Bio Screening Industry News

Munich, Germany, Jan 20th, 2009; Nanion is again nominated for a prestigious
innovation award, due its impressive product portfolio of automated patch clamp
systems. More than 350 companies competed in this year’s Innovation Award and
Nanion is finalist in the category “Start-Up Companies”.

The German Industry’s Innovation Award, also the world’s first innovation award, has since 1980 annually nominated and rewarded the nation’s most important scientific and technical innovations. Nanion is one of the five remaining candidates for the award and the winner will be announced on January 24th, 2009.

“To remain a profitable and leading provider of advanced and high quality ion channel drug screening systems, we constantly seek new inventions and solutions that are attractive to industrial and academic institutions.” says Michael George, CTO of Nanion. Dr. Niels Fertig, CEO of Nanion, continues “Our three product families for sophisticated cell analysis are
being used in the development of new medicines as well as in academic research. With the latest introduction of our high throughput patch clamp system, the SyncroPatch 96, the screening of ion channel drugs is revolutionized in terms of time and cost efficiency. We are happy and honoured that our products and technology are receiving such recognition by the nomination for this award.”

The SyncroPatch 96 is Nanion’s next generation screening platform, capable of highly parallel
recordings from up to 96 cells at a time. It will be launched at the Biophysical Society’s Annual Meeting in Boston, MA, USA, in the end of February, 2009. The SyncroPatch 96 is the first platform on the market to date that supports giga-seal recordings at a throughput of 5000 data points per day.
About Nanion:
Nanion Technologies GmbH is a German Private Limited Company and was founded in 2002 as a spinoff from the Center for Nanoscience (CeNS) of the University of Munich. Nanion’s team has developed and globally established two highly successful automated patch clamp instruments as enabling tools for sophisticated and high throughput applications for ion channel research and drug discovery. Nanion’s instruments use planar patch clamp chips which replace the traditional glass pipette used in the technique of patch clamping. Nanion was nominated in 2007 for Germany’s most prestigious innovation award the Deutscher Zukunftspreis (German Future Prize, Federal President’s Award for Technology and Innovation).

KINGSTON, England, Nov. 25, 2008-Guava Technologies, Inc. presented at the recent Molecular Targets & Cancer Therapeutics Symposium* information on their recent advancements that describe an experimental methodology and the new Guava® Simplicity Analysis Software which exploit the advantages of plate based flow technology. These technological improvements result in an overall process that can significantly expedite the drug discovery process by providing a means for extraction of key findings from the highly complex data sets encountered with functional screening of siRNA knockdown assays.

Solid tumors comprise genetically heterogeneous cell populations whose growth and survival depends on the complex interplay of distinct, yet overlapping, signaling networks. A major challenge in developing a course of therapy is determining which signaling nodes to target for a specific malignancy. Profiles from siRNA gene silencing are integral to mapping disease-specific signaling cascade(s) and provide insight to key targets for therapeutic intervention. Successful siRNA screening relies not solely upon optimizing transfection, but also cell analysis systems capable of high content screening (HCS) at the single cell level, within overall populations (sample well), and across multiple data sets.

The presentation describes how the Guava EasyCyte™ Plus System, with integrated Guava Simplicity Software, provides a revolutionary platform for secondary target validation and compound screening. Guava Technologies’ flow cytometers overcome the limitations of inference-based measurements of transfection efficiency and protein knockdown through direct quantitiative analysis of populations at the single cell level. The Simplicity Analysis Software’s intuitive architecture and ease of use facilitates the process of asking biological questions on multi-dimensional data sets through visualisation of user-defined parameters in the form of heat-maps. Most importantly, comparative results are displayed at the experiment level rather than on an individual well/sample basis.

Specifically, using the EasyCyte Plus System in tandem with Simplicity Analysis Software, 23 agents were identified that had growth restrictive properties although significant variation across cell lines was observed. Further targeted gene knockdown via siRNA confirmed the presence of both activators and inhibitors of Camptothecin-induced apoptosis as well as gene targets for growth arrest. Screens for apoptosis and cell cycle, as well as phospho-signaling intermediates, defined compounds with mechanisms of action similar to and different from Camptothecin. Cell-based assays for phenotype and function revealed a number of cooperative and antagonistic interactions between signaling intermediates, their respective cascades, and cytoactive agents.

