Archive for the ‘Equipment & Supplies’ Category
Thermo Fisher Scientific Extends its GC/MS Product Portfolio with Introduction of Highly Sensitive and Versatile GC Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer
Last Updated on Wednesday, 9 April 2008 01:06 Written by Fred Thursday, 9 August 2007 12:27
Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, announces the launch of the ultra-sensitive TSQ Quantum(TM) GC gas chromatograph triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Developed for use in environmental, food, toxicology, pharmaceutical and clinical research laboratories, the system allows industry leading levels of sensitivity, selectivity and simultaneous quantification and structural confirmation through its innovative scan function, Quantitation-Enhanced Data-Dependent MS/MS (QED-MS/MS), at the lowest limits of quantitation. The system offers the ability to switch between GC and LC modes, offering an extremely flexible system. This system will be displayed at the downtown Marriott Ballroom 5, June 3-7, 2007 from 7:00-10:00 PM during the 55th Annual ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Thermo Scientific TSQ Quantum GC is the most sensitive and versatile GC triple quadrupole mass spectrometer instrument available on the market. The GC-MS/MS extends the TSQ Quantum portfolio, achieving higher sensitivity and lower detection limits making it ideally suited for regulated environments. The TSQ Quantum GC delivers high sensitivity with Highly Selective Reaction Monitoring (H-SRM) and lowest limits of quantitation. The H-SRM capability allows the quantitation of hundreds of compounds in a single run for multi-residue screening, while the zero cross-talk collision cell helps in the elimination of false positives.
The system consists of a TSQ Quantum triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, TRACE GC Ultra(TM) and TriPlus autosampler, and is configured with Thermo Scientific Xcalibur(TM) software. Xcalibur is the most powerful and robust data system available, delivering a unique combination of functionality, system control and ease of use. It also contains a built-in audit trail to ensure compliance with laboratory SOPs and quality programs.
In addition, the TSQ Quantum GC includes application-specific software such as Thermo Scientific LCQUAN software, designed to offer scientists workflow-oriented approaches to GC-MS/MS analyses.
The TSQ Quantum GC completes the company’s GC/MS product line by offering a new level of selectivity and performance between the PolarisQ(TM) ion trap GC/MS and the DFS High Resolution Magnetic sector GC/MS.
For more information on the Thermo Scientific TSQ Quantum GC, please call 1-800-532-4752, e-mail analyze@thermofisher.com or visit www.thermo.com/ms.
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 an annual revenue rate of more than $9 billion, we employ 30,000 people 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.
Posted under Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry, Equipment & Supplies, New Products, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
The increased sensitivity, functionality and vehicle mounted mobile capability of the Voice200, as well as its competitive pricing model, are raising strong commercial interest in the market
Last Updated on Monday, 23 July 2007 03:40 Written by Fred Monday, 23 July 2007 03:40
Syft Technologies is launching the next generation of Sift-MS instrumentation, the Voice200, which it says delivers real-time identification and quantitation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at the push of a button. Geoff Peck CEO of Syft Technologies says: ‘The design criteria and market requirements for this next generation of instruments were exacting.
‘We set a goal to significantly reduce the size and weight of the instrument while enhancing detection capability.
‘We redesigned the internal structure of the instrument to simplify the manufacture and maintenance processes, but kept the push button simplicity of the original Voice100′.
Trials of the technology are already producing significant results that are presenting new commercial opportunities for a number of prospects in North America and Europe.
A key player in the US food industry has been particularly impressed with Syft’s ability to analyse key compounds in a range of dairy related products, opening up new opportunities for dairy processing, product development and quality control.
The non-invasive nature of the technique continues to add significant value to a range of clinical trials and medical research being undertaken within New Zealand.
A large multinational in the medical sector has already invested in the Voice range of instruments.
Meanwhile Syft’s container air analysis applications continue to gather momentum as the dangers to health from fumigants and other toxic chemicals within containers are becoming more widely known and understood.
Syft international sales manager John Billows says: ‘Discussions with a range of customer prospects confirm that we have a real winner on our hands.
‘The feedback so far shows they are impressed with the speed and accuracy of the technology, as well as the smaller footprint, and of course the competitive price’.
The underlying technology of the Voice200 is selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (Sift-MS).
Syft Technologies was the first company to be able to successfully commercialise the technique and has won a number of awards for the early commercial success of the Voice100, its flagship product.
New applications for the Voice200 are well underway, including oil and gas exploration and refining, food and flavour chemistry, as well as screening for toxic chemicals, contraband, explosives and bio-security threats.
Syft’s European office, in the northwest of England, will host Syft’s European distributor network for product demonstrations, technical and sales training on the new instrument.
Senior sales and technical staff from the New Zealand head office will also attend the product launch taking place at the Daresbury Innovation Centre.
The Voice200 uses the patented Sift-MS technique to identify and qualify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in real-time.
At less than half the weight of the Voice100, with a 1/3 volume reduction and with detection limits to 50 parts per trillion (50pptv), the Voice200 is a significant scientific and engineering breakthrough.
New features include a touch screen LCD for easy operation, lower power and consumable requirements, and a range of new options for sample presentation and analysis.
A major advance is the instrument’s ability to deliver negative ion capability, opening up a range of application areas that were previously difficult using the Voice100.
The Voice200 differs from competing mass spectrometry technologies in that it can detect and measure VOCs within seconds (such as all common fumigants below government mandated safety levels).
It can also analyse whole-air even in humid samples such as breath, and it provides quantitative results that are consistent and reliable.
It is designed with push button simplicity and ease of use in mind.
Unlike competing mass spectrometry techniques, no sample preparation is required, and the instrument can be operated with minimal training to deliver laboratory quality results.
Posted under Australia, Equipment & Supplies, Industry News, Press Releases | Comments Off
Managing Worldwide Compound Delivery with Tecan REMP Automated Sample Storage and Retrieval Systems
Last Updated on Monday, 23 July 2007 02:19 Written by Fred Monday, 23 July 2007 02:19
At Boehringer Ingelheim’s principal research site in Biberach, Germany, the Screening Support group relies on REMP automated sample storage and retrieval systems to provide compound management services for the company’s high throughput screening laboratories worldwide.
Dr Gerhard Mihm, head of the Screening Support group, explained: “Over the years, the number of compounds to be managed has increased tremendously, and we rely heavily on our REMP sample storage systems; with over 800,000 compounds in our collection, our service would not be possible without this technology. There are only six of us in the group, so it is essential that all of our processes are highly streamlined and very efficient. REMP provides rapid service and maintenance, and the excellent relationship we have developed with the people at REMP is a major benefit too.â€
Dr Mihm continued: “Our automated REMP systems include stores for solid samples, a -20 ºC store for compound solutions using REMP 96 and 384 Tube Technologyâ„¢ consumables and automated cherry picking functions, a plate store at -20 ºC, as well as an expansion of our vial store to accommodate another 250,000 vials.â€
The group also depends on several REMP workstations for automated copying of plates, weighing of solid compounds, preparing stock DMSO solutions and generating 96-well mother plates.
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, Europe, Press Releases | Comments Off
Tecan and the Monash Antibody Technologies Facility join forces to produce the largest monoclonal antibody production facility in the Southern hemisphere
Last Updated on Thursday, 19 July 2007 02:11 Written by Fred Thursday, 19 July 2007 02:11
Männedorf, Switzerland, July 11 2007: Tecan, the leading provider of advanced automation and detection systems, and the Monash Antibody Technologies Facility (MATF) at Monash University, Australia, have announced a partnership to create one of the largest, most sophisticated monoclonal antibody production systems in the world today. Plans are already underway to develop the system, which will be based around multiple, integrated liquid handling workstations and will fully automate all the stages of the production process.
The importance of monoclonal antibody production is reflected by the breadth of use, which includes research applications, diagnostic applications and successful use as therapeutic agents. In the research world, the use of monoclonal antibodies has proven crucial to the understanding of a myriad of physiological processes, and has led to new approaches in the treatment of diseases with great unmet clinical need. In the medical world, they are currently used as diagnostic agents to detect cancers or infectious diseases; as vaccines to boost the body’s immune response; and as therapeutics, to target cancerous cells or to decrease the body’s own immune response in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
The MATF is one of the only high throughput production facilities in the world offering custom-made, high-affinity monoclonal antibodies. The new system will increase the production capacity at MATF from original estimates of 500 panels of novel antibodies a year to potentially 5,000, helping to alleviate the bottleneck of antibody supply experienced by many researchers working on protein function and physiological processes.Â
The new system, partially funded by the Victorian State Government and Monash University, National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and the Australian Stem Cell Centre, is the first major step towards an extensive assay development program planned for 2008, which will further strengthen Monash University’s rising profile as a centre of excellence in the international medical research community.
