News Archive
Latest 50 news articles
`Living Lab` Will Assist Cancer Cell Studies
FEI and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) are partnering to create a ‘Living Lab for Cell Biology’ that will provide researchers with several electron microscopes including a Titan Krios™ TEM and a Helios NanoLab™ DualBeam™. to advance the understanding and treatment of complex diseases such as cancer and AIDS. The lab will be run by Joe Gray, PhD, a renowned cancer and genomic researcher recently recruited to OHSU from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Gray was one of the primary...
Microscopy Open Day Attracts Researchers
The Zeiss Microscopy Labs in Munich opened its doors to visitors during October, where instruments could be tried and tested and staff were on-hand for discussion. Dr Michael Kaschke, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG and Dr Ulrich Simon, Managing Director of Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH, had also welcomed British Digital Artist Jo Berry, who exhibited her work alongside the event. Jo has been processing and transforming scientific images captured with the Carl Zeiss LSM 710 confocal microscope...
IPHT Researchers Investigate Usefuleness of TERS Modules as Surface Analysis Tools
Scientists at the Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) in Jena have been utilising JPK's NanoWizard® systems and Tip-Assisted Optics (TERS) modules to develop high spatial resolution molecular spectroscopic methods with the aim of advancing TERS as an accessible and sensitive tool for the analysis of surfaces and boundaries under ambient conditions. Dr Volker Deckert, head of the Nanoscopy department at IPHT has been leading the team investigating selected applications; for example heterogene...
Fast Scanning for the MultiMode Atomic Force Microscope
Bruker has announced new fast scanning capabilities for the MultiMode® 8 Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The system’s new ScanAsyst-HR feature provides a direct 6X increase in imaging rate for significantly improved research productivity. This remarkable development leverages Bruker’s exclusive ScanAsyst® Imaging Mode, which has established itself as the industry standard for AFM ease of use. With the release of ScanAsyst-HR, Bruker becomes the first and only AFM manufacturer to provide fast scan...
The Latest Platform for AFM and Optics
JPK Instruments continue to expand its family of high performance research systems with the announcement of the availability of the NanoWizard® 3 NanoOptics AFM system. Over the past decade, optical phenomena on the nanoscale have developed into an exciting area of research. To study light on the nanoscale and especially its interaction with matter, researchers look for methods with nanometer spatial resolution. The combination of Light Microscopy-derived techniques and Scanning Probe Microscop...
New Software Offers Intelligent Automation for Atomic Force Microscopes
Asylum Research provides its full-function MFP-3D™ and Cypher™ Atomic Force Microscopes (AFMs) with superior capabilities, which require no programming to perform advanced imaging and measurements. For more advanced, automated, and out-of-the-box experiments, Asylum also provides a user-driven programming language called IGOR. While programming can be a daunting task for the novice, our new MacroBuilder interface allows users to easily implement IGOR customisation like a pro – without writing a...
Developments in laboratory controlled sperm growth
Scientists have successfully grown sperm in a laboratory in a development that could lead to a routine procedure for males who suffer from fertility problems. Sperm could be grown in the future by extracting tissue containing germ cells from a man’s testicle and stimulating sperm production in the laboratory. The scientists, led by Professor Stefan Schlatt from Germany’s Muenster University, used just a few cells to reproduce mice sperm. The team have yet to receive positive data from human cell...
Experience the Clinical Evolution
The new range of Nikon upright clinical microscopes have evolved to meet the demand for ergonomic, eco-friendly and easy-to-use imaging systems. Offering world-class optics, long-life LED illumination, motorisation and simple one-touch operation for microscope control and image capture, the versatile Eclipse Ci and Ni upright microscopes are ideal for all clinical microscopy needs. The Eclipse Ci series comprises the top of the range motorised Ci-E model, perfect for all applications, the ecof...
Easy Access Online Ordering on Weighing and pH Products
Anachem has added a comprehensive range of Mettler Toledo laboratory balances, pH and conductivity meters, buffers, reagents and accessories to its online ordering facility at www.anachem.co.uk. With all the product details, prices and discounts immediately accessible, ordering is made quicker and easier for these world leading precision and analytical instruments. For general laboratory weighing needs Anachem offers the Mettler Toledo Classic Level precision balances, which are a great option...
Major variation found in bladder cancer subtypes
The need for focused research into bladder cancer has been highlighted by a new study that revealed internal and surface tumours have two different disease entities with different causes. Researchers have been urged to differentiate between the two types of bladder cancer, which is the fifth most common cancer in the US, when carrying out detailed studies. The detailed trend analysis performed showed significant differences between the main subtypes of the disease. Bladder cancer was shown in th...
