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European Biotechnology Science & Industry News April 2012 SPECIAL II Bioanalytics

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New impetus for the industry +++ First ELISA to detect Schmallenberg virus +++ “Commitment to patients in Europe” +++ Products and Services

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Page 1: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

EuropeanBiotechnology

Science & Industry NewsApril 2012

SPECIAL

II BioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikBioanalytikII Bioanalytics

31_EBSIN4_12_Special_Titel_tg.indd 1 29.03.2012 12:08:30 Uhr

Page 2: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

BIOCOM AG | Lützowstraße 33–36 | 10785 Berlin | Germanywww.biocom.de | Tel. +49 (0)30 264921-0 | Fax +49 (0)30 264921-11

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BIOCOM_EA_en_210x275.indd 1 28.03.2012 15:09:03 Uhr32_EBSIN4_12_BIOCOM_EA.indd 1 28.03.2012 15:09:57 Uhr

Page 3: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

Euro|Biotech|NewsNº 4 | Volume 11 | 2012 33

Special aNalytica 2012

For the first time ever, parts of halls B1, B2 and A3 will be transformed into gen-uine laboratory environments enabling visitors to view exhibited equipment in live operation on laboratory benches. Daily presentations will inform about de-velopments in the fields of forensics and clinical diagnostics, plastics analysis, and food and water analysis. ”By intro-ducing the Live Labs, we are establishing new elements that allow visitors to ex-change information about products and discuss specific applications with man-ufacturers under actual working condi-

Intro

Biennial analytic tools fair opens gates Europe’s largest congress and fair for lab equipment, analytic tools and bio technology has grown steadily in the past decade. Last time 33,000 visitors (2008: 32,500/ 2006: 27,200) from 120 nations headed to the Analytica for the latest developments in the fields of analytics and biotech presented by 1,038 exhibitors (2008: 1,032/ 2006: 847). this year, the organisers from Messe München have added some novelties to attract even more people to the show, which will take place from 17-20 April in Munich.

tions directly at the fair,” explains Exhi-bition Director Katja Stolle.

As in previous years, the trade show is the heart of the Analytica. Hall A3 is the most relevant for bio technologists. It will house 85% of the approximately 300 bio tech exhibitors. During the first three days (17-19 April) of the fair, diverse fo-rums will also take place there. Biotech topics will include bioanalysis, diag-nostic techniques, fluorescence tech-niques, immunoanalysis, high through-put screening, drug discovery, and bio-process engineering. On the last day, a

finance forum will showcase brief com-pany presentations, as well as lectures from venture capital firms and players in the field of industrial biotech. The lat-est developments in lab instrumenta-tion and analytic equipment will be fea-tured in different forums that take place in hall B2.

Headlining the accompanying Analyt-ica conference are topics like progress in bioanalytical liquid chromatography/mass spectometry (LC-MS), proteom-ics, next-generation sequencing, clini-cal metabolomics and diagnosis, bio-informatics, drug testing and screening, and food analysis.

From clinical diagnostics to next-gen sequencing

New technologies are emerging rapidly, especially in the upcoming field of mo-lecular diagnostics. In this issue, Kath-rin Hagel gives us an update on the nov-elties that will be showcased (see page 34). Up to now, patient stratification has been aided by bio marker tests – the cur-rent gold standard for selection of tar-geted therapies. They include for exam-ple BRAC assays from Myriad Genet-ics, which recently opened its European headquarters in Munich (see page 38). However, brand new studies performed by UK researchers have underlined that valid diagnostic bio markers for predict-ing cancer development can’t be revealed by simple standard molecular diagnostic tests due to genetic intratumour hetero-geneity. They recommend making use of ultradeep next -generation resequencing at multiple malignancy sites (see page 40). Next-generation sequencing could be useful for monitoring outbreaks of human pathogens. In animals, however, classic PCR tests and ELISA assays like those be-ing currently developed for the dangerous Schmallenberg virus by French company IDVet remain the diagnostic of choice be-cause of their high reliability and low cost (see page 36).