Alan Sawyer, Director of MATF, who was instrumental in establishing a similar world-renowned facility for the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), said: “Probably the main bottleneck in biomedical sciences right now is a lack of affinity reagents like antibodies – we wanted to remove that bottleneck and open up new ways for investigators and pharmaceutical companies to think about doing science. This is a colossal step towards accomplishing that.†Deputy Director Michael Spiegel added: “Tecan’s involvement on this project has far exceeded a simple supplier/client relationship. They have embraced this challenging project becoming a fundamental partner, contributing innovative project design, competent expertise and a flexible working attitude.â€
Carl Severinghaus, Senior Vice President at Tecan, said: “We are delighted to be co-developing this exciting new system with the MATF and look forward to working together on this as well as any future endeavours.â€
Tecan’s team of experienced application specialists and engineers will build the new system at the company’s headquarters in Männedorf, Switzerland, ready for installation at the MATF in April 2008.
Posted under Collaborations, Equipment & Supplies, Europe, Europe, New Products, Press Releases | Comments Off
Portraitâ„¢ 630 Reagent Multi-spotter Wins Technology Prize at MipTec 10th Anniversary Conference in Basel, Switzerland
Last Updated on Thursday, 31 May 2007 03:14 Written by admin Thursday, 31 May 2007 03:14
Sunnyvale, CA, May 22, 2007 – Portraitâ„¢ 630 Reagent Multi-spotter Wins Technology Prize at MipTec 10th Anniversary Conference in Basel, Switzerland
The European Laboratory Robotics Interest Group (ELRIG) has selected the Labcyte Portrait 630 reagent multi-spotter as the winner of its annual Technology Prize, awarded this year at the MipTec 10th Anniversary Conference, held May 8-11, 2007 in Basel, Switzerland. The award recognizes the most innovative product presented at the conference. A panel of independent judges selected the Portrait 630 system from among hundreds of products displayed by 114 vendors. The ELRIG is a not-for-profit organization, whose primary purpose is to provide a communication forum for members to increase their awareness of automation techniques and products used for scientific research, development or production. MipTec has evolved as the leading conference in Europe on enabling technologies in the drug discovery process. It combines a scientific program featuring scientific and technology experts with an accompanying exhibition.
The Portrait 630 reagent multi-spotter uses the Labcyte acoustic droplet ejection technology to bring automated reagent deposition to the new field of MALDI tissue imaging mass spectrometry (IMS). IMS links the label-free universal detection of mass spectrometry with the spatial information of molecular histology. IMS enables discovery in protein profiling, small molecule tracking, and other applications. The Portrait 630 reagent multi-spotter provides multi-step protocols, precise drop-on-drop positioning and flexible droplet timing, to automate sequential experiments such as proteolytic digests followed by matrix deposition. The Portrait 630 system enables users to optimize reaction conditions and crystal formation for more reproducible and higher quality mass spectra.
Labcyte Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is the world leader in providing acoustic droplet ejection technology for pharmaceutical and life science applications. The award-winning Echo 500 series liquid handlers and Portrait 630 reagent multi-spotters are used in nine of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies, as well as in leading academic and research institutions and contract research organizations worldwide. The Labcyte acoustic droplet ejection technology has broad applications including compound management, assays, arraying, particle manufacturing, imaging mass spectrometry, and live-cell transfer. Labcyte also provides a range of unique microplate consumables. Labcyte has 28 issued U.S. patents, 3 issued European patents and additional international filings. For more information, visit www.labcyte.com.
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, Europe, Europe, Grants and Awards, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
Labcyte Awarded 28th U. S. Patent Describing Improved HTS Microplates for Low Volume Acoustic Transfer
Last Updated on Friday, 16 March 2007 03:45 Written by admin Friday, 16 March 2007 03:45
Sunnyvale, CA, March 15, 2007 – Labcyte Inc. announces the issuance of U.S. Patent 7,185, 969 describing microplates used in high-throughput screening that have low electrical resistance. These plates are more easily electrically grounded than traditional plastic microplates and are more easily de-ionized.
“The trajectory of small droplets can be influenced by electric charges and fields,†said Chief Technical Officer, Richard Ellson. “We deionize both source plates and destinations in our current instruments, the Portraitâ„¢ 630 reagent multi-spotter, the Echo® 550 and Echo 555 liquid handlers to reduce this effect. These advances in microplates will reduce the time required for deionization and improve the productivity of the process.â€
“The Labcyte acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) technology  used in our award-winning Echo® Series 500 liquid handlers has quickly become the state-of-the-art in sample transfer in high-throughput screening laboratories in the pharmaceutical industry. The technology described in this patent will allow us to increase throughput while expanding the range of available applications. This invention will also facilitate the placement of arrays onto the bottom of individual wells in multi-well systems. In this case, it is not sufficient to ensure that the compound was simply transferred to a well but that it was transferred to a particular location in the well with no overlap with other compounds transferred. Even a slight charge could force droplets to change trajectory and position of or even move after they land.
These microplates will aid in miniaturization and enable our users to take further advantage of the small drops produced by our acoustic drop ejection technology.
Labcyte Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is the world leader in providing acoustic droplet ejection technology for pharmaceutical and life science applications. The award-winning Echo 500 series liquid handlers and Portrait 630 reagent multi-spotters are used in seven of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies, as well as in leading academic and research institutions and contract research organizations worldwide. The Labcyte acoustic droplet ejection technology has broad applications including compound management, assays, arraying, particle manufacturing, imaging mass spectrometry, and live-cell transfer. Labcyte also provides a range of unique microplate consumables. Labcyte has 28 issued U.S. patents, 3 issued European patents and additional international filings. For more information, visit www.labcyte.com.
Posted under Discoveries, Innovations and Patents, Equipment & Supplies, Grants and Awards, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
HAMILTON aquires TekCel
Last Updated on Wednesday, 2 May 2007 07:16 Written by admin Tuesday, 13 February 2007 05:58
The key automation solution-provider HAMILTON broadens his product portfolio and strengthens his position as market leader in laboratory automation by this acquisition.
High-tech for Cooling and Storage in research laboratories
The Boston, MA based Company TekCel designs and manufactures specialised Cooling- and Storage systems for research labs in the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industry.
Sample logistics often is the key challenge in automation projects:
Both Companies are leading in the automation technology for laboratories. The innovative technology of TekCel ideally integrates with our Liquid Handling workstations, explains CEO Andreas Wieland, who also sees a major growth potential in the area of automated cooling systems.
By integrating TekCel systems in the product portfolio, HAMILTON emphasizes the strategic positioning as solution-provider for automation projects.
To learn more about how your project can benefit from this new alliance please contact:
For Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux and Scandinavia:+49-89-5526490
for France : +33-1-69751616
for United Kingdom : +44-121-2600301
for Italy : +39-02-29533722
Posted under Business and Investment, Equipment & Supplies, Europe, Press Releases | Comments Off
Tecan and VWR announce a strategic alliance for microarray products and microplate readers
Last Updated on Friday, 9 February 2007 04:33 Written by admin Friday, 9 February 2007 04:33
Tecan and VWR International, Inc., have announced a strategic alliance to unite the strengths of each company and together provide Tecan's cutting edge microarray instruments and microplate readers to the global research market. The collaboration takes advantage of VWR's BioSciences program, which aims to provide researchers with the highest quality services and products available, whatever their application, and a comprehensive sales network - including more than 120 sales representatives worldwide and 15 BioSciences managers in Europe alone. Tecan's range of technically excellent microarray products and microplate readers offer perfect solutions for customers of the BioSciences program working in all areas of drug discovery and life science. Siegfried Sasshofer, Head of Marketing for Tecan's Detection business unit, said, "Tecan's products and technical expertise complement the VWR's BioSciences program very well, and together we can build on our respective strengths in high end instrumentation and well-developed customer relationships. The close collaboration of both teams will benefit research communities in the US and in Europe, helping them to find the best solutions and allowing them to excel in their respective fields." Matt Malenfant Senior VP and President Global Lab Business commented, "The BioSciences program is an investment by VWR to extend our offering of research instruments for our customers' drug discovery and development needs. Establishing a partnership with Tecan accomplishes this, offering an industry leader in laboratory automation and detection instrumentation to our broad reach of customers. Our mutual commitment to excellence will most certainly drive value for our customers."
