Users of Autoscribe Informatics’ Matrix LIMS recently attended a busy User Group Meeting at the Williams F1 Centre in Oxfordshire, UK.
Presentations from users and Autoscribe technical specialists were interwoven with live link-ups to Autoscribe experts at a number of locations in the US to provide a varied perspective on current and future uses of Matrix. The key theme that ran through the meeting was the flexibility provided by the Matrix Gemini configuration tools to allow users to organise their LIMS to their exact needs....
A newly identified method of activating drugs to combat one of the world’s most destructive `neglected’ diseases could lead to better medicines according to new research led by the University of Dundee.
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a disease which blights the developing world with 200,000 to 400,000 new cases and an estimated 40,000 deaths annually, making it the second biggest parasitic killer after malaria. The vast majority of cases are seen in seven countries - India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan. There are no vaccines available and current drug treatments all have serious limitations such as prolonged administration...
Merck has expanded its portfolio of EZ-Fit™ filtration units, ready-to-use, disposable filtration devices for bioburden testing. The new EZ-Fit™ filtration units come with a wide range of membrane sizes to suit all applications, and a new patented drain design to accelerate processing of turbid and hard-to-filter matrices....
Avacta Group plc announces a research collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) to evaluate the use of Avacta’s Affimer technology in novel CAR-T cell-based immunotherapy.
CAR-T immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment in which the patient’s own immune system T cells are modified to give them greater potency with which to attack cancer cells .Treatments using these engineered immune cells have generated promising responses in patients with advanced cancers and CAR-T immunotherapy has become an intense area of research, clinical development and investment.
Available now, new software offers innovative features, facilitating improved liquid handling quality assurance
Artel, the technology leader in liquid handling quality assurance, today announced the release of its new PCS® Software. Fully compatible with Artel’s current PCS instruments, the software will also be integrated with the latest generation of the Pipette Calibration System (PCS), to be available late 2016. Artel developed the new software to provide a fully integrated software....
The NORLUX Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, an international research center which is part of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) has installed MR Solution’s - MRS 3017 - 3T cryogen-free MRI preclinical scanner to further cancer research with a particular focus on malignant brain tumours.
Not only does this 17 cm bore scanner provide state of the art images but its small footprint – the size of a desk - means it can easily be accommodated while the integrity of the specific pathogen free (SPF) environment remains intact as there is no need for an emergency liquid helium venting system. It is also the only 3T scanning system which has the ability to operate at various clinical field strengths allowing easy translation of the researchers’ applications to the clinic. Further...
Breath analysis technology to be used in leading clinical study to predict and characterise onset of severe asthma attacks
Owlstone Medical, a diagnostics company, today announced it has entered into collaboration with Imperial College London, the world leading science-based research institution and university. The company’s breath analysis technology will be deployed in an ongoing study led by Imperial College to evaluate underlying causes of exacerbations in severe asthma patients....
Why Choose Between Fast or Accurate When You Can Have Both?
With the flu season fast approaching, healthcare providers no longer need to choose between a fast test result or an accurate test result for patients suspected of influenza infection. Now, they can have both, with Xpert® Xpress Flu/RSV from Cepheid, a new test that delivers reference-quality molecular test results in as little as twenty minutes...
New application dramatically reduces paperwork and the risk of errors and equipment failures
Laboratories throughout the country are highly automated operations but logging instruments checks and calibrations to meet regulatory requirements is still mostly a manual paper task. A new medical application virtually eliminates the need for paper logs and allows laboratory engineers and technicians to perform routine quality inspections and equipment maintenance using a tablet...
Specialised Imaging Ltd reports as of 1st October 2016 the formation of a new division - Wegapixel focusing on the design and development of advanced CMOS imaging sensors.
Wegapixel has been set-up as a turn-key solutions provider for custom CMOS image sensors. In addition to conventional imager design, the company brings together unique expertise in many application areas including high speed imaging, electron microscopy, X-ray digital imaging as well as UV and IR imaging....
At the recent International Symposium on GPC/SEC and Related Techniques in Amsterdam, Postnova Analytics presented a well-received lecture entitled 'Comprehensive Characterization of Natural Rubber Samples using Thermal Field-Flow-Fractionation coupled with MALS and Triple Detection'.
The presentation by Dr Gerhard Heinzmann included an informative introduction to the Thermal Field Flow Fractionation (TF3) technique, a comparison of the technique versus using GPC/SEC and application examples including data from a complex natural rubber sample. The speaker explained how advantageously TF3 is able to separate samples by both particle size and chemical composition at the same time....
Magritek reports on how the Centre of Expertise on Sustainable Chemistry at Karel de Grote University College in Antwerp is using a Spinsolve benchtop NMR spectrometer in both teaching and research.
Dr Jeroen Geuens is a member of the Centre of Expertise on Sustainable Chemistry (CESC) based in Antwerp at the Karel de Grote University College. The Centre specialises in research and services related to chemical and production processes together with offering professional degree courses.....
EM Resolutions, manufacturers and suppliers of tools and accessories for users of electron microscopes, launches the EM-Storr vacuum sample storage container.
