Product News

PCR Biosystems unveils advanced Bst Polymerase reagents for accelerated DNA and RNA amplification

Biochemistry, Laboratory, 26 March 2021/in Product News /by panglobal

PCR Biosystems, the UK-based specialists in DNA and RNA analysis, have launched a range of IsoFast Bst Polymerase reagents for rapid, robust and sensitive DNA and RNA amplification. Through its nucleic acid strand displacement capabilities, Bst polymerase eliminates the need for the high temperature denaturation step associated with traditional Taq enzymes. This enables faster time to result and facilitates DNA and RNA amplification in the field without specialised thermocycling equipment.

The new range of IsoFast Bst reagents from PCR Biosystems can be used for a variety of techniques including whole genome amplification, multiple displacement amplification and isothermal amplification. Such techniques have important applications in sectors ranging from environmental and food pathogen testing to clinical diagnostics and next generation sequencing. Scientists performing DNA and RNA amplification using IsoFast Bst Polymerase can benefit from consistent results over a wide dynamic range and sensitivities down to 3 copies of target DNA (10fg).

To continue PCR Biosystems’s support of the global fight against COVID-19, the Bst Polymerase reagents have been validated for qualitative detection of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid. Combined with the reagents’ suitability for use in the field, this validation opens the potential for rapid SARS-CoV-2 testing in environments such as airports, hospitals or care homes, without the need for a central laboratory, delivering results in 30 minutes and supporting initiatives for community or regular testing to safeguard public health. Sensitivities down to 12 copies of SARS-CoV-2 targets can be achieved, providing confidence in the quality and accuracy of results.

“DNA and RNA amplification has been a staple technique in the scientific toolbox for more than 40 years, and with its application for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing, there has been an increased demand for rapid and reliable reagents for mass testing,” says Alex Wilson, co-founder of PCR Biosystems. “The launch of the IsoFast Bst Polymerase range aligns with our commitment to provide robust solutions to support COVID-19 testing and will continue to expand diagnostic capabilities for viruses such as Zika and Ebola long after the COVID-19 pandemic.”

While many supply chains have been disrupted due to the pandemic, PCR Biosystems continues to scale up and optimise operations to provide consistent, reliable supplies to customers, ensuring laboratories have the critical DNA and RNA analysis reagents needed for uninterrupted research and diagnostics.

The IsoFast Bst range is available in flexible formats, with 2X mix formats streamlining set up for high throughput applications and components available separately for those customers wanting to optimise the reaction for their specific needs. Furthermore, the reagents are offered with optional fluorescent dyes, facilitating real-time amplification tracking.

For more information, visit: isofast bst polymerase

Lonza introduces high-quality cryopreserved Leukopaks

Laboratory, Research, 26 March 2021/in Product News /by panglobal

Lonza has expanded its renowned human primary cell offerings with the launch of fully customizable, high-quality cryopreserved Leukopaks. The frozen Leukopaks will enable long-distance shipping of leukapheresis products without the concern of reduced cell viability encountered with fresh Leukopaks. Being suitable for long-term storage in research labs, the cryopreserved Leukopaks will also allow immediate access to viable cells for greater convenience and workflow flexibility.

The cryopreserved Leukopaks come in a range of sizes, and multiple donor characteristics and testing options are available through a unique costing structure that allows customers to only pay for the customization that they need.

What is a Leukopak?

A Leukopak is an enriched leukapheresis-derived product containing high concentrations of peripheral blood mononuclear cells like T cells, B cells and monocytes. Such cells are a critical raw material in immunotherapy research and for optimizing cell therapy process development before progressing to full clinical manufacture. However, fresh Leukopaks can be hard to access and must be used rapidly to avoid cell degradation. International transportation options are thus severely limited, and logistical delays or donor cancellations can have catastrophic impacts on research costs and quality.

Global shipping

Cryopreserved Leukopaks allow reliable global shipping while maintaining cell viability and functionality, and the ability to thaw cryopreserved Leukopaks when needed means researchers are better able to plan ahead for more cost-efficient therapy development.

Lonza’s cryopreserved Leukopaks are available in a range of sizes, including packs of 2.5, 5 and 9.5 billion cells, which can be subdivided into separate smaller bags for greater convenience. Specific donor characteristics like age, gender and Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) type are also available, with a wide range of recallable donors and several product testing options.

Customization

Customization follows a unique, tailored pricing structure, where customers only pay for the customization they require. Customers will also have access to Lonza’s globally renowned technical support services to facilitate optimized product usage and greater research success.

For more information, visit: https://bioscience.lonza.com

Immudex launches dCODE Dextramer (RiO), a new reagent compatible with BD Rhapsody Single Cell Analysis system

Laboratory, 26 March 2021/in Product News /by panglobal

Immudex ApS has been collaborating with BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) to create improved solutions for T-cell multi-omics research. The goal of this collaboration was to develop dCODE Dextramer reagents compatible with the BD Rhapsody Single Cell Analysis system, a platform that analyses the expression of hundreds of genes across tens of thousands of single cells in parallel.

