In collaboration with scientists from the European Union Reference Laboratory for Dioxins and PCBs in Feed and Food, Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed a simple, reliable and robust method for detecting and confirming low levels of dioxins in food and feed samples using a triple quadrupole gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS) system equipped with an autosampler.

Application Note 10406: Validation of GC-MS/MS for Detection and Confirmation of Low-Level Dioxins illustrates the excellent selectivity and sensitivity of this GC-MS/MS System for low levels of dioxins, even in complex matrices. Dioxins are a group of chemically-related compounds, including polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and some dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These compounds are...

Two new case studies highlighting the versatility of the Matrix Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) at Castrol’s Lubricant Technology Centre and Cavendish Nuclear’s environmental laboratory are now available for download.

'Matrix Provides Paperless LIMS At Castrol’ describes how product and development scientists at the Lubricant Technology Centre at Castrol, Pangbourne, Berkshire, UK, can request analytical tests and receive results by accessing Matrix from their own computers. Castrol, part of BP, has been a Matrix LIMS customer for more than 20 years. The analytical laboratory at Pangbourne provides a comprehensive test facility for the...

Edinburgh Instruments is pleased to announce the release of 310 nm picosecond pulsed LED with a sub-800 picosecond typical pulse width.

This is first of many forthcoming new product releases to have such a low pulse width and is optimised for Time Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC). The EPLED 310 is a compact, robust, maintenance free, fully integrated system supplied in a single package. It is pre-adjusted for an optimum pulse width of <800 ps with particular attention paid to reducing a long tail in the temporal profile. EPLED diode lasers provide a...

Analytik, leading suppliers of innovative analytical instrumentation, announce the UK and Ireland availability of the ASD QualitySpec Trek Portable Vis-NIR Spectrometer. 

Analytik are exclusive UK and Ireland suppliers of ASD’s high performance portable and handheld spectrometers for the field, lab and factory. They will work with prospective users on their applications challenges to produce a solution with the full support of the ASD, a PANalytical company team, based in Colorado, USA. QualitySpec Trek is a truly portable full-range near-infrared spectrometer that is fast, accurate and easy to use. From...

Cresset, innovative provider of computational chemistry software and services, is pleased to announce that Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Australia’s leading pharmacy and pharmaceutical science educators and researchers, has licensed Cresset’s Forge and Spark software.

These applications provide extensive capabilities in SAR analysis, ligand-based molecular design and bioisosteric replacement. “Cresset’s software is used in the R&D departments of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.  It is great to know that our students will be using the very same cutting edge tools for their molecular design and optimization work,” says Dr David Manallack, Senior Lecturer at Monash University. “Cresset’s software will...

The failure of experimental liver cancer therapies directed specifically against the EGFR protein is presumably the result of insufficiently specific patient selection.

This is the conclusion that can be drawn from data that were obtained within the framework of a project carried out by an Austrian Science Fund FWF doctoral programme, and that have now been published in NATURE Cell Biology. The data prove that the tumour-promoting effect of EGFR originates, not directly from its expression in the tumour cells, but rather from its presence in the surrounding cells (macrophages) of the immune system. This predicts that experimental anti-EGFR therapeutic agents will prove effective only in patients who exhibit EGFR in the...

Bigneat emphasises in the choice of name for their new workstation that this recently developed recirculatory filtration fume system has consistent airflow ensuring the integrity of the ‘working safe-zone’ and providing the user with unhindered accessibility. 

Most laboratories follow ‘good practice’ guidelines and staff are encouraged to use safety hoods for the handling of chemicals and powders that might become airbourne and potentially contaminate the working environment. Occassionally however it may not be convenient or possible to undertake a procedure in a hood. In Bigneat’s continuing quest to supply equipment to improve safety in the laboratory, to provide cost effective, convenient, fume and...

Porvair Sciences has published a new guide to help laboratories choose the best way to verify the quality and quantity of their Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) DNA.

The guide reports on experiments undertaken to compare the performance of the Thermo Scientific NanoDrop 2000™, the Life Technologies Qubit 2.0® fluorimeter and the Agilent Bioanalyzer 2100© for qualitative and quantitative analysis of double stranded immunoprecipitated DNA. The advantages and limitations of detection sensitivity, reproducibility and automated analysis of each instrument are discussed. The compatibility of...

Researchers at the National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, ISPRA) in Italy have been testing the TouchTools™ PCR Wizard with the Freedom EVO^® PCR workstation to simplify complex genetics workflows.

High quality digital microscopy is now more accessible than ever with the new 5 Megapixel SC50 microscope camera from Olympus, bringing fast, Full HD live imaging and more to a host of routine applications.

Designed for the convenience of everyday use and ideal under low light conditions, the new 5 megapixel SC50 microscope camera from Olympus is built on the latest CMOS chip technology to deliver improved speed, sensitivity and resolution at a truly affordable price. Achieving Full HD images at 32 fps, high speed imaging with the SC50 captures and records dynamic events. The camera delivers clear, high quality images to nearly every kind of...

A new flyer is available demonstrating the benefits of Cogent TYPE-C silica columns for environmental and food applications.