EM Resolutions announces the EM-Storr vacuum sample storage container which has been specifically developed to protect EM samples under vacuum during storage and transportation. EM-Storr has a modern space saving design and superior construction using high vacuum compatible materials to reduce outgassing and to hold vacuum for extended periods....
Until now, the only way to diagnose disease accurately using a microscope has been to take samples and send them back to a laboratory for expensive and time-consuming tests, carried out by experienced pathologists.
With the arrival of the ioLight microscope however, vets can immediately look at the sample and be able to either reassure pet owners or farmers , or prioritise laboratory diagnosis and treatment, if they are concerned. Launched in 2016, the ioLight microscope is the first professional-quality pocket digital microscope....
Quorum Technologies report on the use of their Q150T ES combined sputter coating and carbon coating system selected as a general purpose workhorse facility for the Biomedical Imaging Unit at Southampton University.
The Biomedical Imaging Unit (BIU) is a core facility which provides a diagnostic and research service in high quality/high resolution microscopy. It is a joint facility run for the benefit of, and jointly funded by, the University of Southampton and Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust with eight full time staff....
AMSBIO has expanded its wide and varied catalogue of primary and progenitor cell types and media with a new range of human endothelial progenitor cells (EPC).
Human endothelial progenitor cells are a primitive cell type. They are bone marrow derived cells with properties similar to embryonic angioblasts. Progenitor cells migrate into the blood stream and are able to differentiate into a variety of mature vascular endothelial cell types....
The HSE have issued guidelines to help employers select the right type of protective glove for their particular situation.
The HSE issued guidelines to help employers select the right type of protective glove for their particular situation. They realise that considering all possible implications in the decision can be a daunting task, and so they have provided 5 main factors that all employers should consider when choosing the right type of protective glove...
Siemens Healthineers has been collaborating with the University of Cambridge to install a new type of MRI scanner, which will allow researchers to see detail in the brain as tiny as a grain of sand.
The Siemens 7T Terra MRI has the potential to bring a new era of personalised treatments to major illnesses, including cancer, dementia and mental health conditions. The cutting-edge machinery gives researchers the opportunity to study how the brain encodes information, including things like individual memories. This means the scanner will now be able to now pick up on extremely small structures, including those associated with the early stages of Alzheimer...
Markes International has announced the launch of a new technology for high-capacity sorptive extraction of organic chemicals from liquids and solids.
The new HiSorb product range includes probes and accessories that sorptively extract volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) for analysis by thermal desorption (TD)–GC–MS. They can be used for both immersive extraction from liquids, or headspace sampling from solids. “HiSorb will especially appeal to existing TD users looking to extend their capabilities”, says HiSorb Product Manager Dr Lara Kelly...
Quite often, generic pipette tips on a multichannel pipette resemble a mountain range rather than perfectly aligned tips.
The reason for misaligned tips lies in the widespread generic tip cone and tip fitting design as well as in the memory effect of the tip material, which gradually moves back to its original, non-stretched shape. Pipette tips not being perfectly level on a multichannel pipette are very likely to cause issues such as different immersion depths or faulty touch offs of individual tips, leading to negatively impacted pipetting results....
Genevac reports on a customer paper that describes the development and advantages of a new evaporative methodology for Mass Spectroscopic (MS) analysis replacing the traditional Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) technique for preparing environmental samples.
In recent years HPLC/MS/MS and UPLC have become the sensitive and specific techniques of choice for the detection of algal toxins in water. While the majority of published studies employ SPE for preparing environmental samples for MS or UPLC analysis, using this methodology can be very time consuming. In this paper a direct solvent evaporation methodology...
GENVASC study involving University of Leicester aims to improve risk prediction of Coronary Artery Disease
A team of researchers from the University of Leicester and NIHR Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit (LCBRU) in conjunction with colleagues from Primary Care and Leicester and Leicestershire CCGs have recruited their 20,000th participant to a landmark genetics study. The Genetics and Vascular Health Check study (GENVASC) aims to determine whether the addition of genetic information can better...
Presentations from users and Autoscribe technical specialists were interwoven with live link-ups to Autoscribe experts at a number of locations in the US to provide a varied perspective on current and future uses of Matrix. The key theme that ran through the meeting was the flexibility provided by the Matrix Gemini configuration tools to allow users to organise their LIMS to their exact needs....
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a disease which blights the developing world with 200,000 to 400,000 new cases and an estimated 40,000 deaths annually, making it the second biggest parasitic killer after malaria. The vast majority of cases are seen in seven countries - India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan. There are no vaccines available and current drug treatments all have serious limitations such as prolonged administration...
Merck has expanded its portfolio of EZ-Fit™ filtration units, ready-to-use, disposable filtration devices for bioburden testing. The new EZ-Fit™ filtration units come with a wide range of membrane sizes to suit all applications, and a new patented drain design to accelerate processing of turbid and hard-to-filter matrices....