If you are coming to Munich for the fair, don't miss your chance to visit the Euro-pEan BiotEchnology nEws at the BIOCOM booth 112 (Hall A3).� B

At its last incarnation in 2010, the Analytica saw 33,000 visitors from 120 nations.

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Page 4: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

34 Euro|Biotech|News Nº 4 | Volume 11 | 2012

Special aNalytica 2012

Quicker, more affordable and still relia-ble – genetic analysis is developing at an ever-accelerating pace. One of the high-lights in this sector awaits visitors to the Live Lab on Forensics & Clinical Diag-nostics in Hall A3 on the first day of the fair. There, Germany’s best-known crim-inal biologist Mark Benecke will show how DNA testing can help convict per-petrators. Exhibitors will also present new developments in the field of genet-

AnAlyticA 2012

New impetus for the industry From the 17 – 20 April, around 1,000 exhibitors will be presenting the latest develop­ments in instrument analysis, laboratory technology and biotechnology at the An­alytica trade fair and congress in Munich. this year’s event features a new attrac­tion: the “live labs”, which will whisk visitors away to the world of real laboratories with a focus on topics that includes forensics and clinical diagnostics. in addition to exhibits, biotech will be the focus of lectures at the Analytica conference and at the event’s Biotech Forum. Other highlights that involve the industry are the latest de­velopments in genetic analysis, along with the most recent discoveries in cell cul­ture and instrument bioanalysis.

ic analysis. Stratec Molecular is pre-senting its SalivaGene Collector, which collects and preserves DNA from spit-tle. Thanks to a lyophilised stabilisation buffer, the DNA remains intact at room temperature for up to a year. In the Bio-tech Forum in Hall A3, LGC Genomics will present high-throughput techniques for sequencing, SNP genotyping and PCR analyses. And bio -reagent manufact urer Bioline is also introducing monitoring

tools for the quality assurance of real-time PCR assays.

cell cultivation made easy

Besides allowing visitors to gather in-formation about the latest analysis tech-niques, this Analytica will depict the en-tire process chain in the laboratory. For bio technologists, that includes cell cul-tivation. When it comes to miniaturising large-scale setups, Greiner Bio-One will present the CELLreactor, an innovative 50-millilitre tube with adjustable holes for the exchange of gasses and a mem-brane that keeps the contents sterile. To automate cell-culture experiments, Eppendorf has developed the epMotion 5070 CB pipetting system, which fits into all common tissue-culture hoods. As a result, key processes such as cell-seeding, media change and cyto toxicity analyses are possible without manual in-tervention. And Rowiak has automated cell monitoring. Its CellMonitor, which can be used for imaging at a depth of just a few hundred micrometres, mon-itors even the most sensitive stem-cell cultures under standard conditions over longer periods of time.

instrumental bioanalysis

Classic chemical analysis techniques are also getting better at meeting bioanalyst needs. For example, chroma tography manufacturers are responding to re-quirements in the Life Science sector with new column and filling materials. Möller Medical for example combines the inert plastic PEEK with pressure -resistant stainless steel to make capillaries for the chromatography of proteins and other metal-sensitive biomolecules. The exhi-bition will be rounded out by major man-ufacturers such as Analytik Jena, Axel Semrau, Shimadzu and Waters, which will display high-resolution bioanalysis systems that are handier and more user -friendly than ever.

Additional information about the exhib-itors and the programme of events at the Analytica 2012 is available at www.ana-lytica.de. Bthe Analytica depicts the entire process chain in the laboratory.