Immudex has now launched dCODE Dextramer (RiO) reagents. These DNA barcoded MHC Dextramer reagents are designed to be compatible with the BD Rhapsody system to be used for multiplexing, allowing the identification of many different T-cell specificities in the same sample. Creating personalized dCODE Dextramer libraries, is possible to profile T cells and get a new understanding of T-cell immunity.

“At Immudex, we are working with a clear goal in mind, helping researchers worldwide to get a better understanding of cellular immunity,” said Liselotte Brix, CSO at Immudex.

“The immune system is complex, and there is still a lot to be discovered. dCODE Dextramer (RiO) technology combined with the BD Rhapsody single-cell multi-omic analysis provides a deeper understanding of T cell immunology in a user-friendly workflow by combining information on TCR recognition with gene and surface marker expression at the single-cell level. Such information helps unlock new insights into the immune response, accelerating basic research, immunotherapeutic development, and improving patient outcomes.”

The dCODE Dextramer technology is an extremely sensitive method to directly detect disease-specific T cells based on TCR recognition and DNA barcode labels. Combining dCODE technology with BD’s multi-omics solutions for immunology, researchers can obtain a full immunological profiling in one workflow and get the most of their experiments.

dCODE Dextramer (RiO) reagents are for research use only, not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, and have been manufactured by Immudex ApS.

For more information, visit: immudex.com

BioChromato launches ionRocket for rapid, direct mass spectrometry characterisation of difficult samples

Laboratory, 26 March 2021/in Product News /by panglobal

The ionRocket from BioChromato is a temperature-heating device for direct thermal desorption and pyrolysis of samples, prior to ionization and analysis by mass spectrometry.

Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) is a proven technique that enables rapid analysis of both solid and liquid samples under standard laboratory conditions without sample preparation. However, certain polymers, cosmetic powders and forensic materials are difficult to analyse using DART-MS due to the varying volatility of substituents in these complex samples. Even insoluble samples can be measured using the ionRocket / DART-MS set-up without treatment.

To overcome these challenges, BioChromato developed an innovative sample introduction device (ionRocket), which gradually heats a sample placed directly beneath the DART-MS gas stream. Gradient heating of the sample before ionization creates time/temperature resolved mass spectra, separating species both by their thermal desorption profiles and mass to charge ratio (m/z).

ionRocket generates a temperature gradient from ambient up to as high as 600ºC in just a few minutes. This allows compounds in your samples to be sublimated, vaporized, or pyrolyzed according to their volatility, and then introduced into the DART-MS gas stream. Because the ionRocket offers the option to weigh samples prior to analysis this results in reproducible MS intensity, allowing calibration curves of analyte amount versus peak intensity to be calculated.

Data obtained from ionRocket yields another axis of data (time/temperature) beyond that obtained from normal DART-MS analysis. Species desorb in order of their volatility along the temperature gradient, and therefore are separated in time. The data produced resembles that of an LC-MS or GC-MS chromatogram, consisting of temperature/time, m/z, and intensity. This can separate rare from abundant species, making them easier to detect.

For more information, visit: https://biochromato.com/analyticalinstruments/ionrocket

The Thermo Scientific General Purpose Pro Centrifuge Series deliver optimal sample safety functionality and ergonomics

Thermo Fisher introduces 2 new centrifuges

, 16 March 2021/in Product News /by panglobal

Thermo Fisher Scientific General Purpose Pro Centrifuge Series

The new 1.6 L benchtop and 4 L floor-standing systems complete the General Purpose Pro Centrifuge Series

Thermo Fisher Scientific has further expanded its Thermo Scientific General Purpose Pro Centrifuge Series with the addition of two new models designed to meet the needs of biopharmaceutical, cell and gene therapy, and academic research laboratories, as well as clinical diagnostic facilities, for enhanced sample safety and reproducibility, improved ergonomics and reduced noise levels.

The new 1.6 L benchtop and 4 L floor-standing systems complete the General Purpose Pro Centrifuge Series, completing a comprehensive family of products to address varying sample capacity and laboratory space requirements. Like the other systems in the series, the new models feature a unique full colour, glass touchscreen display that facilitates a simple user interface for immediate, effortless workflow and operation monitoring, as well as easy cleaning. As a result, laboratories benefit from an advanced level of functionality and improved efficiencies.

High-speed

A new high-speed rotor complements the 4 L models providing the ability to run both microplates and tubes. Built with versatility in mind, the complete General Purpose Pro Centrifuge Series offers 24 different rotor options in total — including 11 swinging bucket and 13 fixed angle rotors — which can be used interchangeably to align with various application needs, from cell culture procedures and microplate processing to cell and gene therapy manufacturing and clinical protocols. The systems’ ergonomically enhanced, novel industrial design enables the quick and safe change of any of the 24 rotor types in just three seconds through the Auto-Lock Rotor Exchange function.

“Centrifuges are an integral part of biopharmaceutical, cell and gene therapy, academic research and clinical diagnostic laboratories, but installation can be a time and resource intensive task, requiring manual entry of run parameters, as well as transport and connection of rotors,” said Carlos Sevilla, general manager for centrifugation at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Drawing from our proven centrifugation expertise, the General Purpose Pro Centrifuge Series address these challenges, boasting technologies designed to push the boundaries of performance and usability for our customers’ unmet needs.”

