purification and Compound Libraries to custom vials for Covid Kits, our in-house engineering and production teams are ready to assist with your next vial project....
Avacta Group plc., the developer of diagnostics and innovative cancer therapies based on its proprietary Affimer® and pre|CISION™ platforms, is pleased to announce positive data from the clinical validation of its AffiDX® SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test. Data from the clinical study conducted in Europe on 98 positive COVID-19 samples demonstrate excellent performance in identifying the SARS-CoV-2 virus across a broad range of viral loads....
Ziath offer a complete OEM design, development and supply service based upon its extensive experience of creating high performance 2D barcoded tube scanners and rack readers for biobanking, compound library, pathology and COVID-19 sample management applications. Over the last 15 years - Ziath has established itself as a leading international manufacturer and supplier of instruments for tracking samples through a laboratory work flow using 2D-barcodes....
New ideas to help tackle COVID-19 or prepare for future viral outbreaks are set to get a major boost, thanks to a new service from the medical research charity LifeArc. LifeArc has over 25 years’ expertise in translating science into new healthcare treatments or diagnostics for patients. The charity’s new service, ‘Advise & Connect’, creates a simple and accessible route through which any researcher with an eligible project can access LifeArc’s expertise for free....
LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG, LAUDA, the world market leader for constant temperature equipment and systems, has secured a major order for Variocool process thermostats. The German subsidiary of a major global US company in the biopharmaceutical sector has ordered a total of 76 devices, including accessories, for integration in their systems for producing the Covid-19 vaccine. The different models have a cooling capacity of between 2 and 10 kW....
Abbott announce it now has a CE Mark for use of its Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test Device to detect the SARS-COV-2 virus in children age 15 years and younger. The CE Mark is based on the first-ever study focused on the performance of a rapid antigen test on children, including infants. Abbott has received a CE Mark for the use of Panbio COVID-19 Ag with a nasal swab in asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals and for self-collection of samples...
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global leader of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, has announced the launch of the Reliance SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Kit (IVD) for European markets after having met the CE-IVD mark requirements. The Reliance SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Kit is a real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) test that can detect nucleic acid in SARS-CoV-2, the virus associated with COVID-19 disease....
Labs processing 2,000 to 5,000 tests a day can finally enjoy the benefits of Total Laboratory Automation (TLA) with a compact workflow-automation solution that fits needs. Beckman Coulter, a clinical diagnostics leader, has announced the European launch of the DxA 5000 Fit, a workflow-automation solution designed to fit into medium-sized labs that run fewer than 5,000 tests a day...
Panthera has started vaccinating volunteers in Valneva’s double-blind, phase three, COVID prevention trial. The trial will compare Valneva’s inactivated vaccine, VLA2001, with AstraZeneca’s conditionally approved vaccine Vaxzeria. Unlike earlier COVID-19 vaccine trials, which involved a placebo dose, everyone involved in this study will receive two active vaccine doses....
The Native Antigen Company, part of LGC Clinical Diagnostics and one of the world’s leading suppliers of reagents that enables research into diagnostics and vaccines for emerging and endemic infectious diseases, has announced the launch of its SARS-CoV-2 Neutralisation Assay Development Kit. The kit can be used to identify and qualitatively assess the ability of antibodies to neutralise SARS-CoV-2-receptor binding, to support research into variants and their effects on natural and vaccine-induced patient immunity....
Advanced Biological Laboratories (ABL) has announced the CE-IVD registration of its UltraGene® SARS-CoV-2 Triplex Assay, now available for in-vitro diagnostics use. This innovative test is a real-time RT-PCR test intended for the qualitative detection of RNA from the SARS-CoV-2and genomic variations on the Spike (S) gene and on the ORF1ab gene in upper respiratory specimens from individuals suspected of COVID-19 by their healthcare provider....
Designed to improve efficiency, the AFYS3G Recapper for Screw Cap Tubes can be used as a stand-alone instrument or be simply integrated into a fully automated laboratory environment. This makes the recapper ideal for high throughput workflows, to scale-up sample processing for (COVID-19) testing or research, and to relieve researchers from repetitive manual labor. The Sigma96 can (de)cap a whole rack of sample storage tubes in 30 seconds in a single action....
A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow has identified two known cases of human-to-cat COVID-19 transmission in the UK. In the study, led by the University of Glasgow and published in the Veterinary Record, researchers describe two cases of human-to-cat SARS-CoV-2 transmission, found as part of a COVID-19 screening programme of the feline population in the UK....
Researchers have found that a natural molecule can effectively block the binding of a subset of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The discovery may help explain why some COVID-19 patients can become severely ill despite having high levels of antibodies against the virus. In their research, published in Science Advances, teams from the Francis Crick Institute, in collaboration with researchers at Imperial College London, Kings College London and UCL (University College London), found that biliverdin and bilirubin...
Cancer researchers are having to work extremely early in the morning or late into the night to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on their work after the latest lockdown imposed further restrictions on access to labs. One year on from the first lab closures, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, is warning that tightened restrictions in response to new variants have further limited laboratory research time – and slowed the race to find new cancer treatments....