Overall, the acquired multiplex data set is shown to provide a more detailed view on the behaviour of each of the test compounds with respect to apoptotic induction, cell cycle progression, and the signaling cascades that regulate these cellular responses to drug treatment. In total, this experimental methodology, when used in conjunction with Guava Technologies’ cell analysis platforms and Simplicity Analysis Software, significantly expedites the drug discovery process by providing a means for extraction of key biological findings from complex result sets.

If you would like more information on this application it is available for download from http://guavatechnologies.com/cm/Resources/Scientific%20Pubs.html. More information about the company and its products is available at www.guavatechnologies.com.

Guava Technologies, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company, is the leading provider of on-demand, easy-to-use single cell analysis systems. Guava® Systems, including the Guava® Personal Cell Analysis (PCA), Guava Auto CD4/CD4%, Guava® PCA-96 and Guava EasyCyte™ Systems, are integrated, fully optimised, microcapillary cytometry systems with embedded absolute cell counting capability. Used worldwide by the life sciences, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as clinical testing institutions (outside the United States and Europe), products from Guava Technologies have broad applications in scientific research and throughout the drug discovery and lead optimisation process, as well as for cell counting and optimisation of commercial biopharmaceutical production. Guava Technologies offers a variety of assays and dedicated software modules for the Guava Systems, enhancing the system’s overall ease-of-use.

* Guava, Guava Technologies Logo, and all other trademarks are property of Guava Technologies, Inc. * Guava® Simplicity Analysis Software is for Research Use Only. Not for use in Diagnostic procedures. * This symposium took place at the EORTC-NCI-AACR meeting in Geneva, Switzerland (21-24 October 2008)

Munich, Germany, November 18th, 2008; Today, Nanion announces the late-stage
development of a new automated patch clamp platform: the SyncroPatch 96.
Developed to meet the throughput demands of industrial ion channel drug screening
and safety profiling, and with a price-per-data-point compatible with screening
standards, the SyncroPatch 96 will offer the highest throughput in the market for high quality HTS-oriented ion channel screening.
Following the successful market introduction of two automated patch clamp devices, the Port-a-Patch (2004) and the Patchliner (2006), Nanion now introduces the SyncroPatch 96. Nanion’s Patchliner and Port-a-Patch platforms enjoy great popularity in both academic and industrial settings and have received enthusiastic user feedback in customer surveys such as the HTStec report. Building on their success, the new SyncroPatch 96 vastly increases throughput while reducing the cost per data point to a level compatible with industrial ion channel screening requirements.

“There is a gap between the demands in ion channel drug screening and the capability of the high quality automated patch clamp platforms currently available on the market. Pharmaceutical companies want higher throughput and lower cost per data point, whilst maintaining data quality. The SyncroPatch96 will fill this gap, by providing high throughput, high quality patch clamp recordings, at a low enough cost to keep screeners happy.” says Dr. Niels Fertig, CEO of Nanion.

The SyncroPatch 96 acquires simultaneous recordings from 96 individual cells in a well-plate format and allows for screening of both ligand- and voltage-gated ion channels. The platform supports giga-seal recordings, continuous recording during compound application and addition of multiple compounds to each of the 96 cells. The SyncroPatch 96 will be launched in 2009.
About Nanion:

Nanion Technologies GmbH is a German Private Limited Company and was founded in 2002 as a spinoff from the Center for Nanoscience (CeNS) of the University of Munich. Nanion’s team has developed and globally established two highly successful automated patch clamp instruments as enabling tools for sophisticated and high throughput applications for ion channel research and drug discovery.

Nanion’s instruments use planar patch clamp chips which replace the traditional glass pipette used in the technique of patch clamping. Nanion was nominated in 2007 for Germany’s most prestigious innovation award the Deutscher Zukunftspreis (German Future Prize, Federal President’s Award for Technology and Innovation).

