[EQUIPMENT]

Primera Healthcare cassette printerCassette Printer
Uses thermal-transfer ink ribbons
Primera Technology Inc, Plymouth, Minn, has released a robotic-based autoloading version of its Signature cassette printer, model SCP-R. The printer is designed for use in pathology and histology labs to print high-resolution text, graphics, and bar codes directly onto tissue cassettes. The unit uses thermal-transfer ink ribbons rather than solvent inkjet or laser ablation. As a result, printing is virtually silent and requires no proprietary cassettes, fume removal systems, or ink tanks. Model SCP-R is a fully robotic system that is equipped with four separate hoppers, each with 40 cassettes, for a total capacity of 160 cassettes.
Primera Technology
(800) 797-2772; www.primerahealthcare.com

 

Adam Equipment NBL and TableLab Balance Workstation Guide
Outlines the procedure in four steps
Adam Equipment, Oxford, Conn, has published a new guide on how to assemble a lab balance workstation. The guide outlines the procedure in four steps, using comprehensive explanations and easy-to-follow terminology. Workstation components include Adam’s Nimbus or Eclipse balance, AVT antivibration table, International Organization of Legal Metrology/ASTM certified weights, and Adam data utility specialized software. With a readability of 0.1 mg, the compact balances occupy a minimal amount of room in the lab. Calibration weights are available separately or in sets, and are used to calibrate high-precision analytical balances that need to satisfy traceability requirements.
Adam Equipment
(203) 790-4774; www.adamequipment.com

 

Eppendorf BioFlo 120Bioprocess Control Station
Supports microbial fermentation
Eppendorf, Hauppauge, NY, has introduced the BioFlo 120, a benchscale fermentor and bioreactor system capable of microbial fermentation as well as mammalian cell culture applications. It features an extensive range of glass and BioBlu single-use vessel options, from 250 mL to 40 L. Embedded software offers real-time local process control through an integrated touchscreen. Newly developed auto-culture modes for push-button control of microbial and cell culture applications aim to reduce the learning curve associated with new equipment. For additional process control capabilities and secure database management, the instrument can also be connected to Eppendorf supervisory control and data acquisition platforms DaSware and BioCommand.
Eppendorf
(800) 645-3050; www.eppendorf.com

 

Torrey Pines Scientific CO50HPLC Column Chiller and Heater
Maintains below-ambient temperatures
Torrey Pines Scientific Inc, Carlsbad, Calif, has released the EchoTherm model CO50 programmable high-performance liquid chromatography column chiller and heater, suited for chiral and biomedical chromatography where below-ambient temperatures help preserve bioactivity. To achieve repeatable results, the device can be used to stabilize day-to-day column temperatures at or near room temperatures. It has a temperature range from 4.0°C to 100.0°C, readable and settable to 0.1°C. The proportional-integral-derivativecontrol software regulates temperatures to ±0.2°C, even at ambient temperatures.
Torrey Pines Scientific
(866) 573-9104; www.torreypinesscientific.com

[INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY]

Jadak Clarity_BoxMachine Vision, Image Analysis Software 
Requires no machine vision software experience
Jadak, Syracuse, NY, a business unit of Novanta Corp, has launched Clarity 2.0 machine vision and image analysis software. The graphic user interface software package allows a user with little or no machine vision software experience to develop a machine vision application for use on Jadak’s smart cameras. The software includes enhanced features and functionality for all preexisting plugins, as well as two new plugin functions: image process and color detection. With several standard features, Clarity provides the building blocks for common image analysis applications.
Jadak
(315) 701-0678; www.jadaktech.com

 

Qlucore NGS module - Genome BrowserNext-Generation Sequencing Module
Visualizes NGS data
Qlucore, New York, recently launched the beta version of Qlucore Omics Explorer 3.3, which includes a next-generation sequencing (NGS) module and a range of new functionalities for the base version. The NGS module will enable additional functionality related to data generated with NGS technologies, making it possible to visualize, analyze, and explore NGS data interactively and dynamically. The module enables a comprehensive and synchronized view of both expression levels and genomic locations. Users can perform a statistical test in the expression space by simply moving a cutoff slider, and observing the result in the genome browser.
Qlucore
(310) 945-3047; www.qlucore.com

 

DWK Life Sciences lab labelsLaboratory Label Web App
Provides ready-made hazard pictograms
DWK Life Sciences GmbH, Wertheim-am-Main, Germany, has launched the Duran Label CreatorWeb-based application for designing and printing laboratory labels. The free app enables users to lay out their own dedicated labelsby downloading ready-made hazard pictograms, adding alphanumeric text, or placing optional quick response codes or barcodes. Users can customize background colors or download their own personal images onto the labels. The app outputs a PDF file for printing onto sheets of Duran Youtility labels using typical office printers.
DWK Life Sciences
(800) 451-4351; www.dwk-lifesciences.com

[INSTRUMENTATION]

Qlucore NGS module - Genome BrowserDigital Microscope
Offers multimode detection
BioTek Instruments, Winooski, Vt, introduces the Cytation 1 Cell Imaging Multimode Reader as an affordable entry into automated digital quantitative microscopy with multimode microplate detection. The patented combined solution provides quantitative phenotypic cellular information and well-based quantitative data, while the unit’s modular architecture enables users to satisfy their current research needs and upgrade with additional modes to suit future needs. The digital microscopy mode includes fluorescence and high-contrast brightfield channels for visualization from 1.25x to 60x without the expense and complexity commonly associated with other digital microscopy systems.
BioTek Instruments
(888) 451-5171; www.biotek.com

