RECENT PRODUCT NEWS

Stratophase has launched a new technology to measures changes in the refractive index of liquids. It is capable of detecting all classes of biological targets, including proteins, viruses and bacteria, as well as changes in the chemical composition of liquids.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched ABsolute Fast QPCR master mixes for the rapid and reliable probe-based detection of DNA and complementary DNA (cDNA) targets. ABsolute Fast QPCR master mixes have been developed especially for fast quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) protocols to deliver highperformance QPCR results, on all major QPCR platforms, in a fraction of the time required previously.

A new specialised membrane for onestep separation of plasma from whole blood, without the use of centrifugation, has been introduced by Pall Life Sciences. The Pall Vivid plasma separation membrane is specifically engineered for the generation of plasma from whole blood.

The flexibility of light-emitting diode (LED) fluorescence light sources for microscopy has been enhanced with advancements to the precisExcite and FluoLED product series, available from Olympus. As a result, the LED light source range offers a new level of functionality and the right illumination solution for all life science fluorescence applications.

Following the successful introduction of the Gilson PIPETMAN Neo, Anachem has released the new starter and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kits. These contain three PIPETMAN Neo plus a range of complementary accessories.

Oxford Expression Technologies (OET) has introduced baculoQUANT, a one-step virus titration kit that can give an accurate result quickly, without the need for plaque assays or immunoassays.

Purpose-designed for oil immersion applications, the Aperio ScanScope OS from Nikon Instruments creates highresolution digital slides of blood and bone marrow smears, Gram stains and other specimens requiring high magnification. An area of 10 x 10 mm is scanned in approximately 20 minutes, creating true-colour digital slides in multiple formats.

Legionella-related deaths continue to hit the headlines around the world, with recent cases linked to shower heads, hot tubs and cooling waters. With water monitoring playing an important role in controlling Legionella, Lab M’s BCYE (buffered charcoal yeast extract) Legionella Isolation Medium is finding increasing application.

The recently relaunched Selectra Junior extends the excellent reputation of the Selectra family. Vital Scientific (an Elitech Group company) has created a proven platform to run tests in a convenient and cost-effective way.

The new MSP Model 5000 FlowCytoPrep sample preparation system (5000 FCP SPS), now available from Copley Scientific, is a revolutionary biological sample preparation system that automates the laborious and time-consuming manual steps of flow cytometry.

Agilent Technologies has introduced the latest version of its Agilent DNA microarray scanner. It employs SureScan high-resolution technology to deliver rapid scan times for current and nextgeneration microarrays.

Two ready-to-use microRNA (miRNA) assay technologies have been introduced by Qiagen. The two new products, miScript miRNA Mimics and miScript miRNA Inhibitors, are ready-totransfect items for use in gene regulation and cellular pathway analysis.

Shimadzu has introduced the Prominence nano, a high-performance liquid chromatograph (LC) that supports high-precision gradient analysis. Prominence nano delivers exact flow rates via two LC-20AD nano pumps that are controlled independently by feedback from integrated high-precision nano flow sensors.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits from Randox offer drug residue screening on a fast and simple basis, and provide reliable results.

Ocean Optics has developed a family of modular optical sensing instruments easily adaptable for the field, laboratory or process environments.

Applied Biosystems has announced the worldwide availability of new gene expression analysis tools that claim added flexibility and greater efficiency in performing experiments that identify and quantify key genes in biological samples. The TaqMan Express plates are 96-well reaction plates containing dried-down versions of more than 50,000 Applied Biosystems’ TaqMan gene expression assays, in customised sets.

Bio-Diagnostics has released a new generation of GBM, PR3 and MPO QuickCards in its autoimmune range.

Ipsogen, a company that markets molecular diagnostics assays for leukaemia, has launched MapQuant DxT Genomic Grade. The new assay is a molecular diagnostic test for breast tumour grade, which is an indicator of tumour proliferation, metastasis risk and response to chemotherapy.

Q Chip has launched ReaX MDx enhanced polymerase chain reaction (PCR) beads for molecular diagnostics. ReaX MDx beads provide a complete assay in an easy-to-use format. This simplifies workflow and eliminates the need for temperaturecontrolled logistics.

The 4seal variable-temperature thermal sealer, available from Anachem, is a low- to mediumthroughput manual heat sealer. It is compatible with a wide range of seals and plates of differing heights with the appropriate plate adapter.