> For more information, please contact:
Tecan Frank Siefert Untersbergstrasse 1A, A-5082 Grödig AUSTRIA Tel +49 2683 988218 frank.siefert@tecan.com www.tecan.com VWR International, Inc. Robin Gervasoni 1310 Goshen Parkway, West Chester, PA 19380 USA Tel 610-430-7258 robin_gervasoni@vwr.com www.vwrbiosciences.com
> About Tecan > Tecan (www.tecan.com) is a leading global player in the Life Sciences supply industry specializing in the development, production, and distribution of advanced automation solutions enabling pharma and academic research, diagnostics, food and veterinary research as well as forensics. Through its REMP subsidiary (www.remp.com), Tecan is the leading supplier of compound and sample storage, management and logistics solutions. Tecan clients are pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, university research departments and diagnostic laboratories. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has manufacturing, research and development sites in both North America and Europe and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2005, Tecan achieved sales of CHF 344.9 million (USD 275.9 Mio.; EUR 222.5 Mio.). Registered shares of Tecan Group are traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (TK: TECN / Reuters: TECZn.S / Valor: 12100191). >
About VWR International, Inc. VWR International, Inc. is a leader in the global research laboratory industry with worldwide sales of over US $3.0 billion. VWR's business is highly diversified across a spectrum of products and services, customer groups and geography. The company offers more than 1,000,000 products and services, from more than 5,000 manufacturers, to over 250,000 customers throughout the world. VWR's primary customers work in the pharmaceutical, life science, chemical, technology, food processing and consumer product industries. Other important customers include universities and research institutes; governmental agencies; environmental testing organizations; and primary and secondary schools. VWR International affiliates operate in 20 countries and employ approximately 6,000 people. The company's mission is to deliver excellence in the distribution of scientific supplies. The VWR International Group is headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania. For more information on VWR International, phone 1-800-932-5000, visit www.vwr.com, or write, VWR International, Inc., 1310 Goshen Parkway, P.O. Box 2656, West Chester, PA 19380-0906. VWR and design are trademarks of VWR International, Inc
Posted under Collaborations, Equipment & Supplies, Europe, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
Fluidigm Singapore launches Biomedical Product Development Centre
Last Updated on Thursday, 1 February 2007 06:47 Written by admin Thursday, 1 February 2007 06:47
Singapore R&D center to develop life science instruments targeted for US$650 million market
SINGAPORE, Feb. 1, 2007 – Fluidigm accelerates its R&D and manufacturing activities in Singapore, through the launch of its new Biomedical Product Development Center. This center, a core part of Fluidigm’s worldwide R&D organization, will be responsible for the full development of a Fluidigm BioMark II series of instrumentation.
The BioMark II system will allow Fluidigm to expand its business into the biomarker validation market, which is a rapidly growing market in the life science industry. This strategic development makes Fluidigm the first biotechnology company to expand its portfolio in Singapore, with leading-edge biochip and system R&D capabilities. It also underlines the company’s confidence in Singapor’s technical competence.
The Biomedical Product Development Center
The center’s initial research activities will support the development of instrumentation for the BioMark II system. The Singapore research group will undertake 100% of the R&D on a new biochip fluorescence reader and biochip loader, specially designed for high-throughput genotyping and protein expression applications. Fluidigm Singapore will also manufacture the BioMark II system. These new instrumentation will allow the company to tap into the genotyping and protein expression markets, valued at US$ 350 million and US$300 million respectively. This will help Fluidigm expand further into the research tool market, broaden the reach of its current products and enable the development of future products.
Operations for the Biomedical Product Development Center will commence immediately, with its current R&D team of 5. Additional staff will be recruited from Singapore’s large pool of manufacturing and research expertise. The R&D center will also be supported by the local precision engineering companies, academic, biomedical and pharmaceuticals research institutions.
Headquartered in the U.S., Fluidigm Corporation set up Fluidigm Singapore as its first offshore R&D and manufacturing operation. This introduced the breakthrough nanofluidic biochips, known as Integrated Fluidic Circuits (IFC) into the local biomedical sciences scene. Analogous to microprocessors in the semiconductor industry, these IFC biochips can replace roomfuls of lab equipment in the life sciences industry. The BioMark II system leverages on IFC’s innovative technology to achieve dramatic improvements for genetic and protein analysis, over existing technologies. Fluidigm’s cutting-edge solutions have contributed to the research success of many internationally, well-regarded academics and pharmaceutical companies. See Annex 1 for more information on IFCs and the BioMark system. See BioMark News Highlight sheet for success stories of how Fluidigm?s solutions have helped its clients.
“We are very pleased with Fluidigm Singapore’s progress over the last year. The expansion of our portfolio through the Biomedical Product Development Centre is evidence of Singapore’s conducive environment for cutting-edge biomedical R&D activities. We look forward to further strengthening Fluidigm Singapore’s development capabilities, through new technology transfer and applications development,” said Mr. Gajus Worthington, President and CEO of Fluidigm Corporation. See Annex 2 for Mr. Worthington’s biodata.
“The expansion of Fluidigm’s Singapore operations to include product development and the manufacture of a new instrument systems underscores the important role that Singapore plays in Fluidigm?s vision for growth,” said
Mr Philip Yeo, Chairman, Agency Science Technology & Research (A*STAR) and Chairman, Bio*One Capital. Mr Yeo was the guest-of-honor at the official launch of the Biomedical Product Development Center. “The new Fluidigm Biomedical Product Development Center will allow the company to leverage on the biochip capabilities and the supporting precision engineering infrastructure in Singapore, to be a key player in the rapidly growing market in scientific instruments. Bio*One Capital through its investments, has played a pivotal role in supporting the growth of Fluidigm since 2001, leading to the expansion of its operations here. Together with the EDB’s Biomedical Sciences Group, Fluidigm will be assured of continuing support for the exciting new project in Singapore.”
Rapid progress in Singapore
The launch of the Biomedical Product Development Centre has cemented Fluidigm Singapore as a key player in the local biomedical sciences industry. Fluidigm Singapore has made tremendous progress since its October 2005 opening. In less than a year, the company established full process capability for its first product – the TOPAZ Screening Chip. This is a specialized IFC biochip for protein crystallization, a research process used to study a protein’s structure and, in doing so, assess its role in disease and suitability as a target for drug therapies. The TOPAZ chip has major pharmaceutical companies amongst its list of key customers. Following this success, the company took on expanded R&D responsibilities to work on the next generation of biochips. In August 2006, the Singapore team successfully produced the Dynamic Array chip, one of the most complex and advanced biochips on the market. In December 2006, a new product pilot line was transferred from the U.S., to support the development of the next generation of IFC chips in Singapore. These new generation IFC chips will have much higher scale of integration, and provide exponential increases in throughput for the customers.
Fluidigm Singapore has successfully collaborated with many local precision engineering companies to develop enabling technologies for biochip fabrication. These include laser technology applications, high precision machining and molding technologies. These novel solutions will translate into millions of dollars in cost savings for the company.
About Fluidigm
Fluidigm Corporation develops and distributes systems based on the unique properties of integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs) to precisely control fluids on a nano-volume scale. The company’s vision is to create and to lead a new industry in which IFCs bring unparalleled efficiencies to the life science and allied fields. Based in South San Francisco, California, the Company is privately held and backed by premier investors: Versant Ventures, Euclid SR Partners, InterWest Partners, Lehman Brothers Healthcare Fund, Bruce Burrows, Singapore Bio*One Capital, Lilly BioVentures, the Invus Group, GE Equity, SightLine Partners, AllianceBernstein, Wasatch Advisors and its affiliate, Cross Creek Capital and Alloy Ventures.