 

Bio-rad ZE5 Cell AnalyzerFlow Cytometer
Features a stat tube station
The ZE5 Cell Analyzer from Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, Calif, is a new flow cytometer with flexible configurations to meet a wide range of experimental complexities and throughput needs. Whether for low-complexity, two-parameter experiments or high-complexity, 28-parameter experiments, the ZE5 is expandable and flexible, accessible for novice users yet powerful enough for experienced flow cytometry professionals. A fully integrated sample loader with the ability to handle tubes or plates without an instrument hardware change enables true walkaway functionality. Features such as a stat tube station, onboard fluidics that are hot-swappable, and automated startup and quality control support continuous operation and maximization of instrument runtime for core labs.
Bio-Rad Laboratories
(800) 424-6723; www.bio-rad.com

[MISC SUPPLIES]

New England Biolabs NEBNext Ultra II RNA KitsNGS Library Preparation Kits
Designed for Illumina next-generation sequencing systems
New England Biolabs, Ipswich, Mass, has expanded its NEBNext Ultra II NGS library preparation product portfolio to include kits for RNA. The strand-specific NEBNext Ultra II directional RNA library prep kit and the nondirectional NEBNext Ultra II RNA library prep kit are both designed for Illumina next-generation sequencing systems, and substantially improve upon their predecessors. The kits are compatible with poly(A) mRNA isolation and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) depletion, and libraries can be constructed from a substantially broader input range (5 ng to 1 µg of total RNA) at high yields.
New England Biolabs
(800) 632-5227; www.neb.com

[TESTING/DIAGNOSTICS]

VAP+ Lipid Panel cholesterol test blood draws ready for analysisAdvanced Cholesterol Test
Measures LDL particle number
VAP Diagnostics Lab, Birmingham, Ala, has relaunched the Vertical Auto Profile+ (VAP+) lipid panel, a heart disease risk assessment and management tool. VAP+ adheres to all major guidelines calling for accurate low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and additional measures of cholesterol, including LDL particle number. This increase in accuracy and comprehensive information seeks to provide doctors and their patients with a more precise picture of heart disease risk, leading to better treatment and ultimately saving lives. The VAP+ lipid panel is covered by most insurance plans.
VAP Diagnostics
(877) 901-8510; www.vapdiagnostics.com

 

Innova FlexLISA schematicSandwich ELISA Kit
Runs multiple conjugation reactions at the same time
Innova Biosciences, Cambridge, UK, has introduced the FlexLISA kit, providing a flexible tool for development and optimization of sandwich-format enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Using Innova’s Lightning-Link technology, the FlexLISA kit allows users to covalently conjugate up to three capture and three detection antibodies with any antibody of their choice. As each Lightning-Link kit within the FlexLISA kit can perform three reactions, multiple conjugation reactions can be run at the same time. The kit has been designed to allow fast and reliable sandwich ELISA development, screening of antibody pairs, and ELISA optimization, for detecting the presence of any antigen with a high affinity for any antibody pair in complex samples.
Innova Biosciences
(855) 466-6821; www.innovabiosciences.com

 

BD MAXandMonitor_ResultsScreenMolecular Test
Detects harmful intestinal bacteria
FDA has granted premarket notification (510(k)) clearance to BD, Franklin Lakes, NJ, for a molecular panel test to detect harmful intestinal bacteria causing infectious diarrhea. With the availability of the BD Max extended enteric bacterial panel, the majority of pathogens causing acute gastroenteritisleading to hospitalization can be detected rapidly on the fully automated BD Max molecular platform. The panel is the latest offering in the suite of BD Max enteric assays, which aid in the detection and diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The panel joins the BD Max enteric bacterial panel and the BD Max enteric parasite panel, enabling individualized testing to be performed based on a patient’s symptoms and health history.
BD
(201) 847-6800; www.bd.com

 

GenMark ePlex 2Diagnostic Platform
Integrates nucleic acid extraction, amplification, and detection
GenMark Diagnostics Inc, Carlsbad, Calif, has received FDA premarket notification (510(k)) clearance for both its ePlex instrument and Respiratory Pathogen (RP) panel. The ePlex diagnostic platform integrates nucleic acid extraction, amplification, and detection into a fully automated, sample-to-answer system. Rapid and highly specific detection is enabled on ePlex by GenMark’s eSensor technology, which has been used in more than two million patient tests conducted across multiple FDA-cleared panels on the company’s XT-8 system. The ePlex RP panel detects more than 20 viral and bacterial pathogens that commonly cause upper respiratory infections.
GenMark Diagnostics
(800) 373-6767; www.genmarkdx.com

 

Quest Blueprint for Athletes 2Biomarker Testing Service
Designed for amateur and competitive athletes
Quest Diagnostics, Madison, NJ, has expanded access to its Blueprint for Athletes service for amateur and competitive athletes. The biomarker testing service provides athletes insights into their own biology to help improve fitness and performance. The new services feature a field kit for at-home specimen collection using the Mitra microsampling device, which makes possible highly precise collection. With at-home sampling, an individual simply orders online, receives a kit with the microsampling device, collects a few drops of blood from his or her fingertip, and mails the sample to the lab. The kit will include a preaddressed return shipping label. An additional Blueprint for Athletes offering is ‘concierge collection,’ in which trained phlebotomists will visit a person’s home or other location to collect a blood specimen for testing.
Quest Diagnostics
(973) 520-2700; www.questdiagnostics.com