With the capability to purify compounds by preparative HPLC and FLASH on the same instrument, Gilson's Personal Liquid Chromatography (PLC) systems will simplify and streamline compound purification for your lab - accelerating your research.

These customizable instruments are available in a simple configuration for basic applications, but with a wide range of upgrade options in order to meet the demands of more advanced organic/medicinal chemists and experienced chromatographers. Systems are controlled via an intuitive touch screen interface, making it easy to write and edit methods, or adjust parameters on the fly....

J. G. Finneran Associates is pleased to announce the addition of 11mm Aluminum Seals and Snap Top Caps with Metal O-Rings.

The new 11mm aluminum seals and snap caps are available assembled with a septa and a round metal (magnetic) o-ring for use in any application where magnets are used to transport a vial. Choose 11mm aluminum seals lined with PTFE/Butyl, PTFE/Silicone or PTFE/Silicone/PTFE septum. Choose our Snap Top Caps;  available with PTFE, PTFE/Butyl Rubber, PTFE/Silicone, PTFE/Silicone/PTFE or PTFE/Silicone lined with slit septa....

Market leaders in temperature controlled microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments have launched their first educational videos to help introduce users to some of the new thermal microscopy techniques and associated testing methods.

Irvine Scientific, a world leader in the innovation and manufacture of cell culture media, announced today the addition of PRIME-XV® FreezIS DMSO-Free, a chemically-defined cryopreservation solution for human mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) that is free of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and animal-derived components.

Amid growing concerns that DMSO may compromise the potency of MSCs, offering an effective DMSO-free cryoprotectant is an important addition to PRIME-XV product line.  Researchers can now characterize cells in DMSO-free environments during basic and translational research, which may add valuable insight downstream and facilitate scale-up. PRIME-XV FreezIS DMSO-Free maintains the potency of MSCs throughout cryopreservation while...

YSI, a Xylem brand, has just launched a new multiparameter handheld meter, the YSI ProDSS.

This digital handheld adds turbidity measurement as an option to the handheld line, and it also incorporates universal ports, a color display, as well as smart sensor technology. Smart sensors enable automatic configuration of the sensor when installed, and those configurations stay with the sensor – even if removed from the instrument – providing ultimate flexibility. The technology in the ProDSS is similar to that found in larger systems used for continuous deployment, but it’s now available in the...

The new E-capper from Porvair Sciences produces top quality seals and minimises the risk of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) in operators tasked with sealing deep well microplates or storage tube racks with re-useable cap mats.

The fully electronic E-capper applies firm even pressure simultaneously across the whole cap mat, ensuring a tight even fit across the plate or rack. In extensive field testing the E-Capper has been proven to deliver perfect sealing time after time thereby ensuring sample integrity. The versatile E-capper uses a powerful actuator enabling it to reproducibly press silicone, polypropylene, PTFE , TPE or Santoprene cap mats firmly into...

Cresset, innovative provider of computational chemistry software and services, is pleased to announce that Proximagen, a company focused on the development and commercialisation of novel therapeutics for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), has licensed Cresset’s Forge and Spark software.

These applications provide extensive capabilities in SAR analysis, ligand-based molecular design and bioisosteric replacement. "Proximagen has successfully used Cresset’s computational chemistry tools in the past to generate pharmacophores from known ligands and to identify novel chemical series by scaffold hopping,” says Dr Ed Savory, Deputy Head of Chemistry at Proximagen. “We will be using Spark to identify new drug scaffolds and to...

Spark Holland B.V. is pleased to announce that the company has been presented with the prestigious Frost & Sullivan 2014 award for Best Practices in Product Line Strategy Leadership in the LC-MS industry.

Frost & Sullivan is renowned as the the world leader in growth consulting and the integrated areas of technology research, market research, mega trends, economic research, best practices, training, customer research, competitive intelligence and corporate strategy....

Micronic has announced a new version 2.2.6 of its Tracxer storage tube code reading software.

Fully compatible with all Micronic tube scanners** the new user friendly software is easy to install, gives reliable code readings and can be smoothly integrated into any laboratory sample database. All new features in version 2.2.6 are included as standard in the software at no extra cost together with free upgrades and technical support. The useful new features including ActiveX tool kit, improved single tube reading functionality and...

Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed an efficient and simple high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of dicyandiamide in milk powder using an ion-exclusion chromatography column that is capable of rapidly analyzing polar compounds such as aliphatic organic acids and alcohols in complex and high-ionic-strength samples.

Chiron’s website has recently enjoyed a dramatic make over, and now features a modern webshop, to meet the challenging demands of today’s 24/7 work culture.

Chiron’s new webshop already showcases over 7000 products, and is rapidly growing. The intuitive search engine allows users to quickly and easily explore a comprehensive range of reference materials for toxicological, pharmaceutical, environmental, food safety, petroleum and geochemical analysis. Inge Fenstad, the orchestrator of the online developments commented, “We are delighted to provide our customers around the world with the convenience and flexibility of browsing our offering, and placing orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week”....