Agilent Technologies introduces Sample Prep Workbench

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) offer its 7696 Sample Prep Workbench, a new instrument for automated preparation of analytical samples.

The 7696 Sample Prep Workbench offers customers increased productivity through automation as well as easy-to-use of software and hardware. In addition, the 7696 reduces the cost per sample because it consumes smaller amounts of chemicals and solvents, produces less waste, and does not require glassware other than sample vials. Finally, the 7696 reduces laboratory workers' exposure to chemicals, providing potential safety benefits in the workplace.

"The 7696 Sample Prep Workbench is the next step in Agilent's goal of providing a comprehensive workflow solution for chromatography," said Shanya Kane, vice president and general manager, Gas Chromatography Systems and Workflow. "Sample preparation is fundamental to any analytical laboratory, and over half of the work is still done manually. Agilent is especially well-suited to address the needs of analytical labs because of our expertise in every aspect of the workflow."

The 7696 supports sample preparation for liquid chromatography and gas chromatography techniques used in a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, petrochemical, food safety and consumer products, forensics and environmental analysis.

For further information, view website: www.agilent.com  Refer to next page

Thermo Fisher Scientific's Nicolet iS5 spectrometer
provides performance, price and fit for entry-level FT-IR

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., offer its newest FT-IR spectrometer, the Thermo Scientific  Nicolet iS5, powered by OMNIC software. The spectrometer is designed for users seeking no-compromise, affordable and compact FT-IR spectroscopy to assist in their product assurance testing, basic troubleshooting and chemistry teaching.

The Nicolet iS5 establishes a new benchmark in small-footprint laboratory FT-IR spectroscopy. Delivering comparable performance to full-size spectrometers, the instrument has an open-architecture sample compartment that accepts a wide variety of sampling accessories. The new Nicolet iS5 incorporates the award-winning OMNIC software, widely adopted by major industrial manufacturers and forensic laboratories around the world. The Nicolet iS5 spectrometer, its new iD sampling accessories and OMNIC software solutions for raw materials, impurities and mixtures identification, creates a unique user experience "from sample-in to answer-out."

"The introduction of the Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5 demonstrates our continuous effort in making spectroscopy genuinely simple, useful, and accessible. The value of this instrument is that it brings the Nicolet FT-IR user experience to new markets, cost-conscious businesses, developing economies, educators, or wherever entry-level FT-IR is required," said Mike Jost, vice president and general manager of molecular spectroscopy and microanalysis Thermo Fisher Scientific: "The balance of performance, price and size also makes the new Nicolet iS5 spectrometer an ideal fit for world-class manufacturers seeking to protect their business and brand reputation by deploying the highest quality FT-IR methods throughout their organization."

For more information about the Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5 spectrometer, e-mail: analyze@thermo.com or view website: www.thermoscientific.com/ftir

A landmark collaboration that aims to introduce mass
spectrometry-based workflows and technologies into Japan

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., has made a landmark collaboration that aims to introduce mass spectrometry-based workflows and technologies into Japan to advance personalized medicine and healthcare. The intent of the collaboration between Thermo Fisher's Biomarker Research Initiatives in Mass Spectrometry (BRIMS) Center and Toshihide Nishimura, professor at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital and Gyorgy Marko-Varga, professor at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital, and Lund University, Sweden is to establish and support a new Biomarker Research Center in Tokyo, Japan. The new Center will focus on biomarker discovery and quantification, disease mechanisms, therapeutic drug monitoring and disease pathophysiology.

The BRIMS Center is the archetype for the coming Tokyo Biomarker Research Center. The goal is  to bring to the collaboration Thermo Fisher's expertise in mass spectrometry-based assays, workflow development and technology integration, as well as its extensive network of collaborators engaged in similar research.

"In Japan there is an urgent need to develop more targeted disease detection and treatments for a rapidly growing patient population," said Murray Wigmore, senior director of commercial operations in Japan, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "The Tokyo Biomarker Research Center will be developed as the model to replicate the excellence of BRIMS in international markets."

The aim is for the collaboration to result in the Tokyo Biomarker Center which will have dedicated laboratories based at Tokyo Medical. Correlation of protein expression and quantitative regulation for diseases of key concern in Japan such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease will be performed to discover biomarker candidates related to drug response. The research center will also house an archive with comprehensive tissue and blood sample collections, along with access to complementary clinical and demographic data. The archive will include samples from drug responder and non-responders, and material from clinical studies performed in Scandinavia and other European countries.

Profile's of the collaborators
Professor Toshihide Nishimura, Guest Professor, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tokyo Medical University (Professor, Clinical Proteome Center during 2002-06), Tokyo Medical University, focuses on mass spectrometric development for clinical applications. In close collaboration with major medical institutes and hospitals in Japan, he has conducted many clinical research studies of biomarkers for lung disease and prostate cancer. Dr. Nishimura constructed an extensive network for clinical and biomarker research in Japan, and conducted extensive protein biomarker discovery research involving 52 lung cancer centers in Japan. Currently he is the board member of both the Japan Human Proteome Organization (JHUPO) and the Japanese Society for Clinical Proteomics (JSCP).

Gyorgy Marko-Varga is professor at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital, and Lund University, Sweden, and senior Drug, Discovery/Development scientist at AstraZeneca. His current research is focused on the development of novel diagnostic assays and platforms, and interfacing high resolution separation with mass spectrometry, to build an understanding of the mode of drug action and disease mechanisms for lung cancer and COPD. To that end, he is building new research groups involving collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry, academia and clinical hospitals. Working with Dr. Nishimura, he participated in protein biomarker discovery research involving 52 lung cancer centers in Japan. One of his major new challenges is responsibility for the "Big Three" study: Lung Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and COPD, which involves 400,000 patients in Sweden.

The BRIMS Center
The BRIMS Centre, a Thermo Fisher Scientific center of excellence located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, opened in 2004 with a mission to support the development of methodologies and applications for protein biomarker identification and verification. Equipped with a full complement of Thermo Scientific mass spectrometers and staffed by a team of scientists with expertise in mass spectrometry, protein techniques and informatics, the BRIMS Center also develops leading software tools for proteomic research. 

For further information about Thermo Fisher Scientific's extensive line of mass spectrometers, view website: www.thermoscientific.com/ms  Refer to next page                   

Thermo Scientific CV2000 enhances
laboratory workflow and productivity

The Thermo Scientific CV2000 automated aliquoting liquid handler is a newly developed, second-generation platform .that enhances laboratory efficiency through workflow automation. The CV2000™ can accurately dispense liquid volumes from 100-875 µL and process up to 1000 samples per hour. With its robotic arm and rotary height sensors, it fits easily into automated workflows to boost sample throughput. The system is compatible with a wide variety of sample management software, but can also be used as a stand-alone instrument. The system effectively manages samples to boost efficiency and productivity with zero cross-contamination. 

Fully compatible with multiple rack formats, the CV2000 system allows users to change the loading and dispensing routine to suit their needs. A unique tip preservation system allows the instrument to only discharge used tips, reducing waste while eliminating contamination. Capable of holding up to 300 samples and accommodating both 45 and 90 mL urine containers, the system can automate the process of aliquoting urine from primary samples to analyzer racks. Furthermore, the CV2000 system creates a batch report that is compatible with downstream analysis instrumentation, which is used to process the urine samples.

The Thermo Scientific CV2000 provides ultimate convenience and safety with active opening and closing system and locking guards that meet the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations.

For further information or to request a demonstration, view website: www.thermoscientific.com/CV2000  Refer to next page