Researchers find 3-dimensional view of 1-dimensional nanostructures
Researchers at Northwestern University in the US have reported that individual gallium nitride nanowires show strong piezoelectricity in three dimensions. Nanowires are often considered one-dimensional, considering that they measure only 100 nanometers in diameter. However recent findings, published in Nano Letters, have shown to the contrary. Nanogenerators based on GaN nanowires have recently been demonstrated to be capable of converting mechanical energy forms such as biomechanical motion to...
Major shortcomings found in cancer experimental systems
Cancer cells that are grown on two-dimensional plastic petri dish cultures lack the three-dimensional structures required to successfully replicate the tissue structure seen in human cancer, it has been claimed. New research from Tufts University has found that three-dimensional lab-made tissue can accurately mimic a true cancer environment, rendering previous models redundant for effective studies. This is because the lab-made tissue was found to epigenetically mediate, or temporarily trigger,...
Gene identified that tells cells to develop multiple cilia
The gene that tells cells to develop multiple cilia has been identified by researchers in San Diego, which could help scientists effectively replace damaged tissue. The development, made by researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has increased our understanding of how the vital multiple cilia is developed, which moves fluid through the lungs and the brain. According to Christopher R. Kintner, a professor in Salk's Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, who led the research: "Know...
DNA sequence that causes severe cases of lupus identified
A team of Italian researchers have identified a 'genetic accelerator' called HS1.2, which enhances the production of the pathological antibodies that attack the patient's body rather than defend it. The researchers, from Sacred Heart Catholic University in Rome, combined the antibodies to the accelerator of the car, colloquially renaming them 'autoantibodies', which describes the effect HS1.2 has on the activity of some critical genes of the immune system involved in the disease. It is hoped the...
Anti-HER2 combined for better pre-op breast cancer treatment
Combining trastuzumab and lapatinib in pre-op has been found to improve the outcome of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. The results, which were detailed by an international research team and published in The Lancet, found that combining the two drugs, which inhibit the growth factor HER2, have better results than treatment with a single agent. It has been found that around 20 to 30 per cent of breast cancers are driven by over-expression of HER2, which are particularly aggressive tum...
AML cancer cell escape mechanism identified
The mechanism acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells use to evade chemotherapy has been identified by researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Centre, who have also detailed how to plug the 'escape route'. New techniques of functional genomic screening of AML cells were used in the study, which was able to define a molecular breaking process that AML curves use to survive 'the curves of chemotherapy'. Using a metaphor of a car that is approaching a corner, Christopher Porter, MD, demonstrate...
Association found between phthalates and obesity in young children
A link has been found between exposure to phthalates and obesity in young children, which included increased BMI and waist circumference. The research, conducted by the Children's Environmental Health Center at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, found that the man-made chemicals can mimic hormones in the body. The study of 387 children in New York City found that 97 per cent of the urine tests from the children tested positive for exposure to phthalates, that are typically found in hygi...
New research confirms role of flavonoid luteolin in cancer
Flavonoid luteolin has been found to inhibit the activity of cell signalling pathways (Insulin-like growth IGF and Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases PI3K) that is known to be a mechanism for the uncontrolled cell division and cancer growth in colon cancer cells. The research, published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Gastroenterology, shows that luteolin, which is commonly found in fruit and vegetables, was able to block the secretion of IGF-II by colon cancer cells and decrease the am...
AFM used to Better Characterise Graphenes Properties
JPK Instruments reports on a keynote paper in Nano Letters where Dr Nikolai Severin and his co-workers from the group of Professor Jürgen P. Rabe have applied JPK's NanoWizard®II Ultra system to improve their understanding of the properties of graphene. Within this group is Dr Nikolai Severin, recently the lead author of a paper in Nano Letters, which shows the use of AFM in the study of graphenes. The electronic properties of graphenes depend sensitively on their deformation, and therefore stra...
Camera with High Sensitivity, High Resolution and Fast Readout for Every Fluorescence Application
Engineered around a new second-generation sCMOS detector, the ORCA-Flash4.0 is the first camera that challenges the performance of all EM-CCD, CCD and firstgeneration sCMOS cameras for every fluorescence application. Hamamatsu Photonics introduces the new ORCA-Flash4.0 sCMOS camera. In recent years, trying to detect low level or fast fluorescence signals has proved challenging and an EM-CCD camera was commonly used, however, with the arrival of the ORCA-Flash4.0 that situation has now changed. T...
