Ziath says they will be exhibiting their latest DP5 range scanners and readers at most major laboratory and automation events across Europe over the next few months.

Highlights of products on show will include the new Handheld 3 device to directly interrogate your sample inventory database directly from the freezer, the new Uno and Duo convenient low-cost single tube readers and the Mohawk / Mirage combination sample picking and verification station.

Lab Days Copenhagen, Nordic Biobanking Symposium

These innovative sample management products will be on show at Lab Days Copenhagen and the Nordic Biobanking Symposium in Gothenburg (both 6-8 September), the ELRIG-FR automation village at Forum Labo in Lyon (19-20 September) and at WOTS 2022 in Utrecht (27-30 September 2022).

SLAS/ELRIG Drug Discovery, Spanish National Biobanking

Visitors to SLAS/ELRIG Drug Discovery at London’s Excel Centre on 4-5 October and the Spanish National Biobanking show in Santander on 27-28 October will also be able to see LUX – a new portable whole rack barcode reader. LUX is designed to scan and decode a 96-well rack of 2D barcoded tubes in under a second and send the data wirelessly straight to your laptop, tablet, or phone.

• Download the Ziath 2022 product range catalogue

StarBright Violet 760, StarBright UltraViolet 575, and StarBright UltraViolet 605 dyes conjugated to highly validated antibodies for multicolour panel design in immunology research

Bio-Rad Laboratories, a global leader in life science research and clinical diagnostic products, has extended its range of StarBright dyes to provide greater flexibility in multicolour flow cytometry panels. The StarBright Violet 760, StarBright UltraViolet 575, and StarBright UltraViolet 605 Dyes offer improved brightness with narrow excitation and emission profiles for precise resolution.

The Bio-Rad range of StarBright dyes provides researchers with highly stable, validated flow antibodies conjugated to proprietary fluorescent nanoparticles and specific to key immunophenotyping targets, supporting multiplex flow cytometry panels in immunology research. Minimal lot-to-lot variation ensures reproducible and consistent staining, and the dyes are resistant to photobleaching and do not lose signal in fixation. The dyes, excited by violet (405 nm) and ultraviolet (355 nm) lasers, are compatible with the Bio-Rad ZE5 Cell Analyzer and S3e Cell Sorter, as well as most flow cytometers and a variety of experimental protocols, without the need for special buffers.

“The continued expansion of the Bio-Rad StarBright Dye portfolio, currently totalling 17 dyes, nine of which are StarBright violet dyes, gives researchers greater flexibility and choice when designing flow cytometry panels, by providing high-performance dyes excitable at a range of wavelengths,” said Mike Blundell, PhD, Bio-Rad Product Manager, Flow Cytometry, Life Science Group. “The exceptional brightness and unique profile of the dyes delivers enhanced resolution of rare populations and low-density antigens.”

• To learn more about Bio-Rad StarBright dyes, visit: bio-rad-antibodies.com/flow-cytometry-starbright-dyes.

London-based PCR Biosystems has launched Air-Dryable Probe 1-Step Mix, a versatile all-in-one, air-dryable 4x RT-qPCR reagent mix for ultra-sensitive detection of RNA and DNA sequences. With this kit, the robust performance of the company’s liquid PCR reagents can be brought to dried assay formats using a standard laboratory oven, offering a simpler, faster, and cheaper alternative to lyophilisation (freeze-drying).

Now, a larger base of assay kit developers, including smaller organisations with fewer resources, can access the advantages of dried assays — shorter time-to-market, simplified logistics and storage, and significantly reduced costs. Sectors set to realise such benefits include clinical, veterinary, food, environmental and agricultural testing.

Assay developers moving toward dried test formats

The costly cold-chain shipping and storage demands of traditional ‘wet’ RT-qPCR reagents and tests are increasingly driving assay developers toward dried test formats. But while lyophilised assays have emerged as a powerful option that can reduce test weight, volume, and transport and storage requirements, they can be out of reach for smaller, resource-strapped organisations. This is because lyophilisation requires expensive, specialised equipment, deep technical expertise, and extensive drying times. Outsourcing lyophilisation alleviates some of this burden, but it entails loss of process control.

With the new air-dryable kits, drying can be done in just 80 minutes with a simple laboratory oven, without extensive training, and at a much lower cost. As a result, organisations unable to build onsite lyophilisation capabilities can now create high-performance dried assays in-house, with full control over the drying process and quality control steps. The new kits also do not suffer from the restrictive drying protocol rigidity that can often complicate lyophilisation. Further, air-dried assays are less susceptible to moisture and so do not require the strict humidity control during manufacturing that is needed with lyophilised tests. This is particularly useful in high-humidity regions and allows local diagnostic kit developers to more confidently expand their portfolio into dried formats.

As with the company’s lyophilisable mixes, the air-dryable mixes retain performance after reconstitution. Kits also come with the company’s renowned technical support to ensure smooth troubleshooting and optimal results, and free samples are available.

“Dryable reagents are redefining the ease and convenience with which PCR assays are being developed, distributed, and used. Lyophilisation has played a huge part here, but barriers to its adoption have seen smaller companies get left behind,” said Alex Wilson, co-founder of PCR Biosystems. “Our air-dryable mixes erode barriers to drying, so even with minimal resources, developers can get superior-quality dried assays to the point of care, efficiently. This is the latest step in our journey to place simple, cost-effective, and high-performing tests within reach of all.”

What’s in the Air-Dryable Probe 1-Step Mix kit?

The new kits comprise a glycerol-free 4x qPCR mix with hot start Taq polymerase, dNTPs, MgCl₂ and a blend of excipients for reliable drying without activity loss. A more stable version of UltraScript Reverse Transcriptase and RiboShield RNase inhibitor are blended into the mix, providing a more convenient single-tube format. Kits can be used for both RNA and DNA detection for greater versatility, and dried assays are stable for 3 months at 37°C.

Critically, PCR Biosystems is certified to conform to Quality Management System standard ISO 13485, ensuring full product traceability, and optimum lot-to-lot consistency. Assay developers can therefore be confident in using the new air-dryable kits to create the highest-quality tests.

• For more information, visit: Air-Dryable Probe 1-Step Mix
• Free samples can be requested via this form.