Bioscience Technology articles from October 2007

Bioscience Technology archives from October 2007

Neuroscience: still getting wired: the simple electrode, long an unglamorous workhorse of neuroscience, may became the field's star tool in the next few years.
October 1, 2007... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Mentioning neuroscience to most people these days generates a recursive loop: their minds picture a picture of a mind. The visually arresting images of modern MRI and PET scans have become the field's de facto brand,...

Snapshot.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Snapshot Lab Automation Objectives % Respondents Increase accuracy/quality of results 73.3% Saves steps and time with specific procedures 66.0% Increases throughput 64.6% Makes better use...

Connected.(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
October 1, 2007... Most readers are likely aware of the annual photomicrography contest sponsored by Nikon Inc. called "Small World." The company hosts a reception each year, usually in October, to introduce the winners. It's a thoroughly enjoyable event that is...

Benchtop ultracentrifuge.(October's Innovations)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Optima MAX-XP ultracentrifuge runs at up to 150,000 rpm. An MLA-150 fixed-angle rotor has a low k-factor for rapid separation of small volume samples such as subcellular particles, viruses and proteins. Users can...

Heated platform for chambered slides.(October's Innovations)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CHS-1 heated platform, a versatile base for many popular disposable glass slides and chambered cover glasses, adapts to any major-brand upright or inverted microscope. The platform features magnetic stainless steel...

Reagent multi-spotter for imaging mass spec.(October's Innovations)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Portrait 630 uses acoustic droplet ejection technology to bring automated reagent deposition to the field of MALDI tissue imaging mass spectrometry (IMS). IMS links the label-free universal detection of mass...

Automated protein association and aggregation.(October's Innovations)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Calypso automated protein association and aggregation system enables quantitative, nondestructive characterization of protein-protein interactions in native solution using Composition-Gradient Multi-Angle Light...

ShRNA Lentiviral particles for gene silencing.(October's Innovations)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SMARTvector shRNA Lentiviral Particles deliver stably-expressed silencing sequences in a broad range of cell types, including those that resist standard transfection such as primary cells, non-dividing cells, stem...

NMR spectrometer.(October's Innovations)
October 1, 2007... The compact Avance III NanoBay NMR spectrometer offers a Microsoft Windows-based user interface (LINUX option) and provides NMR information for pharmaceutical chemists, for academic research and teaching, and for diagnostics research and other...

Incubator-Shakers.(Lab Companion Incubator Shakers offer orbital)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lab Companion Incubator Shakers offer orbital or reciprocal motion with digital (PID) microprocessor controller and digital LED display for temperature, speed and motion The unit can be programmed to provide...

Automated cell dispensing.(October's Innovations)
October 1, 2007... The R-Series BenchCel benchtop microplate handling system features a high-speed plate shuttle that enables rapid and precise accessment of integrated microplate stacks and peripheral instruments. Even the smallest R-Series BenchCel can support...

Invitrogen licenses MicroRNA sequences from natural selection.(Research News)
October 1, 2007... Carlsbad, CA-based Invitrogen Corp. has entered into a licensing agreement with Natural Selection, Inc. (San Diego, CA) to make new microRNA sequences available to researchers. The sequences have been verified experimentally using deep...

Hamner Institute For Health Sciences receives grant for cancer prevention research.(Research News)
October 1, 2007... Dr. William F. Greenlee, president and CEO of The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, an independent, nonprofit organization that offers an open, collaborative and cross-disciplinary approach to strengthen the research investment in...

In vivo, in vitro assays for bone marrow toxicity, engraftment kinetics.(Research News)
October 1, 2007... ReachBio LLC (Seattle, WA) has opened business operations and launched its new Web site (www.reachbio.com). Located in Seattle WA, the company will focus on providing specialized contract assay and contract research services utilizing in o...

Harvard Medical School, Merck in cooperative research agreement.(Research News)
October 1, 2007... Harvard Medical School's Office of Technology Development (OTD) and Merck have announced the signing of a cooperative research agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Harvard Medical School and Merck will jointly advance research programs...

Millipore announces 2007 Young Cell Signaler Of The Year.(Research News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Millipore Corporation, Billerica, MA, has named Michaela Gack the 2007 Young Cell Signaler of the Year. Gack, from Harvard Medical School and the New England Primate Research Center in Southborough, Massachusetts,...