General Purpose Pro Centrifuge Series

The General Purpose Pro Centrifuge Series includes the Thermo Scientific Sorvall, Thermo Scientific Multifuge and Thermo Scientific Megafuge systems, all of which meet the latest global IVD standards and medical regulations. Superior sample capacity and performance are enabled through the systems’ Fiberlite Carbon Fiber Rotors, while the certified ClickSeal Biocontainment Lids ensure personnel and laboratory environment safety and security.

More information
For more information visit: www.thermofisher.com

BBI Solutions launches two new SARS-Cov-2 antigens as raw materials for IVD manufacturers

, 16 March 2021/in Product News /by panglobal

BBI’s recently-acquired and well-respected team based in Freiburg, Germany (DIARECT GmbH) has developed two new recombinant antigen preparations produced in Baculovirus transfected Sf9 cells.

The antigens Nucleocapsid (N) protein and Spike (S) glycoprotein Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) have been designed as critical raw materials for next generation serological assays.

With the continuing COVID-19 vaccination programme, testing for antibody response will become increasingly important. Antibody tests detecting immune response to both the conserved and abundant nucleocapsid and the receptor binding domain that is unique for the SARS-CoV-2, will deliver physicians important information for disease management.

Serology testing is strongly suggested to play a major role in screening populations to determine exposure, as well as potential immunity, to identify recovering individuals as plasma donors as well as for research on immune response and to help identify neutralising antibodies (Amanat et al. 2020; Farnsworth and Anderson 2020; Okba et al. 2020).

Seven manufacturing sites across four continents

BBI Solutions has seven manufacturing sites across four continents and has an established reputation as a leading manufacturer of biological reagents and finished test platforms for the in-vitro diagnostics market. The lateral flow manufacturing centre of excellence in Wales, UK is also part of the UK-Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC).

BBI Solutions acquired the Germany-based specialist manufacturer of autoimmune, infectious disease and allergy antigens DIARECT last year. This launch is the latest of new products in the pipeline. BBI’s two novel antigens are produced and characterised in the company’s ISO 13485:2016 compliant laboratories in Freiburg, Germany.

Dr Mario Gualano, Chief Executive of BBI Group, said: “These recombinant antigens are a welcome addition to our product catalogue and complement our existing range. We were delighted that our expertise in Freiburg can add a further component to the support BBI can offer the IVD industry in the fight against this pandemic.”

For more information, visit: bbisolutions.com

KLoneus® Free Light Chain (FLC) assays, for Turdidimetry and Nephelometry

, 2 March 2021/in Product News /by 3wmedia

TRIMERO Diagnostics offers, under the brand KLoneus®, IVD CE marked nephelometric assays for testing FREE LIGHT CHAINS (FLC) on Beckman Coulter’s IMMAGE® Immunochemical Systems and Siemens’ BN™ nephelometric systems.

Optimised Microplates for Affinity Binding Assays

, 2 March 2021/in Product News /by 3wmedia

Medium and high bind Krystal microplates from Porvair Sciences set a new standard for uniform and reproducible capture of a wide range of biomolecules ready for affinity binding assays such as Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Manufactured from high-quality crystal polystyrene – these new automation-ready plates are available in a choice of ANSI / SLAS standard (96-well […]

Greiner Bio-One introduces VACUETTE FC Mix Tube for effective glycolysis inhibition

, 16 February 2021/in Product News /by callan

Greiner Bio-One has introduced VACUETTE FC Mix Tube for effective glycolysis inhibition for precise determination of the in vivo blood sugar content.

The time from collection until separation of plasma and cells, temperature as well as cell count strongly affect glucose levels possibly leading to false low results. Unfortunately, fluoride alone is not able to stabilize the real in-vivo glucose level completely.

VACUETTE FC Mix Tubes are citrated and therefore can help to prevent the initial loss of glucose within the first few hours from collection until fluoride shows its effect. Buffered Na₂EDTA, citric acid, sodium citrate and sodium fluoride are used to decrease the pH and block the pH dependent enzymes, which would be active in the initial stage of the glycolysis cascade.

More information, visit: gbo.com

SEKISUI Diagnostics launches OSOM Ultra Plus Flu A&B Test

, 16 February 2021/in Product News /by callan

SEKISUI Diagnostics has launched the OSOM Ultra Plus Flu A&B Test. The test utilizes traditional lateral flow technology with performance near or exceeding sensitivity of other reader-based tests without using an instrument. It is intended for the qualitative detection of influenza type A and type B nucleoprotein antigens directly from nasal or nasopharyngeal swab specimens from patients with signs and symptoms of respiratory infection.

High performance, point-of-care rapid test for the detection of Influenza A&B

Simple CLIA-waived procedure with pre-measured extraction buffer for swab samples
Accurate, differentiated interpretation of results in 10 minutes to test and treat patients in one office visit
Sensitivity
- A: 90.3%
- B: 88.0%
Specificity
- A: 96.7%
- B: 99.2%