For media enquiries, contact
Chan Yiu Lin
Greener Grass Communications
Email: yiulin@greenergrass.com.sg
HP: (65)-9765 5897
Posted under Asia, Business and Investment, Equipment & Supplies, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
NEXUS Biosystems’ Universal Store Compound Management System Selected as Key Component of Vanderbilt University’s High-Throughput Screening Facility
Last Updated on Friday, 12 January 2007 11:05 Written by admin Friday, 12 January 2007 11:05
POWAY, CALIF., January 11 /CNW/ - NEXUS Biosystems announced that Vanderbilt University's High-Throughput Screening (HTS) Facility has selected the Universal Store to manage its ever-growing collection of synthetic small molecules and natural products. The Universal Store will serve as the main repository for maintaining and managing Vanderbilt's collection as a part of its basic research and translational drug discovery activities. Multiple local and extramural medicinal, synthetic, and natural products-based chemistry efforts contribute to the population of this collection. This collection is utilized in large part by the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology's (VICB) High-Throughput Screening (HTS) Facility. This facility utilizes state-of-the-art instrumentation and data management tools to interrogate chemical libraries, enabling identification of compounds and reagents for use in basic research, therapeutics, and diagnostics. The facility serves the Vanderbilt research community in developing and running HTS on a wide variety of targets using Vanderbilt's local chemical compound collection. In addition the facility exists as a national resource for screening G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels, and transporters as one of the ten-member, NIH-funded, Molecular Libraries Screening Center Network (MLSCN): http://mli.nih.gov/mlscn/index.php "We are very excited about the selection of our instruments as a major component of the VICB's on-going research initiative," stated Tommy Bui, VP of Business Development for NEXUS. "The VICB requires a sample management system that can achieve demanding requirements for performance, reliability, and most importantly, sample integrity. Vanderbilt's decision to implement the Universal Store further validates NEXUS' technology as a premier solution for the storage, retrieval, and management of diverse chemical libraries." Dave Weaver, Director of the Vanderbilt HTS Facility, said, "We are thrilled to be working with NEXUS to deploy its compound storage and management system. We extensively evaluated numerous compound management systems and we particularly prized the Universal Store's flexibility, scalability, and functionality. For us, getting a system that was able to serve our present needs while being built on a design philosophy that ensures its ability to accommodate future advancements in compound storage was extremely appealing." About NEXUS Biosystems, Inc. NEXUS Biosystems, a privately held company based in Poway, California, USA, has since 1996 been a developer and provider of enabling technologies and automation systems for pharmaceutical, biotech, agrochemical, and academic research institutions worldwide. Current products include the Universal Store(R) family of next-generation sample storage and retrieval systems, the Crystal Farm(R) line of protein crystallization systems, the IRORI(R) line of chemical synthesis technologies and services, and in No. America and Asia NEXUS is a distributor of the Covaris(TM) line of ultrasonic products for sample dissolution, resolubulization, and high density microplate mixing. About the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology The Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology is a trans-institutional initiative between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine. The Institute's mission is to provide research and training in the application of chemical approaches to the solution of important biomedical problems. The proximity of the Chemistry Department and the School of Medicine facilitates this process. Our members represent a range of research interests and technologies with particular strengths in analytical methodology and molecular imaging, cellular responses to chemical stress, drug discovery, enzyme and receptor chemistry, proteomics, structural biology, and chemical synthesis.
For further information: NEXUS Biosystems Tommy Bui, VP, Business Development (858) 679-0770
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, HT Screening, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
AnaSpec Introduces Improved MMP Detection Solutions
Last Updated on Friday, 3 November 2006 01:35 Written by admin Friday, 3 November 2006 01:35
Current EnzoLyte™ MMP assay kits can sensitively detect the activity of MMPs but have been limited in their specificity by the cross-reactions between different MMPs. With the introduction of EnzoLyte PlusTM MMP assay kits, AnaSpec presents an optimized solution for the identification of specific MMPs.
Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) belong to a family of secreted or membrane-associated zinc endopeptidases capable of digesting extracellular matrix components1,2. These enzymes are responsible for connective tissue deterioration, bone remodeling, and damaged tissue repair. They are also involved in a number of diseases, such as tumor development and metastasis3-6 as well as in rheumatoid arthritis7,8.
EnzoLyte Plusâ„¢ MMP assay kits provide an innovative solution for researchers who need to identify the activity of a specific MMP in a complex biological sample containing multiple MMPs and other peptidases. EnzoLyte Plusâ„¢ MMP Assay Kits integrate the specificity of a monoclonal antibody with the sensitivity of a fluorescence peptide substrate, detecting the presence of a particular MMP in biological samples, including serum, plasma, tissue homogenate, cell lysate, and synovial fluid.
The enhanced selectivity is possible through the inclusion of a monoclonal anti human-MMP coated 96-well plate (12 x 8 black strips). The antibody specifically captures the proenzyme and active forms of an MMP from a mixed biological sample. The wells are washed and subsequent addition and cleavage of the FRET peptide gives a fluorimetric reading that reflects the proteolytic activity of the specifically captured MMP. AnaSpec’s unique 5-FAM/QXLTM 520 FRET peptides provide highly sensitive fluorescence readouts at an emission wavelength of 520 nm with a convenient excitation of 490 nm. Experimental data confirms that these kits can measure subnanogram quantities of specific human MMPs, with no cross-reaction to other MMPs.
Â
AnaSpec currently offers the following MMP-specific assay kits:
EnzoLyte Plusâ„¢ 520 MMP-1 Assay Kit
EnzoLyte Plusâ„¢ 520 MMP-9 Assay Kit
EnzoLyte Plusâ„¢ 520 MMP-13 Assay Kit
For more information visit www.anaspec.com
Â
References
Â
           1. Woessner, JF. Jr. and CJ. Taplin, J. Biol. Chem. 263, 16918 (1988).
           2. Woessner, JF. Jr., FASEB J. 5, 2145 (1991).
           3. Matrisian, LM. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A  83, 9413 (1986).
           4. Collier, IE. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 263, 6579 (1988).
           5. Salo, T. et al. J. Biol. Chem. 258, 3058 (1983).
           6. Salo, T. et al. J. Biol. Chem. 260, 8526 (1985).
           7. Chin, JR.et al. J. Biol. Chem. 260, 12367 (1985).
           8. Okada, Y.et al. J. Biol. Chem. 261, 14245 (1986).
Â
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
Organon Invests in State-of-the-art Automation Platforms in Drug Discovery Laboratories to Improve Productivity
Last Updated on Thursday, 5 October 2006 03:16 Written by admin Thursday, 5 October 2006 03:16
OSS, The Netherlands, Sept. 13, 2006Â –Organon has today introduced new state-of-the-art robotic systems at its research sites in Oss (The Netherlands) and Newhouse (Scotland) to re-equip its high throughput screening (HTS) facilities for in vitro testing of compounds as part of ongoing efforts to improve productivity in drug discovery.
The systems, supplied by Beckman Coulter, will replace the existing HTS facilities in molecular pharmacology departments with platforms that are also capable of automating downstream hit optimization and lead optimization screening. As such, they will greatly improve productivity in drug discovery. The project – representing an investment of Euro 8 million – has been executed in parallel with a similar investment in a new Automated Compound Store that houses the Organon compound library at its research facility in Newhouse, Scotland.
Once a biological target has been identified, hundreds of thousands of compounds are tested for activity on the selected target. However the next steps in the drug discovery process – hit optimization and lead optimization – have to date been carried out independently. The new systems will perform all aspects of in vitro screening testing including HTS and related optimization testing of promising lead compounds in an automated manner, thus greatly improving the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the process. This will enable the project teams to make faster and better decisions and will provide a valuable information resource for future projects.
David Nicholson, executive vice president Research and Development at Organon commented: “These significant investments to further automate our drug discovery process are crucial to our ambitions to become a leading global biopharmaceutical company, bringing the next generation of therapeutics to patients. The implementation of the new Automated Compound Store and these measures to fully integrate the research environment can, and will, make a real difference to the success of our endeavors to fuel our future pipeline.â€
Organon selected Beckman Coulter technology, including Biomek Liquid Handlers and various transportation robots controlled by new SAMI® EX software, for the project. Elaborating on the choice of partner, Steven van Helden, director HTS & Technology at Organon in Oss, added, “It was essential for us to find a robotic system which would be very user-friendly, as well as modular, scalable and flexible because we will be using the new equipment for a large number of different projects across our diverse therapeutic areas of interest. Working with Beckman Coulter has given us the ability to program complex procedures involving multiple automated plate transport systems quickly and simply.â€
Chris Neary, vice president of Biomarker Discovery and Automation Business for Beckman Coulter, said, “We have enjoyed collaborating closely with Organon to develop a system that meets their specific drug discovery needs. This is precisely the kind of research opportunity where Beckman Coulter is able to lend our expertise and truly partner with researchers to develop a very specific automated lab solution that helps achieve their stringent quality, cost and efficiency objectives. He adds, “It is always an exciting part of our job to see what improving research productivity can do to make advancements in drug discovery possible.”
About Organon
Organon – with shared head offices in Roseland, NJ, USA and Oss, The Netherlands – creates, manufactures and markets innovative prescription medicines that improve the health and quality of human life. Through a combination of independent growth and business partnerships, Organon strives to remain or become one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies in each of its core therapeutic fields: fertility, gynecology, anesthesia and neuroscience. Research areas also include immunology and oncology. Organon products are sold in over 100 countries, of which more than 60 have an Organon subsidiary. Organon is the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel.