High-throughput thermal cycler.(High-throughput Screening Focus)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The four-bay DNA Engine Tetrad 2 thermal cycler offers four times the capacity of a single-bay unit in a footprint only twice the size. Up to eight individual sample blocks can be controlled independently or as a...

Microplate dispenser.(High-throughput Screening Focus)
October 1, 2007... The MicroFlo Select microplate dispenser offers a range of choices in dynamic dispense volumes, plate types, tube styles and sizes, automated dispense heights and cassettes. Peristaltic design is utilized to deliver volumes from 1 [micro]L to...

NMR robotics system, 96-sample format.(High-throughput Screening Focus)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sample Jet, from Bruker Biospin Corp., is a versatile robotics system that suits both high-throughput NMR and walk-up operations. Robotics are used to rapidly transfer NMR sample tubes arranged in 96 sample format...

Improving immunoprecipitation.(Instruments & Systems)
October 1, 2007... Introduction Immunoprecipitation is a technique that is frequently used to purify specific proteins from complex samples such as cell lysates or extracts. Traditional immunoprecipitation protocols use Protein A or Protein G coupled to an...

An LED light source for fluorescence microscopy.(Instruments & Systems)
October 1, 2007... Fluorescence microscopy requires an intense light source at the specific wavelength that will excite fluorescent dyes and proteins. The traditional method employs a white light, typically from a Mercury or Xenon arc lamp. Although such broad...

Screening, analysis platform upgraded.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... Major software developments for Thermo Fisher Scientific's high-content screening and analysis platform include the introduction of HCSExplorer informatics software, new functionality of the BioApplications line of image analysis software, and...

Detection sulfur-containing compounds.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This assay automatically assesses the concentration, integrity and overall quality of purified RNA samples, and runs in a microfluidic chip format on the Caliper Life Sciences LabChip 90 instrument. The test measures...

High throughput RNA assay.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This assay automatically assesses the concentration, integrity and overall quality of purified RNA samples, and runs in a microfluidic chip format on the Caliper Life Sciences LabChip 90 instrument. The test measures...

Analog data acquisition and peak analysis.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... NAP V4.4 for Windows 2000, XP, Professional or Vista Business operating systems features the ability to append new samples to previously run data files, create new data files using a previously created calibration curve, and to re-define the...

System qualification for UV/Vis spectrophotometer.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This qualification package for the Biochrom Libra range of spectrophotometers assists customers with regulatory compliance. The package comprises documentation allowing a trained, authorized engineer to carry out the...

Scientific plotting software.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... DF_CONTOUR software generates publication-ready graphs and contours from numerical and experimental data. This simple, inexpensive utility/tool can be used to represent and analyze the results of experiments or computational simulations. It...

Reusable electroporation electrodes.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Genepaddles electrodes are placed anterior and posterior to an embryo following injection of a molecule of interest to deliver an electroporation pulse. * BTX 800-272-2775 www.btxonline.com

Evaporative light scattering detection.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The PREPELS II Detector features the same detection performance as the original model, although internal components have been optimized to decrease the overall footprint. The unit is equipped with Thermo-Split...

High throughput RNAi screening system delivers genetic materials to cells.(Product News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Cellaxess-HT, offered for use in the delivery of genetic materials to hard-to-transfect cells in several cell-based screening assays, is a fully automated system that allows for high throughput electroporation of cells in culture directly in...

Calorimeter determines binding parameters.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The iTC200 Isothermal Titration Calorimeter determines all binding parameters without the need for immobilization using as little as 5 to 10 [micro]g of protein. Requiring no assay development, the unit addresses the...

Web access to knowledge server.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... AKS v2.1 allows users to uncover bioentity relationships that exist in over 8 million pubMed abstracts, and also includes chemical information for millions of compounds and links to external databases such as PubChem. Additional functionality...

Dicer Kit and siRNA Transfection Reagent.(RNA Focus)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The X-tremeGENE siRNA Dicer Kit from Roche Applied Science is designed for preparation of pure target gene-specific pools of diced siRNA (d-siRNA) for gene knockdown. Mimicking the cellular RNAi pathway, the Dicer...