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Page 5: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

ecoplus technopols. opening up access to know-how

and technology.

ecoplus. The Business Agency of Lower AustriaNiederösterreichring 2, Haus A, 3100 St. Pölten

ecoplus Technopols connect the business world to top educational facilities and research institutes

of international renown. In Krems, research is focused on biotechnology and regenerative medicine,

and in Tulln, on agrobiotechnology and environmental biotechnology. In Wiener Neustadt, focus

lies on materials, surface technology, process and chemical engineering, medical technology, sensor

technology and actuators.

www.ecoplus.at

The Technopol Program of Lower Austria is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

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Page 6: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

36 Euro|Biotech|News Nº 4 | Volume 11 | 2012

Special aNalYTica 2012

The Schmallenberg virus is causing birth defects in livestock across western Europe.

CliniCal DiaGnOSTiCS

First ELISA to detect Schmallenberg virus

Philippe Pourquier (CEO), IDvet, Montpellier

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is the name that’s been given to a vector-transmitted ortho bunyavirus that was initially reported in november 2011 as the cause of con-genital fetal malformation and stillbirth in cattle, sheep, and goats. The pathogen has since been detected in Germany, the netherlands, Belgium, France, luxem-bourg, italy and the United Kingdom, and looks set to be a major veterinary concern in Europe, both in 2012 and beyond. Specialist in veterinary diagnostics iDvet is now launching the first commercial EliSa for the detection of SBV antibodies.

The reason for the sudden appearance of SBV in the same countries that suf­fered from a Bluetongue disease out­break in 2006 is still unknown, but this pathogen will probably be one of the ma­jor veterinary concerns in Europe in 2012 and beyond.

When the Bluetongue virus (BTV) first appeared in northern Europe in 2006, commercial BTV diagnostic tests were readily available. But the Schmallenberg virus is a new one. No diagnostic methods existed prior to its discovery in November 2011, and teams around the world have

been working hard to develop both mo­lecular (PCR) and serological (IFAT, VNT and ELISA) diagnostic tools for it.

PCR can be used to detect recent infec­tions, but it is not useful for disease sur­veillance and prevalence studies, as RNA is naturally and rapidly eliminated from the animal. In contrast, anti bodies may be detected long after infection. For an­tibody detection, European reference lab­oratories have developed virus neutral­isation (VNT) and immuno fluoresence (IFAT) tests. These techniques however are time­consuming, difficult to imple­

ment for large numbers of samples, and do not offer standardised result inter­pretation.

French biotechnology company IDvet develops, manufactures and sells veteri­nary diagnostic reagents, mainly based on the ELISA serological method. Founded in 2004, the company has rapidly developed its activities. Today, IDvet employs 40 peo­ple and sells products in over 80 countries around the globe. The firm’s close rela­tionships with leading veterinary scien­tists worldwide puts it at the cutting edge of veterinary diagnostics.

impact on disease management

IDvet is pleased to announce the launch of the first commercial ELISA for the de­tection of antibodies against the Schmal­lenberg virus. The test, which is based on technology developed entirely in­house, is currently pending approval by refer­ence laboratories in Europe, including the Friedrich ­Loeffler­Institute (FLI) in Germany and the French agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES). Preliminary re­sults are very encouraging, showing high test specificity and correlation with oth­er serological techniques. In addition, the test is rapid, cost­effective, and au­tomatable, allowing for high­through­put testing.

The availability of such rapid sero­diagnostic tests for SBV are key both to understanding the spread and the trans­mission of the disease and as an impor­tant tool for the authorities in disease management. The IDvet Bluetongue kit was extensively used during the BTV out­break in 2006. Once again, the company is providing expertise in the field of vet­erinary diagnostics through the rapid de­velopment of the first commercial ELISA test for Schmallenberg virus. Contact

Philippe Pourquier

167 rue Mehdi Ben Barka

34 070 Montpellier , France

Tel: + 33 4 67 41 49 33

idvet.info@id­vet.com

www.id­vet.com

36_EBSIN4_12_Special_Schmallenb_idvet_pg.indd 36 28.03.2012 16:53:22 Uhr

Page 7: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

bio.nrw.deBusyness for Biotech.North Rhine-Westphalia’s biotechnology cluster BIO.NRW is a central catalyst for the sustainable development of the state’s biotechnology sector.