CAR-T immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment in which the patient’s own immune system T cells are modified to give them greater potency with which to attack cancer cells .Treatments using these engineered immune cells have generated promising responses in patients with advanced cancers and CAR-T immunotherapy has become an intense area of research, clinical development and investment.
Artel, the technology leader in liquid handling quality assurance, today announced the release of its new PCS® Software. Fully compatible with Artel’s current PCS instruments, the software will also be integrated with the latest generation of the Pipette Calibration System (PCS), to be available late 2016. Artel developed the new software to provide a fully integrated software....
Not only does this 17 cm bore scanner provide state of the art images but its small footprint – the size of a desk - means it can easily be accommodated while the integrity of the specific pathogen free (SPF) environment remains intact as there is no need for an emergency liquid helium venting system. It is also the only 3T scanning system which has the ability to operate at various clinical field strengths allowing easy translation of the researchers’ applications to the clinic. Further...
Owlstone Medical, a diagnostics company, today announced it has entered into collaboration with Imperial College London, the world leading science-based research institution and university. The company’s breath analysis technology will be deployed in an ongoing study led by Imperial College to evaluate underlying causes of exacerbations in severe asthma patients....
With the flu season fast approaching, healthcare providers no longer need to choose between a fast test result or an accurate test result for patients suspected of influenza infection. Now, they can have both, with Xpert® Xpress Flu/RSV from Cepheid, a new test that delivers reference-quality molecular test results in as little as twenty minutes...
Laboratories throughout the country are highly automated operations but logging instruments checks and calibrations to meet regulatory requirements is still mostly a manual paper task. A new medical application virtually eliminates the need for paper logs and allows laboratory engineers and technicians to perform routine quality inspections and equipment maintenance using a tablet...
Wegapixel has been set-up as a turn-key solutions provider for custom CMOS image sensors. In addition to conventional imager design, the company brings together unique expertise in many application areas including high speed imaging, electron microscopy, X-ray digital imaging as well as UV and IR imaging....
The presentation by Dr Gerhard Heinzmann included an informative introduction to the Thermal Field Flow Fractionation (TF3) technique, a comparison of the technique versus using GPC/SEC and application examples including data from a complex natural rubber sample. The speaker explained how advantageously TF3 is able to separate samples by both particle size and chemical composition at the same time....
Dr Jeroen Geuens is a member of the Centre of Expertise on Sustainable Chemistry (CESC) based in Antwerp at the Karel de Grote University College. The Centre specialises in research and services related to chemical and production processes together with offering professional degree courses.....
EM Resolutions announces the EM-Storr vacuum sample storage container which has been specifically developed to protect EM samples under vacuum during storage and transportation. EM-Storr has a modern space saving design and superior construction using high vacuum compatible materials to reduce outgassing and to hold vacuum for extended periods....
With the arrival of the ioLight microscope however, vets can immediately look at the sample and be able to either reassure pet owners or farmers , or prioritise laboratory diagnosis and treatment, if they are concerned. Launched in 2016, the ioLight microscope is the first professional-quality pocket digital microscope....
The Biomedical Imaging Unit (BIU) is a core facility which provides a diagnostic and research service in high quality/high resolution microscopy. It is a joint facility run for the benefit of, and jointly funded by, the University of Southampton and Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust with eight full time staff....
Human endothelial progenitor cells are a primitive cell type. They are bone marrow derived cells with properties similar to embryonic angioblasts. Progenitor cells migrate into the blood stream and are able to differentiate into a variety of mature vascular endothelial cell types....
The Siemens 7T Terra MRI has the potential to bring a new era of personalised treatments to major illnesses, including cancer, dementia and mental health conditions. The cutting-edge machinery gives researchers the opportunity to study how the brain encodes information, including things like individual memories. This means the scanner will now be able to now pick up on extremely small structures, including those associated with the early stages of Alzheimer...
The new HiSorb product range includes probes and accessories that sorptively extract volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) for analysis by thermal desorption (TD)–GC–MS. They can be used for both immersive extraction from liquids, or headspace sampling from solids. “HiSorb will especially appeal to existing TD users looking to extend their capabilities”, says HiSorb Product Manager Dr Lara Kelly...
The reason for misaligned tips lies in the widespread generic tip cone and tip fitting design as well as in the memory effect of the tip material, which gradually moves back to its original, non-stretched shape. Pipette tips not being perfectly level on a multichannel pipette are very likely to cause issues such as different immersion depths or faulty touch offs of individual tips, leading to negatively impacted pipetting results....
In recent years HPLC/MS/MS and UPLC have become the sensitive and specific techniques of choice for the detection of algal toxins in water. While the majority of published studies employ SPE for preparing environmental samples for MS or UPLC analysis, using this methodology can be very time consuming. In this paper a direct solvent evaporation methodology...
A team of researchers from the University of Leicester and NIHR Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit (LCBRU) in conjunction with colleagues from Primary Care and Leicester and Leicestershire CCGs have recruited their 20,000th participant to a landmark genetics study. The Genetics and Vascular Health Check study (GENVASC) aims to determine whether the addition of genetic information can better...