SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
INSIDE INSTRUMENTATION TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS NEWS FOR THE LABORATORY WORLD
Chip-based LC/MS system from Agilent AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES HAS COME OUT
with a chip-based HPLC mass spectrometry system for protein identification. Other potential applications include combinatorial chemistry, food analysis, environmental monitoring, and homeland security The system combines Agilent's Protein I D HPLC Chip and the HPLCChip/MS Cube interface, which is mounted on Agilent's Nanoflow Proteomics Solution XCT+ ion-trap mass spectrometer. The chip is smaller than a credit card and eliminates 50% of the fittings typically required in an LC/MS system.
XRF spectrometer for environmental, industrial analysis THE ARL QUANT'x, LAUNCHED BY THERMO
Electron, is an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer designed for environmental and industrial applications. The
the 48-plex GenomeLab SNPstream Genotyping System, which can nowprocess up to 48 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in each well of a 384-well plate. The system can be run manually or integrated with robotics for automation of up to 72 plates. It has been validated with multiple D N A sources, including blood, tissue, cell culture, and buccal (cheek) swabs. Results can be obtained with as little as 2 ng of genomic DNA.
Firms offer new NMR cryoprobes BRUKER BIOSPIN HAS UNVEILED A NEW
4 0 0 - M H z dual l3C/lH cryoprobe for its Avance 4 0 0 N M R spectrometers. Cryogenically cooled probes, previously available only for instruments with higher field strengths, improve the signal-to-noise ratio by 300 to 4 0 0 % and increase experimental throughput 10-fold compared with noncryogenic probes. Meanwhile, JEOL, a Japanese manufacturer of N M R spectrometers, has agreed to buy at least $7.5 million worth of cryoprobes from Varian over the next five years. The probes will be marketed and sold primarily with JEOL's 500- and 600-MHz systems. The systems use helium cooling to reach temperatures around-250 °C.
Beckman Coulter updates genotyping system BECKMAN COULTER HAS ANNOUNCED AN
updated version of its genotyping system, 36
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Benchtop mass spec targets life sciences A NEW BENCHTOP MASS SPECTROMETER
CEM IS NOW OFFERING A MICROWAVE-EN-
with quadrupole and time-of-flight mass analyzers has been introduced by Bruker Daltonics. The compact micrOTOF-Q is targeted at the life sciences market for applications including proteomics, biomarker discovery, and metabolomics. It is equipped with the new Apollo II ion funnel electrospray ionization source. The micrOTOF-Q includes SigmaFit isotopic profile analysis technology for molecular and fragment identification. The instrument offers resolution of 15,000 and mass accuracy of 3 ppm in both single and tandem (MS/MS) modes.
hanced synthesis system called Investigator that includes real-time reaction monitoring. The network-ready system, which can be controlled onboard or by a PC, consists
Inside Instrumentation is written by Celia M. Henry and Ann M. Thayer. Contact them via e-mail to
[email protected].
In situ analysis aids reaction monitoring
instrument uses a Peltier-cooled Si(Li) detector and Digital Pulse Processing technology for nondestructive multielement analysis with sensitivity better than 10 ppm for most elements and sample types. The detector provides complete elemental coverage with no loss in efficiency
of a Raman spectrometer designed to reduce fluorescence and background interference and CEM's Discovery synthesis unit. In situ Raman-based spectroscopic analysis of product formation, starting-material depletion, reactant uptake, or other parameters allows chemists to control or adjust reaction conditions. Separately Mettler Toledo is offering the ReactIR iCIO in situ FTIR reaction analyzer and associated software for collecting reaction data It uses a flexible mid-IRfiberoptic conduit and a 6-mm-diameter diamond attenuated total reflectance probe to monitor reaction characteristics and species.
COMPANIES BUY AND SELL BUSINESSES Three instrumentation and technology providers,have bought or sold operations to focus on their core businesses. Jabil Circuit of St. Petersburg, Fla., has agreed to buy Varian's electronics manufacturing business for $195 million in cash. With the sale, Varian will focus on its strategic businesses in scientific instruments and vacuum technologies and on growth in life sciences markets. PerkinElmer, meanwhile, has acquired Elcos AG, a designer and manufacturer of custom light-emitting diodes for $15 million in cash. Specialty LEDs can be used in industrial and biomedical applications, such as blood glucose and patient-monitoring système. Last, Illumina will spend $17.5 million, largely in stock, to purchase CyVera Corp., which has developed a digital-microbead and detection platform that complements lllumina's own BeadArray technology. The acquisition will give Illumina a broad footing in bead-based assays for biomarker- R&Daad in vitro and molecular diagnostics. HTTP://WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
