Bio-Rad Laboratories has introduced three StarBright dyes designed for flow cytometry applications.

StarBright Violet 570, 670, and 710 dyes offer improved brightness and precise excitation and emission spectra, making them suitable for use in multicolour flow cytometry panels. Bio-Rad’s line of StarBright dyes offers researchers a range of fluorescent nanoparticles conjugated to highly validated flow antibodies.

“The new StarBright dyes offer improved brightness when compared to other available dyes at similar wavelengths, and they may be used with a wide range of flow cytometers,” said Mike Blundell, PhD, Bio-Rad Product Manager, Flow Cytometry, Life Science Group. “The unique profile of the dyes offers enhanced resolution of rare populations and low-density antigens as well as consistent and reproducible staining.”

Key benefits of StarBright dyes

• Compatible with new and existing protocols and suitable for use in multiplex panels
• Resistant to photobleaching and highly stable with minimal lot-to-lot variation
• Offer reliable Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) for reproducible data
• Work with common staining buffers, including special polymer dye staining buffers, for easy integration into multicolour panels
• Ensure no loss of signal in fixation
• Offer narrow excitation and emission profiles for improved resolution in new and existing multicolour flow cytometry experiments

The StarBright Dyes are compatible with Bio-Rad’s ZE5 Cell Analyzer, S3e Cell Sorter, and other conventional and spectral flow cytometers.

• For more information, visit: www.bio-rad-antibodies.com/starbright

3Brain AG has introduced a new technology based on a unique combination of microchips and AI that promises to change the way drug candidates are selected at the preclinical level to enter into clinical trials – and to maximize their chances of success.

Using CorePlate™ technology, preclinical cell assays are performed in multiwell plates that integrate a microchip in each well to collect rich information from cells, pre-process cell data and streamline it to the paired software. As a result, much more and better data can be extracted, which can be referred to as cell big data. This is fed to an AI with the aim of simplifying interpretation and enabling researchers to discover more information about drugs being tested.

Preclinical studies are vital for early identification of any safety and efficacy issues, and for increasing the chance of success of those drugs entering clinical trials. However, common estimates show that there is still a lot to improve in this area as 90% of the drugs that enter into human trials fail. Among the factors responsible for this high failure rate are the limitations of conducting preclinical tests on animal models. The vast majority of drugs that pass tests on animals do not later work on humans because disease mechanisms vary significantly between species.

New biotechnologies like human stem cells offer more successful alternatives to animal models. These may be in the form of cell culture assays or more sophisticated spheroid and organoid assays that can be used as testbeds for drugs. Human cell-based assays hold the promise to revolutionize drug development, improving the success rate and pushing animal tests towards extinction.

Whatever cell-based assay one wants to investigate, traditional approaches extract cell information via optical systems or a few sensors embedded in plastic substrates. Typically, these substrates are multiwell plates with 24, 96 or even more wells, where each well houses the cell samples to be measured. From these wells, the acquired information travels on limited bandwidth across long distances (compared to the cell size) before reaching a CPU where it gets processed. Long distances and bandwidth issues affect the quality and quantity of information and, consequently, prevent an accurate inspection of cell networks. The CorePlate technology devised by 3Brain disrupts this paradigm by bringing the processing unit in contact with the cells.

“We want to radically change the way preclinical drug screening is performed, offering pharmaceutical companies the opportunity to manage their pipelines more efficiently,” says Mauro Gandolfo, CEO and co-founder of 3Brain AG. “Basically, we take traditional plastic multiwell plates and we turn them into intelligent devices with multi-core processing power, which can be programmed according to research needs. Integrated intelligence is a remarkable distinction from other instruments in the preclinical space. Importantly, despite the large amounts of data CorePlate devices can process, the user can still easily generate results thanks to the AI-driven interpretation of data. With the CorePlate technology, pharmaceutical companies can save time and money by better filtering and prioritizing drug candidates. Our ultimate goal is to provide our users with tools that help them more readily identify new cures for diseases.”

• For more information, visit: 3brain.com

 

The first analyzer in the world to use an excimer lamp /

Minimum footprint, highly sensitive, environment-friendly /

Targeting precision manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors

Shimadzu, one of the world leaders in analytical instrumentation, has released the TOC-1000e, the first analyzer in the eTOC series of on-line TOC analyzers designed for pure water applications. The eTOC series’ main focus is on miniaturization, high sensitivity and a mercury-free oxidation technique. The pioneering TOC-1000e system has the world’s smallest and lightest cabinet and provides high-sensitivity detection, making it ideal for fields requiring high-purity water applications. This covers manufacturing, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, food & beverages, chemistry and precision equipment.

Total organic carbon (TOC) analyzers are used to rapidly quantify organic substances in water, allowing decisive process intervention. Among many fields of application, they are used mainly for water quality control and environmental investigations. Shimadzu’s world-leading TOC analyzers are well-suited to laboratory and on-line analysis of environmental and waste water. The eTOC series will be Shimadzu’s first on-line TOC analyzer designed especially for pure water measurements.

Minimum footprint, highly sensitive, environmental-friendly

The TOC-1000e provides enhanced robustness in the ultra-low measurement range. With its small footprint of less than A4 size, it can be installed flexibly – either as table-top, wall-mounted or pole-mounted.

Conventional TOC analyzers for pure water utilize mercury UV lamps as the light source within the instrument. To provide a more environmental-friendly alternative, the eTOC series is the first analyzer in the world to use an excimer (short for ‘excited dimer’) lamp rather than a mercury lamp.

The “Active-Path” flow line design maximizes lamp power by integrating the sample flow channel and the light source. This minimizes sample residue in the flow channel and eliminates interfering air layers, so high sensitivity is maintained over long-term use. This new design also contributes to making the eTOC series instruments small and light.

Features

The TOC-1000e combines high-sensitivity and easy-to-use features benefiting effortless data management, efficiency and handling.

Some of the features include:

• State-of-the-art oxidation technology in the smallest casing
  The TOC-1000e provides high sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.1 μg/L. It is housed in the world’s smallest and lightest cabinet and equipped with the industry’s largest color touch panel, providing exceptional visibility, simplifying operation and allowing effortless management of compliance relevant data. In addition, the novel fluid system minimizes sample residue in the flow channel, ensuring that high sensitivity is maintained.
• Easy-to-use and to maintain design improves efficiency
  The eTOC series has a simple design, and parts typically do not need to be replaced for one year; this increases efficiency by reducing maintenance and re-validation effort. Consumable parts (excimer lamp and pump head) can be removed and installed without tools. Using an optional sampler, the analyzer can be calibrated or validated (confirmation of manufacturing process validity) at the operating site. Certified standard solutions particularly for this series are available; they save customers the time and expense of purchasing and preparing items from a reagent manufacturer, and reduce mistakes caused by human error. In addition to analog interface and digital I/O, measurement data can be output to a printer or USB flash drive, or browsed and acquired via a built-in web server.
• Support for Regulatory Compliance
  eTOC’s highly sensitive UV oxidation-conductivity method for ultra-pure water monitoring is compliant with regulatory requirements such as the United States (USP) and the European Pharmacopeia (EP). Inbuilt security functions including user authentication and audit trail, support compliance with regulations such as FDA 21 CFR Part 11. The LabSolutions software platform provides integrated management of the measurement data together with data and electronic signature functions (ER/ES) from laboratory TOC analyzers and other analytical instruments.

For more information, visit: https://www.shimadzu.eu/toc-analysis/etocseries