MILFORD, Mass. (Oct. 24, 2008) - Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the
world leader in serving science, has introduced new Thermo Scientific
PocketTip(r) D.A.R.T.s(r) tips, enabling nanoliter volume dispensing on
Thermo Scientific Matrix automated systems. An internally molded
capillary pocket allows the transfer of 50-500 nL of concentrated sample
compounds suspended in Dimethyl Sulphoxide (DMSO) directly to assay
plates, saving time, reagents and labware, as well as improving data
quality with in-tip mixing.

PocketTip D.A.R.T.s tips introduce an easy, low risk and reliable method
to change the way in which current instrumentation performs critical
liquid handling tasks. Through aspiration, the capillary pocket fills
with the specified amount of compound solution and facilitates soft
in-tip mixing of sample and assay material, removing time consuming
intermediate dilution steps and adding further function to the existing
instruments. Furthermore, the unique face seal of the D.A.R.T.s tip
minimizes tip-to-tip height variations for consistent dispensing. This
innovative pipetting method makes it possible to perform assays quicker,
reduce reagent costs and prevent compound precipitation for more
accurate and precise results.

The new PocketTip D.A.R.T.s tips are ideal for all secondary compound
screening applications, such as selectivity assays, potency
determinations, cell- and enzyme-based assays and PCR primer dilutions.
For further information, please see www.thermo.com/matrix.

Thermo Scientific is part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader
in serving science.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving
science, enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and
safer. With annual revenues of $10 billion, we have more than 30,000
employees and serve over 350,000 customers within pharmaceutical and
biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities,
research institutions and government agencies, as well as environmental
and industrial process control settings. Serving customers through two
premier brands, Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, we help solve
analytical challenges from routine testing to complex research and
discovery. Thermo Scientific offers customers a complete range of
high-end analytical instruments as well as laboratory equipment,
software, services, consumables and reagents to enable integrated
laboratory workflow solutions. Fisher Scientific provides a complete
portfolio of laboratory equipment, chemicals, supplies and services used
in healthcare, scientific research, safety and education. Together, we
offer the most convenient purchasing options to customers and
continuously advance our technologies to accelerate the pace of
scientific discovery, enhance value for customers and fuel growth for
shareholders and employees alike. Visit www.thermofisher.com.

Brady Freezerbondz labels overcome the virtually impossible task of labelling already frozen samples. Gone are the days where a sample needs to be thawed before a tracking and identification label can be applied. Now with Freezerbondz labels, you can quickly and easily identify samples in their frozen state.

www.bradylab.com

Bibby Scientific announces an addition to the Techne range of personal thermal cyclers – the expanded capacity TC-3000X. With a highly successful half-century track record in the design and manufacture of temperature control equipment, Bibby Scientific’s world-leading Techne brand is synonymous with robust, reliable, reproducible DNA amplification.

www.bibby-scientific.com

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced that it will launch the Thermo Scientific Exactive, a new benchtop LC-MS system designed for compound screening and identification applications, at ASMS 2008. Exactive leverages proven mass analyzer technology from the LTQ Orbitrap platform, the recognized standard for accurate mass and high resolution measurement, to provide precise and confident information. It is fast, easy-to-use and cost effective to operate, making it an ideal instrument for non-experts in routine analytical laboratories.”Orbitrap technology has been an important driver of LC-MS growth in the world of biology,” noted Ian Jardine, vice president of global research and development at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “We asked ourselves what we could do to fully realize the potential of this technology, to make it even more accessible to users with routine toxicology, environmental and drug development workflows. The result is an instrument that we consider a real breakthrough, that can be applied to a great number of challenging new applications.”

The Thermo Scientific Exactive LC-MS streamlines many of the technical steps that normally require specialized set up and operation. An intuitive software interface makes the system easy-to-use in both expert and “walk-up” mode, while ensuring precise mass identification of target compounds over a
wide concentration range.