It activates cooperation between business, research, investors, and policymakers.

phone: +49-211-385469-9200 • E-Mail: [email protected]

Coaching & Financing

bio.nrw.de

Coaching & Financing

Support of Biotech Start-u

ps,

Promotion of Young Academics

Marketing & PR for

Technology Transfer

Exh

ibitions and Conferences

Natio

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Analysis of Biotech Businessand Science in NRW

Biotech in NRW

Please visitBIO.NRW at

BIOtech 2012April 25-27th, 2012

Booth 8-28Tokyo, Japan

37_EBSIN4_12_BIONRW.indd 1 29.03.2012 12:12:19 Uhr

Page 8: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

38 Euro|Biotech|News Nº 4 | Volume 11 | 2012

Special aNalytica 2012

IntervIew

“Commitment to patients in Europe”US-based biopharmaceutical company Myriad Genetics offers rapid genetic testing for hereditary cancers. with its BrACAnalysis test, the company has already tested a million patients who might have a genetic mutation that causes breast cancer. now Myriad has begun expanding globally. In March, the company opened a new central lab in Martins-ried, just around the corner from the m4 personalised medicine cluster there. Along with its european headquarters in Zurich and offices across europe, the lab in Germa-ny has been set up to service markets in the eU. euroBiotechnews spoke with Peter D. Meldrum, President and CeO of Myriad, about his company’s plans for europe.

Euro|BioTech|News ?Myriad in Europe – how important is this market for your firm?

MelDrUM: !We are very excited to be expanding be-yond the United States and benefiting pa-tients worldwide. We’ve always focused on improving patient healthcare through understanding the genetics of human disease. Opening the lab in Munich helps demonstrate Myriad’s commitment to pa-tients in Europe. This important step will

allow us to enhance the speed and qual-ity of genetic testing available to patients and physicians there.

Euro|BioTech|News ?What has to happen to make the invest-ment worthwhile?

MelDrUM: !I think what excites Myriad employees most is having a positive impact on pa-tients. If we can accelerate people’s un-derstanding of the importance of genet-

ic testing, then we’re successful. If we can touch one or two lives, then I’ll be happy with any investment we’ve made in Europe.

Euro|BioTech|News ?But of course you have some expectations for how the site should develop in a com-mercial sense?

MelDrUM: !Our goal at the moment is to perform around 20,000 tests annually. We hope to reach this goal within five years.

Euro|BioTech|News ?Some of your patents covering the BRAC1 and BRAC2 genes, which play an impor-tant role in hereditary breast cancer, are currently under dispute in the US...

MelDrUM: !Myriad has 23 patents issued in the US covering 500 patent claims. Under dis-pute in the patent case are 9 of the 500 claims. Regardless of how the Supreme Court decides on the question of patents of DNA and genetic materials, Myriad would close to 500 valid patent claims that are not involved in this current discussion. The Court of Appeals of the Federal Cir-cuit has ruled that the patents are valid. We believe that patents on isolated DNA sequences are valid and appropriate, and we hope that the US Supreme Court will agree with us.

Euro|BioTech|News ?The American Civil Liberties Union has claimed that you use your patents to limit a patient’s options for genetic testing.

MelDrUM: !We very much disagree with that. An inde-pendent study performed at Duke Univer-sity that examined the topic came to the conclusion that Myriad not only did not re-strict patient access, but actually improved it through public awareness programs. Myriad has spent hundreds of millions of dollars educating physicians and creat-ing public awareness about the benefits of genetic testing, as well as on how patient healthcare can be better managed. B

Peter D. Meldrum (l.) at the opening ceremony for the new lab in Martinsried. He has been Director of Myriad Genetics since its inception in May 1991, and President and CeO of the company since november 1991. Prior to joining Myriad, he was President and CeO at the venture capital group Founders Fund.