Bronchoalveolar lavage and lung clearance index detect CF
The lung clearance index (LCI) has been found to be a sensitive and non-invasive marker of early lung disease by researchers studying early cystic fibrosis (CF) in Australia. The findings, published ahead of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, show that LCI could also be useful as an objective outcome measure in future studies of young children with CF. Some 47 pre-symptomatic or minimally symptomatic infants and young children with CF an...
Pannexin1 found to restore tight binding of cells
A novel 'scaffold-free' 3-D system has been used to determine the role of Pannexin1 in binding cells, a process that is lost in cancer. The researchers, from Brown University, found that protein Pannexin1 could have an important biomechanical role in binding tissues together. The protein is already known to have tumour-suppressive properties, and this new research suggest that it could have a decisive role in the progression of the disease. First author and Brown University M.D./Ph.D. student Br...
Quantitative Imaging Mode for the Most Challenging of AFM Samples
JPK Instruments announce exciting new quantitative imaging capabilities for the recently launched NanoWizard®3 AFM system. QI™ is the new quantitative imaging mode from JPK. It has been developed to make AFM imaging easier than ever before. With QI™, a force curve-based imaging mode, the user has the full control over the tipsample force at every pixel of the image. There is no need for setpoint or gain adjustment while scanning. Applying JPK's ForceWatch™ technology, QI™ delivers outstanding re...
Tomato nutrient lycopene could be used for cancer treatment
Lycopene, a nutrient found in cooked tomatoes, has been found to slow the growth of prostate cancer cells, and has even been found to kill it in some cases. The nutrient is widely known for giving tomatoes their red colour, but researchers at the University of Portsmouth have found that it can intercept cancer growth by blocking its ability to make the connections it needs to attach to a healthy blood supply. Director of the research Dr Chopra said: “This simple chemical reaction was shown to oc...
Multiple DNA repair defect in monocytes
Scientists have found that monocytes are extremely sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are aggressive forms of oxygen generated during states of oxidative stress. Scientists at the University Medical Center in Mainz looked to address the undesirable effects of ionizing radiation and drugs used to treat cancer on the impairment of the immune system. The immune system ceases to function properly during treatment, however, which immune system cells respond most sensitively following r...
Genetic switches could hold clues to a cell`s developmental history
A new study has revealed that genetic switches (or enhancers) and the molecules that activate these switches (transcription factors) can be used to trace a cell's development history. Scientists in the groups of Eileen Furlong at EMBL and Ewan Birney at EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), looked at fruit fly embryos to find that enhancers in heart muscle cells are not alone in having transcription factors attached. Enhancers in the gut muscle were also occupied by transcription...
Direct link found between telomeres and heart attacks
A large scale study involving nearly 20,000 people in Denmark has confirmed that there is a direct link between the shortening of telomeres and the risk of a heart attack and early death. The new research provides physicians with a future way to test the actual cellular health of a person. This was achieved by isolating each individual's DNA to analyse their specific telomere length, which is a measurement of cellular aging. Clinical Professor of Genetic Epidemiology Borge Nordestgaard from the...
RNA substances found in cancer communication signal
Researchers from the University of London have found RNA substances in communication signals that are sent around the body by cancer cells, which are essential for the growth of the cells. The RNA are pieces of genetic code that instruct cells, and ultimately, the body, how to form, acting in a similar way to DNA. The study has also found early indications that these genetic instructions can be intercepted and modified by chemotherapy to help prevent cancer cells growing. This study adds to a...
Stem cell re-growth achieved in heart attack patients
New research has shown positive signs for the reversal of damaged stem cells after a heart attack by infusing heart-derived cells to help damaged hearts re-grow healthy muscle. The study, conducted by Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, found that patients who underwent the stem cell procedure showed considerable reduction in the size of the scar left on the heart muscle after an attack. The patients also experienced a healthy increase in healthy heart muscle following the experimental treatments. Edu...
Nerve sparing developments for prostate cancer patients
American researchers have documented the outcomes of 408 prostate cancer patients in an attempt to test the effect of nerve sparing on the ability to orgasm after surgery. The researchers from Cornell University found that many men can retain their ability to orgasm if the surgery is carried out without removing the nerves that surround the prostate gland like a hammock, according to a study in the February issue of the urology journal BJUI. They tested 408 patients 408 patients who received rob...