Mrs. Monique Mols
N.V. Organon (Communications)
Visiting address:Â Molenstraat 110
5342 CCÂ Oss
The Netherlands
Mailing address: P.O. Box 20
5340 BHÂ Oss
The Netherlands
Phone +31.412.66.54.40
Fax: +31.412.66.25.68
Email address: monique.mols@organon.com
Posted under Business and Investment, Equipment & Supplies, Europe, Press Releases | Comments Off
Arrayjet Sales two Aj100 Inkjet Microarray Spotters
Last Updated on Thursday, 14 September 2006 03:56 Written by admin Thursday, 14 September 2006 03:56
Arrayjet has announced the sale of two Aj100 Inkjet Microarray Spotters to the combined Universities of Exeter and Nottingham.
The machines were purchased by Dr Andrew Shaw at Exeter and Professor Paul O’Shea at Nottingham, to form the mainstay microarray capability of the ‘Attogram Project’, a collaboration between the two universities, funded by the EPSRC.
Dr Shaw, Senior Lecturer in Physical Chemistry at the University of Exeter and Attogram Project Principal Investigator (PI), explained that the their aim is “to build a new instrument based on novel techniques which will help us screen many ideas with applications in chemical biology in the pharmaceutical industry and disease diagnosis.”
Dr Shaw continued, “We chose the Arrayjet Aj100, as it is our plan to develop the screening technology we are designing to perform on-line analysis of compounds.”
“For this to be possible, not only is it necessary to avoid damaging the surface onto which we wish to array, but also to be able to perform spot-on-spot printing in the future; this is only possible using non-contact printing technology.”
“The Arrayjet spotters are the only machines which combine the necessary speed of throughput and sample capacity with the non-contact printing technology we need.”
Arrayjet’s Sales and Marketing Director Duncan Hall, was impressed by the systematic approach Dr Shaw took in deciding to purchase the spotters, “We are delighted to supply the Attogram Project with our technology and to support such interesting and exciting research, the output of which could change the face of global healthcare.”
Hall continued, “This sale follows very closely on the heels of a recent purchase by the SCGTI in Scotland and confirms that our technology is at the cutting edge of microarray printing and extremely robust.”
Further Information: http://www.arrayjet.co.uk/
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, Europe, Press Releases | Comments Off
‘Spin & Mix’ with global Advantage campaign
Last Updated on Monday, 28 August 2006 04:46 Written by admin Monday, 28 August 2006 04:46
The autumn campaign for Eppendorf Advantage centres around premium innovative products launched in 2006: Microcentrifuge 5424, MixMate and the award-winning Multipette stream/Xstream.
Twice a year Eppendorf Advantage, an internationally recognised promotions platform, highlights particular products through both global and local distributor offers, and gives customers the opportunity to ‘Get the best for less’. From 1 September to 31 December Microcentrifuge 5424 comes with a free aerosol-tight standard rotor and, in the UK only, Multipette stream/Xstream is available at only half the normal price with the purchase of MixMate. UK customers who ‘Take Advantage’ of both these offers can also choose a free epResearch3 or epReference3 Pack containing a selection of pipettes and tips.
Thanks to new passive air-cooling technology, Microcentrifuge 5424 is faster, safer and quieter than the 5415 D which it supersedes, even without the aerosol-tight lid. Encompassing Eppendorf’s trusted brand values – precision, quality, versatility – the compact, easy-to-use Microcentrifuge 5424 is ideal for a wide range of applications in biological and medical laboratories.
MixMate is the only mixer uniting a plate and tube mixer for volumes from 5 µl up to 2.0 ml with a vortex function in a 3-in-1 format. Eppendorf perfected 2DMix-Control technology to enable high-speed mixing without cross-contamination or spillage, setting new standards in sample preparation. Full details of this versatile benchtop mixer, plus a chance to enter a prize draw and win a digital camera, are at www.eppendorf.com/MixMate.
Multipette stream and Multipette Xstream are designed to perform reliable, precise and fast automatic dispensing, with no cross-contamination even for high vapour pressure and/or high viscosity materials. Conforming to IVD and PhysioCare Concept, these electronic dispensers feature an intuitive camera-style selection wheel and a light, compact design for near-effortless operation.
Albrecht Wiener, Eppendorf UK Managing Director, says, ‘This Advantage promotion celebrates Eppendorf Innovation in 2006. To take just one example, Multipette stream/Xstream won a coveted ‘red dot award: product design’ in June this year. Red dot design award is one of the world’s largest design competitions and this accolade from an independent jury of international experts underlines Eppendorf’s success in developing truly excellent styling and ergonomics for our high-precision products.’
A booklet with further information on Eppendorf Advantage is available on request via www.eppendorf.com/advantage.
Eppendorf UK, headquartered in Cambridge, is a subsidiary of Eppendorf AG, Hamburg, Germany, a leading global supplier of systems and research tools for the biotechnology industry. With over 1800 employees on four continents, Eppendorf AG achieved a turnover of £224m (€320.9m) in 2005 and operating profits (EBIT) of £35m (€50.4m).
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, Europe, Press Releases | Comments Off
Labcyte Certified as a Green Business
Last Updated on Tuesday, 18 July 2006 05:44 Written by admin Tuesday, 18 July 2006 05:44
Sunnyvale, CA, July 18, 2006 – Labcyte Inc. today announced that it is one of the first high-tech manufacturing companies in Sunnyvale to be certified as a Green Business. The Green Business Program is a voluntary program that recognizes businesses that commit to full compliance with environmental regulations and take steps to prevent pollution, reduce waste, and conserve resources.  The certification recognizes the continuing commitment of Labcyte to conserve resources and reduce waste and pollution.
“Labcyte is committed to protecting the environment.  We have implemented practices that decrease energy and water consumption. We have also reduced the amount of waste going to the landfills. In addition to being good for the environment, these practices reduce our operating costs,â€Â said Keith Love, Vice President of Manufacturing and coordinator of the Green Business initiative at Labcyte. “Furthermore, customers who use our “touchless” liquid dispensing instruments can eliminate a significant amount of plastics tips waste and cost, while improving accuracy, for a triple win.”
“Our internal Green Business programs are a natural extension of the advantages of the products we provide to the life science R&D communityâ€, said Dr. Elaine Heron, Chief Executive Officer of Labcyte. “The users of our Echoâ„¢ 550 and 555 liquid handling systems report saving $100,000 to $300,000 annually through reduced amounts of plastic consumables and solvents. Our highly reproducible direct transfer of low nanoliter quantities uses focused sound energy to move liquids. This enables researchers to transfer their valuable test materials directly and accurately into their assay plates without touching them, avoiding the generation of contaminated materials from the transfer process. So, rather than doing an intermediate dilution that requires tips, additional plates and large quantities of solvent, this simplified procedure is not only better for the environment, but has also been shown to provide better results because compounds are often adsorbed on the surfaces they contact during the intermediate dilution.†(See our website, http://www.labcyte.com/aboutus/technology/index.html, for more details.)
Among the many environmentally sound practices at Labcyte are:
•  Water conservation: connection to reclaimed water for outdoor uses
•  Energy conservation: occupancy sensors in all offices and conference rooms
•  Solid waste reduction and recycling: minimizing packaging, and purchasing recycled products when possible
•  Pollution prevention: preventing contamination of storm drains, using environmentally-friendly cleaning products
•  Encouraging alternatives to single-person automobile commuting including bicycling, public transportation, and telecommuting
Labcyte was assisted in the process of obtaining the Green Business Certification by one of the company’s investors, the Bay Area Equity Fund. This is a double bottom line fund managed by JPMorgan which seeks to invest in companies that can deliver market-rate venture capital returns while enabling social and environmental improvement in the San Francisco Bay Area’s low and moderate income neighborhoods.
About the Green Business Program
The Green Business Program is a free, voluntary program that encourages businesses to go beyond compliance with environmental laws and regulations to implement sustainable practices in business operations, thus improving the environment and the economy of Santa Clara County.  The Green Business certification process addresses surface water quality, stormwater protection, pollution prevention, and community education.  To achieve certification, businesses must meet environmental compliance requirements and, in addition, must implement measures that go beyond regulatory requirements.  Assessments and conservation measures are tailored to fit each business’ operations.  More information is available at www.ReduceWaste.org.
About Labcyte Inc.