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Page 9: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

www.LifeScienceAustria.at

Advancing Austrian life science //at the heart of Europe In 2012 meet LISA at >>

Arab Health // Dubai // January 23-26 Medtec // Stuttgart // March 13-15 BIO-Europe Spring // Amsterdam // March 19-21 Analytica // Munich // April 17-20 BIO International Convention // Boston // June 18-21 CPhI Worldwide // Madrid // October 09-11BIO-Europe // Hamburg // November 12-14 Medica // Duesseldorf // November 14-17

INS_LISA_210x275_102011_01.indd 1 05.10.11 16:3639_EBSIN4_12_LISA.indd 1 28.03.2012 15:06:15 Uhr

Page 10: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

40 Euro|Biotech|News Nº 4 | Volume 11 | 2012

The technique of RGB labelling enables researchers to trace back the origin of tumour cells to their respective cell clone.

Special aNalytica 2012

“It’s a sobering finding,” said study co­author Andrew Futreal from the Sanger Institute, “you might miss the connection between the mutation and whatever out­come you are looking at.” Medical oncolo­gist Dan Longo from the National Institute on Aging (Baltimore) commented that the results point to a “serious flaw in the im­agined future of cancer.” Most of the so­called personalised medicine approaches rely on the detection of a single biomarker as a prerequisite for the prescription of a

BiomaRkeR DiscoveRy

Digging deep into the tumour genome current cancer DNa tests give an incomplete picture of the genes driving the disease, ac-cording to a systematic sequencing study published at the beginning of march (New eNgl. JourNal of MediciNe 366, p. 883-892). The results of the study headed by charles swanton from the London Research institute throws cold water on the idea that DNa profiling of a single cancer biopsy could be used to match a patient’s tumour with targeted drugs. When the researchers conducted deep exome resequencing on renal tumour samples derived from multiple sites in the malignancy, they found that gene mutation patterns varied wildly. only 40 out of 128 mutations were common to all cancer tissues. addition-ally, cancer prognosis tests based on the expression of 110 cancer -related genes gave either positive or negative results, depending on the part of the tumour from which the analysed tissue sample was taken. The results clearly demonstrate that researchers have to dig deeper into the cancer genome to provide enough reliable information for patient stratification, tumour staging, and selection of targeted treatments.

targeted therapy. Swanton warns that this practice “should be applied with great cau­tion...until more is known.” Tumour varia­bility could explain why cancer grows re­sistant to targeted drugs, since resistance mutations may be present from the begin­ning in some regions of the tumour.

Other researchers told EuroBiotEchNEws that the results of the ultradeep sequenc­ing analyses offer new opportunities, as they open up a better understanding of tu­mour biology. “The results do not come as

a surprise to those familiar with tumour bio logy. The idea that you would only need to detect a few cancer mutations to find the solution to a cancer is completely naive,” said Prof. Dr. Christof von Kalle, Director of the National Center for Tumor Diseas­es (NCT) in Heidelberg. The good news, according to von Kalle, is that “there is a convergent evolution with regard to some genes.” These convergent mutations point to key pathways required for survival of a tumour that could be specifically ad­dressed with drugs.

Stopping oversimplification

“The discovery of somatic mutations and germ line alleles of relevance for cancer progression represents the beginning of a new era of individualised cancer diag­nosis and therapy,” stressed Axel Ullrich, co­inventor of Herceptin (Roche) from the Martinsried ­based Max Planck Institute of Bio chemistry. Brian Druker, who helped develop the blood cancer drug Glivec (No­vartis), said the findings show “that we need better tools to identify cancer at earlier stages, when it is far less complex.” Von Ka­lle acknowledges deeper sequencing, mul­tiple fine­needle biopsies from different tu­mour regions, and tumour samples taken during drug treatment may be needed in the future to acquire useful information.