Qdots use viruses to fool cancer cells
New nanotechnology has exploited virus mechanisms that fool cancer cells in order to transport Quantum Dots (Qdots) into brain cancer cells and bind them to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Previously, there have been difficulties getting the Qdots into cells without them clumping, or being packaged in to endosomes, and excreted from the cells as waste. However, researchers from the City College of New York overcame this problem by coating the Qdots in lipid and protein coats based on Se...
Automated Water Analysis
The AP 3800 multi laboratory robot carries out total water analysis procedures, including sample preparation. Even when a digestion step is needed. The basic version incorporates the pre-programmed Lange cuvette tests for COD, Total Phosphorus, Total Nitrogen, Ammonium, Nitrate and Nitrite. The method directory can be extended by additional parameters as required. Total wastewater analysis including sample preparation and digestion, Several parameters in a single run: COD, Ptot, TNb, NO2, NO3, N...
Calibrated Infrared Analysers Provide Rapid On-Site Oil in Water or Soil Measurements
Wilks Enterprise is pleased to announce the availability of factory-calibrated portable infrared analysers for determining the concentration level of oil in water or soil. The InfraCal TOG/TPH Analysers provide easy, on-site measurements in 10-15 minutes and eliminate the need to wait for off-site results. The InfraCal Analysers are ideal for use by non-technical personnel, in refineries or industrial manufacturing facilities and at soil remediation sites. Factory-calibrated InfraCal TOG/TPH An...
Enhanced Range of Water Purification Systems
Merck Millipore recently announced the availability of its new range of Direct-Q® water purification systems. First launched in 2005, the Direct-Q® systems met with immediate and continuing success. Over the years, the systems have acquired a dedicated user base of scientists who rely on the all-in-one systems to produce high quality pure and ultrapure water - directly from tap water - for a wide variety of applications. Using the feedback of Direct-Q® users, Merck Millipore has now increased th...
New Generation of Portable Soil Moisture Measurement System
Campbell Scientific are pleased to announce the Hydrosense II portable soil moisture measurement system. The new hand-held display unit features a 3" LCD display and four simple-to-use navigation buttons. An integrated GPS geotags each reading and measurements can be grouped together allowing average soil moisture to be calculated for a defined area. On-board data storage for up to 1500 measurements has been added, with Bluetooth connectivity for downloading to a PC. The new soil moisture pro...
Low dose carbon monoxide therapy found to prevent miscarriage
New research has found that low dose carbon monoxide therapy is able to restore placental functional and prevent miscarriages in mice, without any detrimental effects. The study, conducted by researchers at the Otto-von-Guericke University, Germany and recently published in BioMed Central's open access journal Medical Gas Research, progressed on established research on Heme oxygenase-1, which is essential for the growth of blood vessels in the placenta and in establishing blood flow in the umbil...
Temperature Controlled Stage Employed in Freeze Drying Characterisation
The University of Iowa Pharmaceuticals (UIP) has been developing formulations, manufacturing products, and conducting analytical testing in compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) for over 30 years. The facility is the only one of its kind offering the range and scope of services needed by commercial clients. One area of interest is the understanding of lyophilisation processes. Key to this is the characterisation instrumentation from Biopharma Technology Limited. Two system...
Modular Upright Research Microscopes for Bioscience and Medical Research
The Nikon evolution in upright biological microscopes has advanced with the new Eclipse Ni series. Using core technology from Nikon’s renowned Eclipse Ti inverted research microscope, the Eclipse Ni series offers multi-mode system expandability to meet the imaging needs of bioscience and medical research on one platform. The new Ni range also provides superior optical performance with new CFI Plan Apochromat Lambda series objectives, and the flexibility of assisted observation by motorisatio...
SuperSTEM Consortium Launches EPSRC National Facility
A new facility that allows scientists to study properties of materials more clearly at the atomic level, was officially launched on January 11 at STFC Daresbury. The EPSRC National Facility for Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy will provide easier access to electron microscopes tuned to take account of lens distortions. The new facility will build on the work already carried out at Daresbury which has, for example, enabled international researchers to examine ne...
FEI Buys Aspex Corporation
FEI has acquired Aspex Corporation which provides rugged scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) and related services for environmentally demanding military, industrial and factory floor applications. “The Aspex EXtreme™ SEM is an integral part of our QEMSCAN® WellSite™ solution for on-site oil and gas solutions,” noted Don Kania, President and CEO of FEI. “With this acquisition, FEI now owns the essential hardware and software that has been part of our rapid growth and expanding potential in th...