Concentrate/Clean RNA.(RNA Focus)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These RNA Clean-up Kits offer a 5 minute method for the preparation of RNA for subsequent manipulations including RT-PCR and microarray analysis. Fast Spin column technology desalts, concentrates and purifies RNA...

Expression profiling of small RNAs.(RNA Focus)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TaqMan Array Human MicroRNA Panel helps scientists look for miRNA biomarkers, and accelerates research related to how microRNAs impact biological processes. The arrays require low amounts of Starting sample....

Lentivirus-based RNAi screening.(RNA Focus)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MISSION LentiExpress shRNA-based system for high-throughput RNAi screening eliminates reagent preparation. A plate enables quick optimization of the system for a particular cell line. A researcher simply adds the...

Magnetic mRNA Isolation Kit.(RNA Focus)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Magnetic mRNA Isolation Kit isolates intact [poly(A).sup.+] RNA from crude cell lysates or tissue without requiring phenol or other chaotropic agents. The technology is based on the coupling of oligo [d(T).sub.25] to...

miRNA QRT-PCR reagents kit.(RNA Focus)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The miRNA QRT-PCR detection kit uses a proprietary miRNA primer design approach to detect mature miRNA from as little as 15 ng of input, down to 100 copies, in less than three hours. Optimized QPCR reagents provide...

Manipulation of the E. coli chromosome for optimizing production strains.(Biochemicals & Kits)
October 1, 2007... Biotechnological methods are being used in production processes, termed white biotechnology, that include biotransformation, fermentation and metabolic engineering. Metabolic engineering stands for targeted modifications of genes in the...

Fluorescein labeling kits.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SureLINK Kits enable labeling of antibodies and other proteins with the fluorophores FITC or FAM-X (FAM fluorophore with succinimidyl ester and a seven atom aminohexanoyl spacer known as "X"). The kits contain all...

B-RAF mutation detection kit.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... B-RAF assay detects V600E, the most common mutation in the B-RAF oncogene, which occurs in many types of cancer including melanoma, colorectal and lung. Tumors with the V600E mutation are exquisitely sensitive to drugs that inhibit the MEK...

Synthetic Matrix for stem cell applications.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... Extracel-LG hydrogel, a hyaluronan-based, synthetic extracellular matrix, can be customized for a specific stem cell type or application. For example, a researcher can add specific human growth factors and/or extracellular matrix proteins to...

Human STR primer set.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The GenomeLab Human STR Primer Set (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA) is used with the company's CEQ instruments and GenomeLab GeXP Genetic Analysis Systems to determine the purity and quality of DNA. For labs with...

Cytotoxicity profiling assay kit detects hepatotoxicity.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... The CellCiphr assay panel detects drug-induced hepatotoxicity and is expected to be used early in the drug discovery process. It uses human HepG2 cells in an assay comprised of validated, multiplexed detection reagents and protocols for testing...

Multiplex Cytokine, Chemokine ELISAs.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... Quansys Multiplexed ELISA Human Cytokine--IR (9-plex), Human Chemokine--IR (9-plex), Mouse Cytokine--IR (9-plex), and Mouse Chemokine--IR (9-plex) assays are central to kinase drug discovery programs for indications including oncology,...

Cell line collection.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This collection features 60 division-arrested cell lines for use in functional cell-based assays and drag screening. Division arrested cells do not require lengthy and laborious culture procedures to prepare live...

Protein expression media.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... BioWhittaker brand ProNS0 Chemically Defined (CD) Serum-free Media supports maximal production of recombinant protein in NS0 cells. The NS0 cell line is widely used for recombinant mammalian protein expression in research and biotherapeutic...

cDNA clones.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... The TrueClone Access Collection is comprised of 5000 expression-ready full-length cDNA clones that enable single-target analysis and a systems biology approach to high-throughput screening, functional studies, and protein production. The clones...

Druggable Genome Libraries.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... MISSION siRNA Druggable Genome Libraries for Human and Rat have been optimized using a set of design rules developed by Rossetta Inpharmatics, (Seattle, WA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck and Company, Inc.). Specifically, design rules in...

siRNAs target range of human genes.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... HP Validated siRNAs are provided with full sequence information. They are validated for functionality by quantitative RT-PCR and provide > 70% target gene knockdown in important gene families such as kinase and cancer-associated genes. For many...