Labcyte Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, provides plastic laboratory supplies, as well as the new Echo 555 liquid handler and the award-winning Echo 550 liquid handler. The Labcyte acoustic liquid handling technology has broad applications in the life science including dispensing equipment, assay systems, particle manufacturing, reagent multispotting for MALDI imaging applications, and living-cell transfer devices. Labcyte has 26 issued U.S. patents, 1 issued European patent and additional international filings. For more information, visit the company’s website, www.labcyte.com
Acoustic liquid handling transfers compounds directly to assay plates eliminating intermediate dilutions and the concomitant loss of compounds by adsorption to tips and well surfaces. Pharmaceutical researchers have proved that these losses can lead to failure to identify potential drugs. Elimination of the consumables associated with intermediate dilutions also results in savings that approximate the cost of the instrument in one year. Labcyte Inc. provides two instruments that use ADE—the Echo™ 550 liquid handler, which is used in seven of the 10 top pharmaceutical companies, and the recently introduced Echo 555, which was designed for UHTS laboratories requiring very high throughput.
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, Grants and Awards, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
Optimised Evaporators for Drug Discovery and Development
Last Updated on Saturday, 15 July 2006 06:38 Written by admin Saturday, 15 July 2006 06:38
Ipswich UK and Valley Cottage , NY USA — Genevac will preview its latest applications developments and innovative products for drug discovery and development at the forthcoming Drug Discovery Technology® & Development World Congress (DDT 2006) exhibition in Boston, MA USA, August 8th thru 10th, 2006.
Genevac have developed a Fast Lyophilisation Process to resolve problems that customers experience with HPLC solvents. Using Genevac HT series evaporators, HPLC fractions can be concentrated to a few millilitres and then frozen and rapidly lyophilised to produce a diffuse dry powder, which can easily be re-dissolved or weighed out.
The new LyoSpeedTM facility allows the volatile organic solvent to be removed from the HT-Series evaporator condenser enabling the system to achieve the deep vacuums necessary to achieve good lyophilisation, without user intervention. Further information is available at www.genevac.co.uk/products/lyophilisation.html
At Booth 418, Genevac will also show the second generation EZ-2 personal evaporator launched earlier this year. The new EZ-2 further extends the benchmark performance, operational versatility and ease of use of its market-leading predecessor.
Incorporating state-of-the-art technology the EZ-2 is able to evaporate solvents in typically half the time of traditional evaporator designs. Further time savings are made as users can see solvents as they collect in the trap and emptying the collection vessel is simple, requiring no defrosting.
Also on display will be the Genevac HT12 Series II system – an evaporator designed to provide the ideal solution for evaporation bottlenecks in the drug discovery laboratory. The system’s high performance and high sample capacities make them the ideal workhorses for the laboratory requiring high throughput evaporation.
The unique design of the multi layer rotor ensures efficient use of valuable laboratory bench space as well as high performance and high throughput evaporation.
Genevac’s knowledgeable applications and sales staff will be available to discuss with customers the best way to meet their requirements for solvent removal. For scientists not able to visit the aforementioned shows please contact Genevac Inc.. on 845-267-2211 or rob.darrington@genevac.co.uk for further information.
Worldwide HQ
Genevac Ltd.
Farthing Road
Ipswich IP1 5AP UK
tel. + 44-1473-240000
email salesinfo@genevac.co.uk
North America HQ
Genevac Inc
707 Executive Boulevard
Valley Cottage , NY USA
tel. +1 – 845-267-2211
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, Europe, Press Releases | Comments Off
Advancing Drug Discovery: From Better Hits to Better Candidates
Last Updated on Wednesday, 7 June 2006 05:59 Written by admin Wednesday, 7 June 2006 05:59
SBS 12th Annual Conference and Exhibition
September 17-21, 2006 – Seattle, WA, USA
The theme of the SBS 2006 annual conference in Seattle highlights the impact of screening and technology applications on drug discovery. With over a decade of HTS and combinatorial chemistry strategies now behind us, it is important to understand and critique the impact these technologies have had on providing better hits, better leads and most of all, better drug candidates to ultimately improve the quality of patient care.
Technical Session Summaries
No matter what part of the drug-discovery process you’re involved in, you’ll find plenty to interest you in the 2006 SBS Technical Sessions. This professional program presents issues and information from the best minds in the industry—covering the latest developments at every stage of the process and in every area of drug discovery.
With an unparalleled professional program comprising more than 45 presentations, you’ll get useful information and valuable insights to take back to your lab or workplace.
|
Advanced Technology for Drug Discovery
Session Chairs:
Scott Diamond, University of Pennsylvania, USA
David Weaver, Vanderbilt University, USA
HTS labs are now conducting a continually increasing number of assays per year and are also encountering more difficult and nontraditional assays. This session will focus on emerging platforms and detection systems relevant to high-throughput screening challenges, including flow cytometry based HTS, microfluidics, microsensing, chemical microarrays, and label-free detection using mass spectrometry. Attendees of this session will learn how experts in the field are applying new technologies for challenging applications.
Target Biology & Screening sponsored by
Gary Krishnan, Eli Lilly, USA
Peter Lander, Eli Lilly, USA
Many companies have established platform approaches to identify novel leads and drug candidates for protein families or classes such as GPCRs, enzymes and ion channels. These efforts have addressed target biology and screening and have presented exciting opportunities to address therapeutic opportunities. These platform approaches have enabled high-throughput assays that optimally address target biology and selectivity and seize synergies among the individual projects in the same target class. This session will focus on the application of novel and traditional approaches used to produce better leads and candidates that target the biology of these important target classes.
Cells & Protein Production: Keeping Pace with Drug Discovery
Session Chairs:
Tom Kost, GlaxoSmithKline, USA
Lorenz Mayr, Novartis Pharma AG, Switzerland
The timely development, production and supply of high quality protein and cell-based reagents for HTS and compound profiling assays present a continual challenge within drug-discovery programs in both Pharma and Biotech. In addition to validating that a large number of diverse reagents possess the desired biological properties, one often needs to consider biosafety, stability, delivery, storage and tracking requirements. These requirements take on increased importance in the framework of the dramatic increase in the number of screening assays being performed in automated facilities that may be carried out by different groups in geographically distinct locations. Furthermore, recent trends in industry towards targets with less target validation and detailed knowledge about target production, demand continual enhancements of reagent production technologies. Attendees will learn of current approaches and future challenges of keeping pace with the supply of biologically relevant proteins, membranes, viruses and cells required to conduct productive drug-discovery programs.
Creating New Chemical Space for Lead Discovery
Session Chairs:
Michael Sofia, Pharmassett, Inc., USA
Armen Boldi, Discovery Partners International, USA
The objective of lead discovery is to identify a series of chemotypes that can be further progressed into expanded lead optimization. The primary strategies that are employed to support lead generation include high-throughput screening, focused screening, and structure-based approaches. All of these approaches require access to novel and diverse sets of compounds from either natural or synthetic sources that can be evaluated against the biological target of interest. The development of the necessary chemical space to support productive lead generation has spawned new approaches in the areas of natural products and synthetic natural product-like molecules, the evolution of high-throughput chemistry, the application of lead-like versus drug-like concepts, and the development of fragment-based strategies. It has also led to significant efforts to understand the interface between chemical and biological space and what characteristics are important in making a collection of compounds productive for lead generation. This session will address current chemical and theoretical approaches that are being employed to ensure that lead discovery efforts are providing quality leads to support down stream lead optimization needs.
Defining Target & Compound Specificity
Session Chairs:
William Janzen, Amphora Discovery Corporation, USA
Doriano Fabbro, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Switzerland
Target specificity can mean many different things. Protein families such as protein kinases, GPCRs and ion channels play an essential role in many signaling pathways, and have, therefore, the potential to contribute to diseases ranging from cancer, inflammation and diabetes to cardiovascular and infectious disorders. Specificity as it is related to disease involvement is key to defining druggable targets, but identification of specific interactions and functional validation of targets remains a challenge. This session will explore contextual usage of the term specificity as well as methods for exploring compound target interactions and innovative approaches that have been developed to address specificity.
Hit to Lead Processes
Session Chairs:
Michael Sofia, Pharmasett, Inc., USA
Raju Mohan, Exelixis, Inc., USA
Prior to committing significant lead optimization resources to a HTS, active extensive validation of the chemotype is required. Therefore, the “hit to lead†process has evolved as a distinct phase in medicinal chemistry, bridging the gap between lead generation and full medicinal chemistry lead optimization. This process typically entails assessment of the pool of screening actives, validation of progressible SAR within selected chemical series, an early understanding of potential toxicological or metabolic liabilities, a clear understanding of IP and freedom-to-operate scope, and demonstration of in vitro potency and early indications of in vivo efficacy where possible. New cheminformatics tools, high-throughput assays that support liability assessment and the application of rapid analoging to scope out SAR trends are only a few of the emerging technologies utilized in critical decision making in the hit-to-lead phase. This session will highlight real examples of hit to lead development and showcase the application of novel approaches and tools that help accelerate the process.