For systems biology expert Hans Leh rach from the Berlin­based Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, the concept of trust­ing “a single biomarker to treat a complex tumour with complex drugs is very optimis­tic. We must stop oversimplification of com­plex diseases.” In his view, stratification of patient groups corresponds to “the state of the weather forecast mid­19th Century,” and “what we need in medicine is to ana­lyse millions of data points.” To cope with the complexity of cancer, he says, tumours should not be stratified but modelled on the basis of individual genomic data and affect­ed pathways so that one can select the best treatment. Lehrach and his colleague Hans Westerhoff (see EuroBiotEchNEws 3/2012) have just developed a software that can in­tegrate image and omics data from individ­ual cancer patients into a general cancer model. B

40_EBSIN4-12_Cancer Genomics_tg.indd 40 28.03.2012 16:55:06 Uhr

Page 11: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

Join the European Biotechnology Network!The European Biotechnology Network is dedicated to facilitating co-operation between professionals in biotechnology and the life sciences all over Euro-pe. The network is run by the European Biotechno-logy Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Brussels. Do you want to know more about the ad-vantages of a (free) membership? Just have a look at our website: www.european-biotechnology.net

European Biotechnology Foundation | Rue d‘Egmont 15 | B-1000 Bruxelles, BelgiqueTel: +32 2 50 08 531 | Fax +32 2 64 92 989

[email protected] | www.european-biotechnology.net

EuropeanBiotechnology

Net work

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42 Euro|Biotech|News N º– 4 | Volume 11 | 2012

Products & serVices

A Abingdon – AMSBIO provides an exten­sive portfolio of bromodomains (BRDs) and kits suitable for bromodomain profiling, in­hibitor screening assays, and drug discov­ery. BRDs are domains that are 110 ami­no acids long found in many chromatin­associated proteins which can interact spe­cifically with acetylated lysine. The ability of bromodomain regulators to alter chro­matin status and control gene expression is important in the development of cer­tain human cancers, adipogenesis, ener­gy metabolism and inflammation. Along­side HATs and HDACs, BRDs are emerging as a new class of targets that will be im­portant in drug discovery in the future, as there are more than 50 proteins containing one or more of them. Better understanding of bromodomains will also lead to the bet­ter design of epigenetically directed ther­apeutics. For further information, please visit www.amsbio.com/search­results.aspx?value=bromodomain.

Founded in 1987, AMS Biotechnology (AMSBIO) is recognised as a leading inter­national provider of products and custom services for life sciences research. The AMSBIO key research areas include apopt­osis, cell invasion and migration, and cell sig naling as well as 3D culture, electro­phoresis, glycobiology, post­translational modification and stem cell biology. D

Contact

Tel.: +44­(0)1235­828200

[email protected]

AMS BioteChnology

Profiling kitsA göttingen – Biometra GmbH, an Analytik Jena company, has extended its electro­phoresis portfolio with a new extremely compact Power Supply: the Mini Power Pack PS300T. The Power Supply requires the space of a DIN­A5 piece of paper. It has been designed for any researcher using horizontal or vertical gel electrophore­sis and combines small size, versatility and reliability. Providing constant volt­age as well as constant current in 1V or 1mA steps, the power supply is perfect for running both agarose and poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis experiments. The sys­tem provides two pairs of outlets, allow­ing you to run two mini or standard­sized gels simultaneously. The integrated timer allows continuous or timed electrophore­sis runs. The Power Supply is construct­ed with robust and high­quality compo­nents, and takes all safety standards into

account. This guarantees a long life cycle and perfect experimental results. All mini and standard­sized horizontal and ver­tical Biometra electrophoresis systems are compatible with the Mini Power Pack PS300T. D