Cell Cycle Assay.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... The Guava Cell Cycle Assay allows quick determination of G0/G1, S and G2/M cell cycle phases. Cell cycle phase percentages and counts are displayed on the same screen as acquisition, without requiring software set-up, making it easy to...

RNA Labeling.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... EPICENTRE Biotechnologies' new TargetAmp Nano-g Biotin-aRNA Labeling Kit for the Illumina System produces high yields of biotin-aRNA (also called cRNA) for hybridization to the Illumina Expression BeadChips. The Biotin-aRNA produced by the kit...

Human Linkage Genotyping Chip.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... Illumina, Inc. has introduced the Infinium Human Linkage-12 Genotyping BeadChip, their fifth multi-sample Infinium BeadChip and the first standard panel to take advantage of a twelve-sample format for linkage analysis. This addition to the...

Extracellular matrix.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Extracel family hydrogel kits are used in 3-D cell culture, primary and stem cell cultivation, tumor xenografts, and tissue engineering. Made from synthetic extracellular matrix (ECM) made from hyaluronic acid, a...

Multiplex gene expression kits.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Beckman Coulter, Inc. has introduced two kits for multiplexed, quantitative gene expression analysis on their GenomeLab GeXP Genetic Analysis System. The new Human Breast CancerPlex and Human MetastasisPlex Kits...

Protein interaction array system sensor chips.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... Used with the ProteOn XPR36 system, the three ProteOn XPR36 sensor chips combine advanced surface chemistries with an alternate approach to surface chemistry activation to optimize ligand binding activity. Each of the chips can conduct up to 36...

siRNA Duplexes.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] siLentMer siRNA duplexes employ dicer-substrate technology, and produce effective gene silencing that can yield knockdown effects for up to 10 days with as little as 5 nM of siRNA. This low concentration can help...

Protein Microarrays.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... SomaPlex slides, for screening protein biomarkers in human tumors, are arrays prepared from a vast collection of total protein lysates derived from numerous human tissues representing a range of cancer subtypes. Detailed clinical and...

Fruit fluorescent proteins.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... Clontech is distributing vectors encoding several of the Fruit Fluorescent Proteins, which are well characterized, and were developed in Dr. Roger Tsien's lab. mCherry is available in four different vector formats to not-for-profit...

Affinity columns removes proteins.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... Multiple Affinity Removal System {MARS) Human-14 removes 95 percent to 99 percent of the 14 most abundant proteins from human blood serum and plasma in one step. The high-abundance proteins account for 94 percent of the total protein mass;...

Cell migration assay.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Oris cell migration assay is reproducible, allows for kinetic and endpoint studies, permits multiple approaches to cell labeling, allows for morphological analysis of cells, and is available in a 96-well plate...

Infrared multiplexed cytokine ELISA arrays.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... These assays are central to kinase drug discovery programs for indications including oncology, inflammation, metabolic, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. The kits include Quansys Multiplexed ELISA (Quansys M.E.) Human Cytokine--IR...

Full-length, biologically-relevant mTOR.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Millipore Corporation offers full-length mTOR kinase as part of their KinaseProfiler Service. The roTOR kinase has recently been linked to many important human diseases, including cancer, diabetes, obesity,...

Clean, regenerate electrophoresis plates.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... GELPLATE-clean is used to clean electrophoresis plates and thus to prevent poor electrophoretic migration, band distortions, and poor image development. Spray and wipe the gel plate and it is ready. Proteins, nucleic acids, fats, lipids,...

Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... Poietics Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells (ADSC) are offered for use in adult stem cell research. The system provides ready to use cells and media for research in areas such as tissue repair, wound healing, cell differentiation, osteoporosis,...

Multi-sample cell disruptor.(Shakers, Stirrers, Homogenizers Focus)
October 1, 2007... The MiniBeadbeater-16 disrupts microorganisms, plant and animal tissue, spores and soil samples. A removeable cassette holds up to sixteen 1.5 or 2 mL microvials, each load with a large number of tiny ceramic beads. The contents are violently...

Magnetic stirrer.(Shakers, Stirrers, Homogenizers Focus)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Heidolph Hei-Tec magnetic stirrers offer a flat design with heating plates of different sizes/shapes, a corrosion-proof aluminum housing that is hermetically sealed, and plates ceramic coating with for protection...