Imaging & High Content Assays
Session Chairs:
Tina Garyantes, Sanofi-Aventis, USA
Renata Schnitzer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Austria
As the pharmaceutical industry struggles to increase productivity, there is a move toward using more physiologically relevant cellular assays and acute in vivo models earlier in the drug-discovery process. Examples include the re-emergence of phenotypic screening, the use of translocation assays for GPCRs and tyrosine kinase receptors, acute models of metastasis, and MRI and PET scanning of bone damage during osteoporosis and arthritis. At the same time, imaging technologies are maturing and penetrating into more laboratories where they are helping to advance compounds to or toward candidate status. This session will highlight examples of how these techniques can drive drug discovery ranging from cellular HCS to whole animal studies both at the lead identification and lead optimization phases.
Structural Biology & Lead Optimization
Session Chairs:
Harren Jhoti, Astex Therapeutics Ltd., United Kingdom
Kendall Nettles, The Scripps Research Institute, USA
The use of structure-based drug design methods in the discovery of novel lead compounds has grown significantly in the last decade. This has been largely due to technology advances in structural biology that allow scientists to obtain protein/ligand structures in a timely manner to guide medicinal chemistry. As a consequence lead optimization programs are now able to more efficiently generate drug candidates with the desired properties. Furthermore, high-throughput methods in crystallography and NMR have also allowed structure-based methods to establish new approaches for lead generation, such as fragment-based discovery. This session will outline some of the key technology advances in structural biology and illustrate their application for structure-based lead generation and optimization.
ADME/Toxicology in Early Drug Discovery
Session Chairs:
Kirk McMillan, Exelixis, Inc., USA
Charles Crespi, BD Biosciences, USA
Early application of ADME/toxicology assays in support of lead validation/optimization has become a critical component of small molecule drug discovery in both pharma and biotech organizations. Implementation of in vitro assays for profiling metabolic stability, cytochrome P450 inhibition, cell (or membrane) permeability and physicochemical properties (solubility, lipophilicity, pKa, etc.), as well as assays for identifying hepatoxicity, reactive metabolites, HERG channel interaction and genotoxicity have become routine determinants of a candidate’s “drugability”. These profiling assays in conjunction with extensive in vivo DMPK/toxicology studies have resulted in the selection of better clinical candidates and reduced compound attrition. This session will address new technologies, current practices and future directions for this important aspect of preclinical drug discovery and development.
Knowledge Management & Extracting Value from Large Data Sets
Session Chair:
Robert Brown, SciTegic, USA
Access to accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date information is key to making good project decisions during the discovery process. This symposium will consider challenges and solutions in gathering, organizing, analyzing and presenting discovery information for a research organization, for both internal and externally generated data. The session will address new paradigms for information and knowledge management and the application of new techniques such as workflow to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of information organization and data analysis. We will also present the architecture, design and functionality of knowledge management systems and case studies of their operational effectiveness in the drug-discovery process. The impact of external resources such as target class knowledge bases in drug discovery and their integration into information and knowledge management systems will also be discussed.
Biomarkers for Pre-clinical & Clinical Evaluation of New Drugs
Session Chairs:
Nicholas Dracopoli, Bristol-Myers Squibb, USA
Thomas White, Celera Diagnostics, LLC, USA
Biomarkers are being increasingly used in all aspects of drug development from target discovery to life cycle management. Early implementation of biomarker discovery and assay development strategies into the clinical development plan is essential for clinical trial design and monitoring for first-in-class compounds, as well as for second generation compounds against the same target or pathways. The definition of biomarkers is very broad and encompasses genomic biomarkers (single nucleotide polymorphisms) used in genetic association studies to dynamic markers (quantitative gene expression assays by microarrays or qPCR, proteomics and the more traditional assay formats including immunochemistry and flow cytometry). Given the breadth of opportunities for the application of biomarkers in drug development from target identification to dose selection and prediction of drug efficacy and risk of adverse events, no single biomarker strategy exists for any therapeutic area, let alone an entire discovery and development portfolio. This symposium will focus on several successful applications of both genomic and dynamic biomarkers in drug development to illustrate possible strategies to reduce attrition and accelerate clinical development.
Drug Discovery for Diseases of the Developing World
Session Chairs:
Jose F. Garcia-Bustos, GlaxoSmithKline, Spain
Lisa Conte, Napopharma, USA
Pharmaceutical products and vaccines have revolutionized health care in industrialized countries during the last century. However, this progress has barely touched low-income countries where millions of people lack access to essential medicines that could potentially have a remarkable effect on the healthcare of a third of the world’s population. Closing the gap between potential and reality entails action in these areas: incentives for academic and industrial R&D in diseases endemic in low-income countries; financing and distribution in resource-constrained areas; drug affordability; effective drug regulation to avoid misuse and fake drugs; and multi-stakeholder community based education, training, and sustainability planning. The panel will explore (a) industry-based solutions to drug development, registration, and distribution in developing and emerging economies; (b) community health initiatives; (c) incentives for tropical disease R&D; and (d) non-profit initiatives to provide access to essential drugs.
Systems Biology & Confluence with Drug Discovery
Session Chairs:
John Aitchison, Institute for Systems Biology, USA
Ilya Shmulevich, Institute for Systems Biology, USA
Rapid technological advances in large-scale data collection coupled with model-driven mathematical and computational approaches are allowing scientists to gain a global and integrated view of physiology and pathophysiology. Unlike approaches that focus on individual molecules or small groups of interacting molecules, systems-scale approaches hold the promise of deciphering large dynamic molecular networks that dictate the phenotypic state and enable principled drug target identification, validation, and the development of targeted interventions. The systems approach to biology and medicine promises to transform the practice of medicine by changing it from a reactive discipline to a predictive, preventive and personalized discipline.
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, HT Screening, Medicinal Chemistry, Targeted Libraries, USA and Canada | Comments Off
Molecular Libraries Screening Center at Columbia University Adopts Tecan Freedom EVO Workstations as Part of NIH Roadmap Screening Initiative
Last Updated on Tuesday, 11 April 2006 05:40 Written by admin Tuesday, 11 April 2006 05:40
DURHAM, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr 10, 2006 – Tecan, a leading player in the health care supply industry, has signed an agreement with the Molecular Libraries Screening Center at Columbia University (New York, NY) to supply automated workstations for compound screening and profiling. Tecan’s experience in instrumentation for cell and enzyme based assays will play a central role in the automation of the screening center.
The unique strength of Columbia’s Screening Center, one of ten national centers to make up the NIH Roadmap initiative (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/), is its experience in cell biology, high content/high resolution automated cellular imaging, and phenotypic assay design and implementation. Tecan’s expertise and novel set of instruments for laboratory scale automated cell culture and screening will automate methods from extracting cells from flasks to high throughput screening. Through this and similar projects, Tecan continues to develop more sensitive, more robust, and more easily adaptable technologies to help researchers to fully capitalize on the recent completion of the human genome sequence and further discoveries in molecular and cell biology.
Carl Severinghaus, President of Tecan US, remarked: “Tecan’s extensive experience in automating a wide range of cell culture and compound profiling applications was a key factor in our successful bid for this project. We are excited to work closely with Columbia University to develop novel solutions which are potentially suitable for all the laboratories involved in the NIH initiative.”
Professor James E. Rothman, Principal Investigator of the Columbia Center and Director of Columbia’s Genome Center, said: “We are pleased that Tecan will be our automation partner, not only because of Tecan’s excellent reputation, but also because of the much-needed flexibility and modularity its solutions provide for an academic screening site.”
Tecan (www.tecan.com) is a leading global player in the Life Sciences supply industry specializing in the development, production, and distribution of advanced automation solutions enabling pharma and academic research, diagnostics, food and veterinary research as well as forensics. Through its REMP subsidiary (www.remp.com), Tecan is the leading supplier of compound and sample storage, management and logistics solutions. Tecan clients are pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, university research departments and diagnostic laboratories. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has manufacturing, research and development sites in both North America and Europe and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2005, Tecan achieved sales of CHF 344.9 million (USD 275.9 Mio.; EUR 222.5 Mio.). Registered shares of Tecan Group are traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (TK: TECN / Reuters: TECZn.S / Valor: 1210019).
