The MDF-U76V ultra-low freezer combines improved cooling performance with outstanding energy efficiency. The advantages include greater security for precious research or clinical samples, as well as significantly lower running costs and added environmental benefits. This latest -86ºC VIP upright freezer has been specifically designed to meet the growing demand for energy savings, without in any way compromising freezer performance. In fact, cooling efficiency, insulation characteristics and door-open recovery times have all been enhanced via a capillary tube heat exchanger, next-generation VIP PLUS insulation, and the Cool Safe compressor. As a result, greater temperature uniformity throughout the freezer and faster temperature pull-down contribute to industry-leading sample security. The advanced new capillary tube heat exchanger significantly increases the overall efficiency of the freezer. By optimising the available heat exchange areas, system reliability is also increased and energy consumption is cut. In addition to helping minimise energy use, the high performance patented vacuum panels together with high-density foam insulation enable the freezers to provide up to 30 per cent more storage capacity than a conventionally insulated freezer, saving valuable lab space. An optional water-cooled condenser is also available. This enables laboratories with a chilled re-circulating water system to reduce the requirement for air conditioning within the freezer facility, reuse heat energy elsewhere and achieve even greater savings.
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Dickkopf-1 is an inhibitor of the Wnt/beta-catenin signal pathway, which has been implicated in the development of several types of cancers. It has been suggested that Dkk-1 could be a useful serum biomarker for screening against a variety of cancers, and that anti-Dkk-1 antibodies are potential tools for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Dkk-1 is particularly expressed in lung cancer cells; an increasing concentration of Dkk-1 is significantly associated with tumour progression and decreased survival in patients with lung cancer. Determination of both Dkk-1 and NSE levels can significantly increase sensitivity of small cell lung cancer diagnostics where a severe lack of an optimal diagnostic marker is widely reported. The use of Dkk-1 and cytokeratin 19 fragment also increased the sensitivity of detection of non-small cell lung cancer. High serum levels of Dkk-1 were found in patients with cancers of the oesophagus, pancreas, stomach, liver, bile duct, breast and cervix. Dkk-1 level increases early in prostate cancer development and in a stepwise manner in multistep hepatocarcinogenesis. A recently published study indicated that increased serum level and protein expression of Dkk-1 can be a marker and predictor of poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. A new DKK-1 ELISA kit has enhanced Biovendor’s cancer diagnostic test portfolio. The superior assay sensitivity is characterised by a LOD of 10 pg/mL.
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Marking a significant advance in speed to results and ease-of-use, the new QuickFISH rapid pathogen tests helps clinical microbiologists and infectious diseases clinicians to optimise antibiotic therapy and care much earlier for patients with sepsis. This rapid, molecular diagnostic platform is based on proprietary PNA probe technology. It enables very fast (20 minutes) identification of bacteria directly from complex samples such as positive blood cultures, with clinical microbiologists obtaining results for causative pathogens, such as S. aureus, E. faecium, P. aeruginosa and Candida species, in time to report these together with Gram stain results. This, in turn, allows therapy selection to be based on more specific information at a critical antibiotic decision point for patients with sepsis. Only limited instrumentation and five minutes of hands-on time are needed for tests, simplifying and streamlining laboratory workflow. The built-in, universal controls ensure confidence in every test result.
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The first of a number of new microarrays for use in cancer research has been released. The new CytoSure Haematological Cancer +SNP array is optimised for the study of the haematological malignancies Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) and Multiple Myeloma (MM), as well as Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN) and Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS). The new array offers confident detection of both copy number variation (CNV) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on a single chip for these diseases. This is achieved by utilising OGT’s novel array design, which combines long oligo array comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) probes for CNV detection with fully validated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) content for identifying LOH. The probes on the new array have been optimised to target regions known to be important predictors of disease progression and patient prognosis in haematological cancers, while providing good backbone coverage. These features facilitate the rapid, reliable identification of key genomic aberrations, while the complementary, industry-leading CytoSure Interpret Software allows intuitive, single-click data analysis. Using the new array, researchers can move quickly and assuredly from processing their samples to generating relevant biological insight.
The SNP probe design is unique. Analysis is carried out using an intensity-based comparison between the two SNP alleles, meaning that no changes to the standard aCGH protocol are required and any reference sample can be used. This allows the two tests to operate effectively on the same array. In addition, the arrays utilise 60-mer oligonucleotide probes, which have been shown to offer higher signal-to-noise ratios and increased specificity and sensitivity, providing the highest data quality possible. For optimum performance, the array can be combined with the CytoSure Genomic DNA Labelling Kit, which offers high signal intensities enabling easier allele discrimination.
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IDEX Health & Science multiplies lab productivity with the first independent channel peristaltic pump for low volume, high precision applications. With individually addressable control of each fluidic channel, the new Ismatec ® Reglo ICC peristaltic pump eliminates the clutter of multiple pumps on the bench top and resolves application complexity. Long recognized in Europe as the gold standard of Swiss precision, Ismatec drives now power one, two, or three channels, each independently programmable from the pump or the computer to deliver continuous flow or precision aspiration and dispense with the added advantage of bi-directional flow on each channel. Visit www.WintheICC.com for information
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