Contact

Tel.: +44­(0)3641­77­9281

presse@analytik­jena.com

BioMetrA

Compact power supply

A graz – Europe’s largest biorepository uses sample storage consumables and data management software from Micro n ic Europe to safeguard its blood, serum and plasma samples. After a comprehensive evaluation of commercially available con­sumables, the biobank selected Micronic 0.75 ml and 1.2ml fits together with screw caps and Roborack storage racks to pro­vide high­integrity, long­term storage for human blood, serum and plasma samples at ­80°C. Micronic 0.75ml and 1.2ml sam­

ple storage tubes are manufactured from medical grade polypropylene, and com­ply with US and European pharma copoeia tests. The tubes resist many organic sol­vents, may be autoclaved clean and can be repeatedly freeze­thawed without loss of product performance. A unique 2D code on the bottom of each tube provides an easy and unambiguous means of storing and identifying samples. The optimised internal shape of each Micronic sample storage tube ensures the lowest possible dead volume and maximum sample re­covery. Designed to fit 96 individual tubes into a standard footprint rack, it also op­timises use of valuable freezer space and ensures automation compatibility. D

Contact

Tel.: +31­(0)320­277070

[email protected]

MiCroniC

Sample storage management

42-44_EBSIN4_12_PI_BK.indd 42 28.03.2012 16:58:43 Uhr

Page 13: European Biotechnology News Special 4/2012 - analytica 2012

Euro|Biotech|NewsN º– 4 | Volume 11 | 2012 43

Products & serVices

A Leatherhead – The Ultrajet pipette con-troller from Porvair Sciences is an easy-to-use electronic pipette filler. Ergonom-ically designed, the Ultrajet is quick and simple to operate and can be used for extended periods of time without dis-comfort. Large buttons on the hand grip enable precise fine control of aspiration and dispensing of liquids. An integral LCD display displays selected aspiration

speed which can be simply set with a but-ton under the display. A removable neo-prene nozzle grips most standard labo-ratory pipettes firmly and efficiently, al-lowing users to accurate transfer liquids into plates, vials or flasks. Compact in size, the Ultrajet is perfect for use even in confined spaces such as cabinets and fume hoods. Over-filling protection is provided by a disposable 0.45um filter in the nose of the controller. Ultrajet uses a rechargeable lithium battery, so there are no unsightly cables trailing from it and it comes complete with a self-adhe-sive bench holder for storage. EC compli-ant, each Ultrajet controller is supplied with an appropriate mains charger. D

Contact

Tel.: +44-(0)1372-824290

[email protected]

A Saffron Walden – Radleys have chosen the forthcoming Achema 2012 to launch an extended range of jacketed reactors and parallel synthesisers designed to improve the productivity of busy medicinal and proc-ess chemistry labs. Visitors to Stand D36, Hall 4.2 will have the chance to see Rad-leys’ range of jacketed lab reactors, includ-ing the NEW Reactor-Ready pilot scale lab reactor. Radleys unique reaction systems offer process development chemists and chemical engineers the option of single or multiple jacketed or vacuum jacketed re-actors, from 100ml to 20 litres in a single system. This saves space, money and time. The systems are available with optional software control and data-logging. Also on show will be Radleys’ range of bench-top chemistry productivity tools. These in-clude Carousel 6 Plus, for 6 vessels from 5-250ml; the Carousel 12 Plus for 12 ves-sels from 1-50ml and the popular Heat-On blocks for single round bottom flasks up to 5 litres, plus a range of other reaction tools. All of these synthesis systems are designed to make your chemistry faster, safer, clean-er, more efficient and improve yields. D

Contact

Tel.: +44-(0)1799-513320

[email protected]

Porvair

Easy-to-use electronic pipette filler

A Heidelberg – PromoFectin provides highly efficient and reproducible delivery of nucleic acids into a variety of cell types, including many hard-to-transfect cell lines and primary cells. It consists of a non-liposomal polymer that is stable, water-soluble and free of any components of an-imal origin. PromoFectin also shows very low toxicity, and is therefore ideally suited for the transfection of sensitive cells, yield-ing optimal transfection efficiencies and gene expression. Transfection with Promo-Fectin requires no medium change, and it can be used for adherent and non-adherent cells. It compacts and protects the nucle-ic acid of interest, enables efficient trans-port into the cells via endocytosis and al-lows for a rapid and almost complete re-lease of the intact nucleic acid into the cy-

tosol – all of which favour the delivery to the nucleus. Special cell-type-specific Promo-Fectin variants are also available that have been developed for the efficient but gentle transfection of cells such as endothelial cells (e.g. primary HUVECs), hepatocytes, macrophages, or neuronal cells. D