The Molecular Libraries Screening Center Network (MLSCN) is a nationwide consortium of small molecule screening centers that is funded by the NIH to produce innovative chemical tools for use in biological research. The MLSCN performs HTS on assays provided by the research community, against a large library of small molecules maintained in a central molecule repository. The network also performs optimization chemistry required to produce useful in vitro chemical probes (research tools for the targets or phenotypes studied in the assays) from the “hits” identified in the initial screening. The MLSCN has access to a large set of chemically diverse small molecules some of which have known biological activities and others of which have the potential to modulate novel biological functions. Over time, this collection will be expanded and modified to provide a working set of molecules that will target larger domains of “biological space,” which represents all of the biomolecular surface domains that can potentially interact with a small molecule. All of the results from the MLSCN’s activities will be placed into a public database called PubChem, and information about probe compounds will be made available to all researchers, in both public and private sectors, for their use in studying biology and disease.
Contact Tecan Dr. Greg Porter, 919-361-5200
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
Labcyte CTO Ellson Awarded for Acoustic Dispensing Technology
Last Updated on Monday, 27 March 2006 07:38 Written by admin Monday, 27 March 2006 06:26
Sunnyvale, CA, March 21, 2006 – Richard Ellson, Chief Technical Officer for Labcyte Inc., has been awarded the 2006 SBS PolyPops Foundation Award by the Society for Biomolecular Sciences for his work developing acoustic dispensing technology. This technology, used in the Echo 550 and Echo 555 liquid handlers, enables users to move liquids with sound. In these systems, acoustic energy is focused through the bottom of a microplate well to eject a droplet of fluid and transfer it directly to a well in another microplate. This completely eliminates any physical contact with the material being moved leading to improved precision and accuracy, reduced costs and waste, and better qualitative results. The Society for Biomolecular Sciences presents the PolyPops Award annually to members of the scientific community who have shown true innovation in the area of Microplate Development and Design.
When informing Mr. Ellson of the award, the SBS noted that the technology “enhances the capability of transforming compound handling and high throughput screening into several drug discovery applications, and [that it] is rapidly being adopted into production systems throughout the drug discovery industry.â€
The Society will officially present Mr. Ellson with the award at its 12th Annual SBS Conference and Exhibition in Seattle, WA, in September. The award includes recognition in The Journal of Biomolecular Screening as well as a $2500 honorarium.
Upon being informed of the award, Mr. Ellson said, “I am delighted that the Society for Biomolecular Screening has acknowledged the technology and what it can do for the pharmaceutical industry. This technology and its commercial manifestation in the Echo liquid handlers and Echo qualified microplates has been a group effort involving dozens of people. The hard work and innovative thinking of the team at Labcyte transformed the original ideas into a usable technology.â€
Mr. Ellson, a founder of Labcyte Inc., previously held positions at Xerox PARC and Kodak where he worked in liquid handling, imaging and plastics manufacturing. Mr. Ellson holds a B.S. in Fluid and Thermal Science from Case Western Reserve University with a minor in life sciences, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. His contributions were acknowledged by a Kodak Doctoral Award through which he took a two-year paid leave to study mathematics at the University of Illinois. He is an inventor on over 50 issued U.S. patents and has published numerous articles. Mr. Ellson is an active member of the screening community as a frequent conference speaker, a member of SBS, reviewer for The Journal of Biomolecular Screening and editor for The Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation.
The acoustic dispensing technology for which the award was given transfers compounds directly to assay plates eliminating intermediate dilutions and the concomitant loss of compounds by adsorption to tips and well surfaces. Pharmaceutical researchers have proved that these losses can lead to failure to identify potential drugs. Elimination of the consumables associated with intermediate dilutions also results in savings that approximate the cost of the instrument in one year. Labcyte Inc. provides two instruments that use ADE—the Echo™ 550 liquid handler, which is used in seven of the 10 top pharmaceutical companies, and the recently introduced Echo 555, which was designed for UHTS laboratories requiring very high throughput.
Labcyte Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, provides plastic laboratory supplies, as well as the new Echo 555 liquid handler and the award-winning Echo 550 liquid handler. The Labcyte acoustic liquid handling technology has broad applications in the life science including dispensing equipment, assay systems, particle manufacturing, reagent multispotting for MALDI imaging applications, and living-cell transfer devices. Labcyte has 25 issued U.S. patents, 1 issued European patent and additional international filings. For more information, visit the company’s website, www.labcyte.com.
The Society for Biomolecular Sciences’ mission is to advance the science of drug discovery and related disciplines by providing a forum for education and information exchange among professionals around the world. The Society offers its 2,000-plus members a variety of publications and programs, most notably the Journal of Biomolecular Screening, a highly regarded peer-reviewed resource for cutting edge research, and SBS News which delivers the latest Society happenings to every member.
The PolyPops Foundation has been setup to recognize innovation in the design and application of Plastics & Polymers in Microplates and other devices used in Healthcare worldwide. The “micro” Awards are given to Biologists, Chemists, Designers, Engineers and Researchers worldwide. Preference is given to individuals, with or without academic background, working in educational & government institutions.
Posted under Equipment & Supplies, Grants and Awards, North America, Press Releases | Comments Off
Tecan now offering REMP Tube Technology
Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 March 2006 12:42 Written by admin Wednesday, 15 March 2006 12:42
The REMP Tube Technology offers researchers a unique and efficient solution for managing samples. The use of this technology virtually eliminates the risk of sample degradation arising from multiple freeze/thaw cycles by providing the flexibility of random and rapid individual tube selection.
No matter how small or large your sample collection is today, Tecan and REMP have solutions that fit your current needs, while offering flexible upgrade paths as your collection grows.
REMP Tube Technologyâ„¢ Consumables
Variety of configurations are available to meet you specific needs:
384 Tube Technology Consumables
96 Tube Technology Consumables (300ul and 900ul sizes)
Consumables are manufactured of the highest quality, which is what your valuable samples deserve
Made of DMSO resistant, inert, medical grade polypropylene material and can be used at temperatures ranging from ambient to -80°C
Optional 2D DataMatrixâ„¢ code for redundant tube verification and tracking
Other consumables are also available; such as Piercing Lids, Thermo-Seals and Capmats, to further enhance sample protection and accessibility
REMP Tube Punching Moduleâ„¢
The REMP Tube Punching Module (TPM) enables small-scale automation of individual sample selection. It employs a unique ‘push-through’ technology, which greatly reduces handling errors while improving throughput and reliability as compared to conventional pick and place methods.
Higher sample integrity:
No carry-over effects
No dilution effects
No disposable tips or wash cycles
No unnecessary freeze/thaw cycles
Virtually no exposure to air
Virtually no water uptake
REMP Small-Size Storeâ„¢
The REMP Small-Size Store (SSS) is a fully automated sample storage and retrieval system with a maximum storage capacity of up to 1,000 to 3,000 tube racks. It is an ideal entry-level storage solution, which includes the innovative REMP Tube Punching Module, enabling random access to any individual sample within the storage unit using the unique ‘push-through’ technology.
Storage Capacity:
384 Tube Technology – 1,060 racks
96 Tube Technology (300ul) – 860 racks
96 Tube Technology (900ul) – 500 racks
Storage Temperature Range: -20°C to ambient
System is upgradeable and scaleable to allow for future change and growth
Sample Administration Software – configurable software suite used to maintain and manage sample libraries ranging from manual stores to full automated sample storage systems
Together, Tecan and REMP can provide the necessary sample management solution for today’s sample collection and the scalability to fit your sample management needs of tomorrow.
Talk to Tecan
To learn more about REMP’s unique Tube Technology and scaleable storage solutions, register to win an iPod,
REMP Tube Technologyâ„¢, REMP Tube Punching Moduleâ„¢ and REMP Small-Size Storeâ„¢ are trademarks of REMP AG, Oberdiessbach, Switzerland. 2D DataMatrixâ„¢ is a trademark of RVSI Inspection LLC, Hauppauge, NY, USA
REMP Tube Technology, REMP Tube Punching Module and REMP Small-Size Store are instruments for research use only and not clinical use.
© 2006, Tecan Trading AG, Switzerland, all rights reserved. Release date: 2006-03-09
Posted under Discoveries, Innovations and Patents, Equipment & Supplies, Europe, New Products | Comments Off
Main Menu
- Home
- About Bioscreening.net
- Glossary
- Biotechnology Glossary A-I
- Biotechnology Glossary J-Q
- Biotechnology Glossary R-Z
- Bird Flu
- Cheminformatic Glossary
- Endotoxins
- Fullerenes
- Genipin
- Gossypol (Gossipol)
- Grants, Venture Capital, and Government Funding
- High-throughput screening
- Lipinski Rule-of-Five
- Mumie
- Natural Medicine
- Rule-of-Three (Ro3)
- Targeted Libraries
- Web Directory