Razor-sharp High Definition Thermal Imaging
The FLIR™ SC660 thermal imaging camera offers superior thermal and visual image quality, spot size resolution and temperature measurement accuracy. It is ideal for all types of engineering, laboratory or field application that may benefit from thermal analysis. The SC660 infrared camera is a science-grade infrared camera with a host of advanced features. The SC660's high definition 640 x 480 pixel infrared detector delivers exceptional sensitivity, resolution and the image quality allowing it to...
The test-tube hamburger
Scientists from the Maastricht University have succeeded in growing meat in a laboratory by extracting stem cells from cows and producing strips of muscle tissue in containers. The Frankenburger will become the world’s first test-tube beefburger, and could be ready just in time for the last barbeques of the season in October. Professor Mark Post has grown small strips of beef muscle tissue using a cow’s stem cells and serum taken from a horse foetus. The tissue is being held together by Velcro a...
Research Into Expanding the use of AFM for Cell Biological Applications
Dr Clemens Franz leads a group of researchers at the DFG-Centre for Functional Nanostructures at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology where he works on expanding the use of AFM for cell biological applications. Given that AFM cantilevers are ultrasoft springs, they can be used to measure inter- and even intramolecular bonds. To study cell adhesion, Dr Franz and his team often employ AFM-based single-cell force spectroscopy (SCFS). Here, a living cell is attached to the AFM cantilever and brought in...
Space superbugs may offer energy solution
Researchers at Newcastle University in the UK have identified bacteria usually found 30 km above the earth as being efficient generators of electricity. Bacillus stratosphericus is a microbe commonly found in high concentrations in the stratosphere, and is the main component of a recently created 'super' biofilm that has been engineered by the scientists. By isolating 75 different species of bacteria from the Wear Estuary in North East England, the power-generation of each on was tested using...
AFM Used to Better Characterise Graphenes Properties
JPK Instruments reports on a keynote paper in Nano Letters where Dr Nikolai Severin and his co-workers from the group of Professor Jürgen P. Rabe have applied JPK's NanoWizard®II Ultra system to improve their understanding of the properties of graphene. Within this group is Dr Nikolai Severin, recently the lead author of a paper in Nano Letters, which shows the use of AFM in the study of graphenes. The electronic properties of graphenes depend sensitively on their deformation, and therefore stra...
Pioneering fertility study alters perceptions of egg reproduction
A pioneering study conducted by a scientist in Massachusetts has found that women continuously replenish eggs in the ovary, which sweeps away the belief that women only have a limited stock of eggs. The experiment, conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, found that eggs in a women's womb are continuously replenished from precursor cells in the ovary. This challenges the long term 'bank account' doctrine, which suggests that women are given a set amount of eggs at birth which is not renewabl...
New family of compounds could treat numerous cancers
Researchers from CNRS and Inserm have discovered a new family of compounds that could make it possible to treat numerous cancers, particularly brain tumors and skin cancers. The French-Italian team found that the substances block a chain of molecular reactions known as the Hedgehog signalling pathway. This disruption could be involved in several cancers. The Hedgehog signalling pathway is a cascade of complex biochemical reactions, and the compounds could become new medicines in the long term....
Parasitic worms 'could offer solution' for modern illnesses
New research from the University of Edinburgh, UK, has found that parasites could be used as a cure for modern illnesses. Countries that have largely eliminated parasites are seeing a rise in health conditions such as allergies, multiple sclerosis and asthma. Researchers are attempting to isolate the component within these parasitic worms that would be the most effective on reducing allergies and turn it into a drug using genetic engineering. The scientists have found that a large proportion o...
Imaging Systems for Every Application
With its European headquarters in Hamburg, Olympus is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional optical and opto-electronic digital products for research, clinical and industrial applications. From microscopes for training and routine tasks to high-end imaging system solutions in the fields of life- and materials science, there is a system for every need. This is embodied by the fully customisable BX3 systems, which can truly be ‘built by your needs’. A recent addition to the prod...
Providing Intuitive Workflows for Applications in Metallography
The Olympus Stream Solutions enable users to easily capture and analyse any image for their niche applications quickly, precisely and in compliance with common international standards. Detailed in an educational demo video, the Grain Sizing Solutions are easy to use for beginners and experienced users alike, enabling you to accurately determine the quality of your steel. The Solutions are optional component to the Olympus Stream software, which provides users with a completely intuitive workflow...