Contact

Tel.: +49-(0)6221-649340

[email protected]

PromoCeLL

Efficient transfection of primary cells and cell lines

radLeyS

Improving productivity

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Products & serVices

A Maidenhead – Current trends in high con-tent analysis and cell assay applications re-quire the ability to dispense a variety of cell types – of varying robustness, volume and quantity – into different sample formats, including slides, plates, and non-stand-ard formats. Workflow demands require the printing of cells for these applications be fast, precise, reliable, reproducible, and contamination-free. Sample solutions need to dispense cells and cell media successful-ly while maintaining cell viability. The CellJet Cell Printer incorporates Digilab’s proprie-tary synQUAD liquid dispensing technology,

Zinsser AnAlytic

Live cell pickingA cambridge – An exciting technological collaboration integrating TTP Labtech’s mosquito® X1 automated nanolitre pipet-tor with a well-known microplate mov-er has been set up, bringing an innova-tive hit-picking solution to the Universi-ty of Michigan. This fully automated sys-tem is being utilised by the University’s High Throughput Screening (HTS) Core, Centre for Chemical Genomics, to au-tomate the selection and processing of compound hits from screens using their 150,000 strong library. The mosquito X1 and microplate mover automated plat-form is fully controlled by the mosquito CherryPicker software. The unique de-sign of the mosquito nanolitre pipettes allows for multiple aliquots of compound from each pipette, rapidly preparing se-rial dilution and dose response plates for secondary screens. In addition, the abil-

ity of the mosquito X1 to dry spot com-pounds from the source plates over-comes the commonly encountered is-sues caused by aliquoting labile mole-cules in aqueous solutions in advance of the screening experiment. D

contact

Tel.: +44-(0)1763-262626

[email protected]

ttP

Hit-picking excellence

therMo Fisher scientiFic

New syringe filtersA san Jose – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, the world leader in serving science, has launched the Thermo Scientific Titan3 and Target2 ranges of single-use syringe fil-ters for sample preparation. These robust syringe filters significantly enhance sam-ple preparation workflow by accommodat-ing greater burst pressures and providing exceptional flow-through characteristics. Previously supplied as the SUN-Sri TITAN2 and National Scientific Target ranges, these filter units have been enhanced by Thermo

Fisher to offer improved reliability and per-formance, including an improved housing design that prevents leakage during filtra-tion. The premium Titan3™ range provides further confidence with color -coded hous-ings for easy membrane selection and an integral ring that withstands even greater burst pressures, with 30mm models re-sistant to pressures of up to 120psi. Both the Titan3 and Target2™ filter ranges are fully HPLC-tested and incorporate low ex-tractable membranes and housings. Titan3 and Target2 syringe filters are available in a wide range of filtration membrane types and poro sities and are suitable as a high-quality filtration solution for a range of chromatog-raphy filtration applications. D

contact

Tel.: +1-(0)408-965-6022

[email protected]

offering both on-the-fly and drop-by-drop non-contact cell printing while maintain-ing the viability of even the most delicate cells. This extremely flexible technology of-fers users full control over critical dispense parameters such as height of dispense and dispensing speed, which allows printing of both viscous solutions and fragile cells. The Digilab CellJet prints using a valve-free flu-id path, which greatly reduces cell damage. The printer also includes full wash capabil-ity, an easy-to-clean and sterilise evapora-tion cover, and an effective instrument de-sign for hassle-free maintenance. CellJet’s user-friendly software makes it easy to pro-gramme printing protocols. D

contact

Tel.: +44 (0)1628 773202

[email protected]

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