Genetic fingerprint unmasks microbial vandals
17 January, 2006
For the first time DNA analysis can identify paper-degrading microorganisms. This is made possible by a molecular process developed for fungal infected documents at the University of Vienna with support from the Austrian Science Fund FWF.
Plate planning
16 January, 2006 | Supplied by: Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Electron has achieved greater speed and efficiency in data archiving and plate planning with version 7.0 of Nautilus LIMS, the company's laboratory information management system for early stage discovery in biotechnology research and discovery.
Disease-specific assays
16 January, 2006 | Supplied by: http://www.bdal.com/
HealthLinx has entered into a collaboration with Bruker Daltonics, which will focus on technology transfer and cooperation between the two firms to develop disease-specific assays for use in in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) research and clinical trials using Bruker Daltonics' ClinProt platform technology for clinical proteomics.
Genome-wide RNAi library with cellular screening system
16 January, 2006 | Supplied by: http://www.qiagen.com/
Xantos Biomedicine AG and Qiagen have announced their partnership for co-marketing Qiagen's proprietary TOM-amidite chemistry-based genome-wide RNAi products with Xantos' automated cell-based screening platform, XantoScreen. By combining the capabilities of both companies' platforms users will be able to rapidly perform gene analysis and unravel the function and role of genes that are relevant to their area of interest.
DNA separation
16 January, 2006 | Supplied by: http://www.cambrex.com/
Cambrex's FlashGel System can be used to separate DNA in 2-7 mins while monitoring migration in real time on the bench under normal laboratory light conditions (no harmful UV illumination).
Kidney stone analysis using FTIR spectrometry
08 January, 2006 | Supplied by: Thermo Fisher Scientific
A Kidney Stone Library & Analysis Kit has been developed to assist in the identification and characterisation of kidney stones by spectral analysis
Differential cell sorting speeds sample preparation
08 January, 2006
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in California have developed an enhancement to a dielectrophoresis system that they say could revolutionise the way biological sample preparation is conducted
GeneFlash USB gel documentation system
08 December, 2005
Syngene has introduced the GeneFlash USB, claimed to be the first gel documentation system on the market to use USB memory device technology to accurately record gel images that are both PC and Mac compatible.
SpectraMax M5 microplate reader
11 November, 2005 | Supplied by: Millennium Science Pty Ltd
The Molecular Devices SpectraMax M5 is a five mode microplate reader with three mode cuvette port. It is a dual-monochromator, multi-detection microplate reader which features a triple-mode cuvette port and single-read command capability for experiments requiring multiple detection parameters. Using two scanning monochromators, the system also provides users with the flexibility to choose any wavelength between 200 and 1000 nm. The instrument uses standard microplates (6 to 384 well) to read endpoint, kinetic, spectrum, multi-wavelength and well area scanning.
PRIDE: an open source database of protein identifications
06 November, 2005
The European Bioinformatics Institute and Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology-Ghent University have launched the PRoteomics IDEntifications database (PRIDE; www.ebi.ac.uk/pride). PRIDE allows researchers who work in the field of proteomics - the large-scale study of proteins - to share information much more readily than was previously possible. This will allow them to exploit the growing mass of information on how the body's complement of proteins is altered in many disease states, paving the way towards new predictive and diagnostic methods in medicine.
Predicting protein separation behaviour
03 November, 2005
Applying math and computers to the drug-discovery process, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a method to predict protein separation behaviour directly from protein structure. This multi-scale protein modelling approach may reduce the time it takes to bring pharmaceuticals to market and may have significant implications for an array of biotechnology applications, including bioprocessing, drug discovery and proteomics, the study of protein structure and function.
Screening test for infant iron deficiency
28 October, 2005
A new blood test detects iron deficiency in infants earlier and more accurately than the commonly used haemoglobin screening test, according to a study in the August 24/31 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Iron deficiency is estimated to affect nearly 10% of American children one to two years of age. Early detection and treatment are critical because iron deficiency can impair infant mental development, possibly permanently, even before it progresses to anaemia.
Testing methods for monkeypox and smallpox
23 October, 2005
Researchers at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI) at Oregon Health & Science University have developed new diagnostic methods to better detect future monkeypox or smallpox outbreaks. The research also sheds new light on the 2003 monkeypox outbreak in the US - monkeypox is closely related to smallpox. This new information suggests that the 2003 outbreak was larger than the 72 cases reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Detecting inflammatory cells in blood vessels
22 October, 2005
Atherosclerotic plaque typically builds up without symptoms and the search is on to develop early detection devices that will enable physicians to offer treatment before the disease progresses to advanced stages.
Quicker, less invasive cancer detection
17 October, 2005
A Mississippi State research team is developing a cancer screening process that may allow physicians to more quickly diagnose malignancies without performing invasive biopsies. Utilising laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS, scientists are seeking to precisely distinguish malignant and normal cells in real time by inserting a single optical fibre microprobe directly into suspicious tissue for a cancer diagnosis, including breast cancer.