While simple to operate, Exactive sets new standards for LC-MS performance, at resolutions of up to 100,000. When combined with excellent single scan mass accuracy in positive and negative modes, Exactive becomes an ideal system for common screening and high-throughput applications. “Mass accuracy plays a critical role in reducing analysis times and increasing confidence even in routine measurements,” notes Dr. Jardine. “Co-eluting compounds in complex matrices can be screened and confirmed in a single experiment simply by reanalyzing data at a higher resolution. For screening of isobaric compounds such as pesticides that differ by only a few milli-mass units, this accurate mass capability will be of enormous value.”

Rockville, MD, April 23, 2008: Seegene today announced that its Seeplex(R) multi-pathogen tests are now optimized for Lab 901’s ScreenTape(R)  and Caliper LifeSciences’ LC90(R)  automated detection systems. Compatibility with these two leading detection systems opens the way for Seeplex tests to be used throughout a wide spectrum of labs, from small to mid-sized labs to large commercial reference labs.

Seeplex tests are based on a breakthrough multiplexing PCR technology capable of detecting multiple pathogens in a single tube. Seeplex-based tests deliver maximum specificity, reproducibility and sensitivity and can be applied to a broad range of molecular diagnostics, including human, animal, plant and microorganism. Currently, Seegene’s Seeplex multi-pathogen detection tests offer labs worldwide simple, cost-effective and comprehensive screening for STDs, respiratory viruses, human papillomaviruses, sepsis and pneumonia.

“Our broad portfolio of multi-pathogen detection tests being optimized for ScreenTape and the Caliper LC90 systems will make it easier for clinical and research labs of all sizes to take advantage of our technology,” said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Seegene. “Both the Lab901 and Caliper LifeSciences systems represent the cutting edge of automated detection. Working in combination with these leading systems provides a powerful high-throughput method for analyzing test results.”

The ScreenTape system is the first fully automated, walk-away solution for gel electrophoresis. ScreenTape will automate the simultaneous analysis of eight or sixteen Seeplex PCR samples. Processing speed for 8 samples is completed within 10 minutes;  16 samples within 15 minutes. ScreenTape displays results using easy to interpret color codes. The ScreenTape system comprises the TapeStation (that carries out liquid handling, electrophoresis and imaging), ScreenTape (a consumable that contains the pre-cast, pre-packaged gel and running buffer) and bespoke software. With no gel or buffer preparation and no system priming, even untrained operators can rapidly generate accurate and reproducible test data.

The LabChip 90 System performs fast, automated, 1-D electrophoretic separations of protein, DNA, and RNA samples directly from a 96 or 384 well plate. The LC90 can load and read 96 Seeplex samples within 45 minutes or 384 Seeplex samples in 4 hours in easy-to-interpret reports.

Seegene is currently working to optimize Seeplex tests for other automated capillary electrophoresis systems. Seeplex’s compatibility with a wide range of automated detection systems will provide end-users with the flexibility to use the platform best suited for their purposes.

About Seeplex(R) System: Frontier of Multi-pathogen Detection

Seeplex(R) is a breakthrough multiplexing PCR technology that enables a new standard in simultaneous multi-pathogen detection. Seeplex works in combination with automatic detection systems such as Capillary Electrophoresis and delivers a benchmark in testing accuracy, efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

About Seegene

Seegene, Inc. is pioneering the field of multi-pathogen testing. Seegene applies its novel and proprietary Seeplex system utilizing “DPO (Dual Priming Oligo)” and “ACP (Annealing Control Primer)” to create multi-pathogen tests delivering maximum specificity, reproducibility and sensitivity. With over 260 citations and several patents and patents pending, Seegene has been offering advanced molecular diagnostics services to over 1,000 major global institutes in more than 25 countries. Seegene is actively working with both the scientific and OEM business community. Seegene’s mission is to integrate Seeplex with disease diagnostics to provide a new guideline for effectively treating patients. Seegene was founded in 2000 and is based in Rockville, MD and Seoul, Korea. For more information please visit www.seegene.com.