Incubator shaker.(Shakers, Stirrers, Homogenizers Focus)
October 1, 2007... SI9 incubator shakers have a 9.5 cu/ft capacity and offer flexibility in large-scale applications involving cell aeration, metabolism studies, bacteriology, and cell culture. One 19-liter flask can be accommodated in a single load. The shaking...

Stackable Shaker.(Shakers, Stirrers, Homogenizers Focus)
October 1, 2007... MaxQ 6000 stackable shakers offer two adjustable stationary shelves located above an 18" x 18" rotating platform that holds up to five, 2 L Erlenmeyer flasks and has a 0.75" circular orbit. The units are used in plasmid purification, protein...

Adapting automated cell-based assay washing procedures.(Apparatus & Consumables)
October 1, 2007... Since the inception of cell-based assays in microplate format, washing steps have been among the most common sources of error. In developing cell-based assays, investigators begin with manual microplate washing methods using squeeze bottles or...

Automated crystallization plate production.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... MaX WorkCell automated macromolecular crystallization plate production system is compatible with multiple plate types and crystallization techniques. Experiment tracking and data handling maximizes work flow efficiency. As a preconfigured...

Stereo microscopes.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With fixed inclination angles of 45 and 60 degrees, the SMZ445 and SMZ460 stereo microscopes feature lightweight porro prism optics and have ESD protection to prevent electrostatic damage to samples. In standard...

Biological safety cabinet.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1300 Series A2 Class II biological safety cabinets are offered in 4 and 6-foot wide models. Intelligent speed control reduces blower speed to 30% when the window is closed, extending HEPA filter life, ensuring a...

Microplate spin-down.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... Integrating the Velocityll BenchCel microplate handling system and VSpin Access 2 automated microplate centrifuge, this workstation automates handling of up to 320 microplates. A software interface allows users to specify centrifugation...

Multi-application imaging.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two of the G:BOX multi-application imaging systems have shown excellent performance with Oligo GEArrays, offering researchers a precise method of characterizing gene expression. Using a G:BOX Chemi HR16, researchers...

Nano-scale reagent delivery.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... MicroPlant microfluidics-based device enables precise encapsulation of aqueous molecular biology reagents within re-dissolvable polymer microspheres. The ability to consistently encapsulate accurate reagent quantities is useful in a variety of...

CCD camera.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From bright, high dynamic range applications to single photon imaging over long integrations, ImagEM CCD provides images with excellent signal-to-noise ratios. New methods for driving this CCD offer modes for fast,...

Macro-volume pipettor.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... This macro volume pipettor along with the 10 ml tip provides a convenient way to handle large volumes of liquid accurately and safely. The pipettor features chemical resistance and is compatible with many liquids, including chloroform. Safe...

Platelet centrifuge.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... PDQ centrifuge, dedicated to the standardization of platelet sample preparation, reduces process time to five minutes. Platelet-rich plasma is available in 30 seconds, platelet-poor plasma in 120 seconds and platelet-free plasma in 180 seconds....

Small animal ventilator.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HSE-HA MicroVent provides ventilation for prenatal mice and other very small animals. It is small enough to be placed close to the animal, resulting in minimal dead space volume. This is especially important as...

Hard-shell PCR plates.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hard-shell PCR plates are used in high-throughput DNA sequencing centers because they have an automation-friendly design. The skirt and deck are molded from a rigid thermostable polymer, which prevents the distortion...

Benchtop centrifuge.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Microfuge 16 weighs just 14 pounds and is less than seven inches tall. It spins quietly at 16,163 xg (14,800 rpm) for fast pelleting or isolation of DNA, RNA, proteins and viruses. This unit can operate in a...

High pressure fittings.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These fittings permit direct connection of 360 micron OD fused silica, PEEK, stainless, or electroformed nickel tubing without using liners. Because of the fitting's compact size and fine 2-56 threads, a lead-free...

High pressure syringe pump.(Product News)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The KDS 410 Pump can be triggered remotely by a foot pedal or a switch. It can also be connected to a computer through an RS 232 interface. This permits feeding of animals with minimal interference: The high pressure...