(Amherst, NH) - The success of recombinant protein drugs such as Enbrel, Remicade, and Herceptin in treating refractory conditions is fueling the search for protein and peptide-based therapeutic agents in oncology, inflammation and a host of other disease classes. Led by the proliferation of antibody-based drug candidates, biological drugs as a class continue to outpace all other NCEs in development pipelines and clinical trials. This shift away from small molecule drugs is creating opportunities for drug developers, device designers, packagers and - ultimately - pharmaceutical marketers.

Because biological drugs most often target chronic conditions, dosing strategies and treatment protocols must be developed for long-term use, often for self-administration by patients who may have limitations directly related to their condition. The powerful physiological effects of antibodies, hormones and other biological drugs also increase the need for safety and compliance.

Compliance with drug therapy and disease management protocols has been and is a primary concern within the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Efforts to enhance compliance are having a non-negligible effect on drug formulations and delivery decisions, and can be a significant factor in the prescribing decisions of most physicians. Compliance concerns have driven and continue to drive investment in new drug delivery technologies.

As patients live longer and are diagnosed with chronic and often debilitating ailments, the result will be a dramatic increase in self-administration of drug therapies in non-traditional settings for a number of conditions. This trend is creating an increased interest in routes of administration that are patient-friendly and cost-effective. Pharma company decision makers have come to the realization that new drug product success no longer only depends on the medication itself but also on achieving a patient-friendly form of application.

New injectable delivery device designs currently being developed will create new opportunities for alternative injection methods. Reusable injectors designed to accept prefilled syringes or drug cartridges will improve ease-of-use and increase alternative device share of the growing self-injection market. Partnerships between device suppliers and pharmaceutical companies will foster market acceptance of new injection devices for a host of new therapies such as therapeutic vaccines, DNA-based drugs, and protein-derived biologics.

These findings are contained in a comprehensive report, Injectable Drug Delivery: Evolving Markets, Emerging Opportunities. More information is available at www.greystoneassociates.org .

About Greystone
Greystone Associates is a medical and healthcare technology consulting firm providing services in strategic planning, venture development, product commercialization, and technology and market assessment.

We are happy to announce that Biosearch Technologies of Novato, California, have extended Bio-Synthesis Inc, of Lewisville, Texas their line of Fluorescent dyes and quenchers for use in biomedical research applications. End users who source Biosearch dyes for any purpose other than non-commercial R&D applications will still be required to contact the Biosearch Technologies Licensing Department to obtain a Commercial Use License. These dyes are chemically coupled to synthetic oligonucleotides and provide an excellent means for non-radioactive detection of DNA targets. Bio-Synthesis Inc has been providing custom synthetic oligonucleotides to the biomedical research community worldwide since 1984

Bio-Synthesis Inc, headquartered in Lewisville, Texas is a leading biomedical manufacturer of custom peptide synthesis, polyclonal antibodies, bioconjugates, DNA oligomer, HLA/DNA typing, organic synthesis and a diverse number of bimolecular products for the biomedical/life science community worldwide.  Our staff of highly experienced and qualified chemists, biologists and immunologists has reliably and consistently provided products and services to large pharmaceuticals and universities across the country that meet the most demanding requirements for quality, turnaround and expert technical support.

Bio-Synthesis Inc was the first commercial company providing DNA and peptides in 1984 and have assisted biomedical researchers (and published articles) in the design of complex bimolecular, of >600,000 peptides used in a variety of fields including but not limited to cancer, apoptosis, signal transduction, cell cycle regulation, genomic sequencing, microarrays, epitope mapping, and HLA typing.  We specialize in custom peptide synthesis from small to large scale and we can help you design the optimal peptides for your research needs at the most competitive price and the highest quality. We have capabilities to synthesize over 500 peptides simultaneously with over 22 years of experienced manufacturing. We believe our quality control and speed is unmatched in the industry.  Our organic synthesis divisions have successfully completed a number of projects with various biotechnology companies.  Furthermore, Bio-Synthesis Inc. is accredited by the AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) to conduct human genetic analysis.  Bio-Synthesis continues to be the worldwide leader for quality custom synthesis.

For more information, please call 1-800-227-0627