Webinar places spotlight on mosquito® applications

LabTech's latest webinar entitled "Optimising automated low volume, high value protein crystallisation screening", was held in September. Distinguished speakers from both academia and industry discussed the benefits of TTP LabTech's mosquito®  Crystal and mosquito LCP specialised nanolitre pipetting platforms for their crystallisation studies/trials.

Professor Savvas Savvides from Ghent University made known his experiences in successfully obtaining crystals from prohibitively low amounts of recombinant proteins and protein complexes, using mosquito Crystal.  In addition he highlighted how the ability to go from protein purification to extensive crystallization trials on the same day offers clear experimental advantages.

Drs Andrew Doré and Kaspar Hollenstein from Heptares Therapeutics Ltd, presented methods for establishing Lipidic Cubic Phase (LCP) Crystallisation experiments for G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) with mosquito LCP, demonstrating the practical set-up of an LCP experiment with an in-house target protein.

In addition, Joby Jenkins, mosquito product manager at TTP LabTech, provided tips to help optimise seeding and additive screening protocols for the mosquito systems.

TTP LabTech Ltd in profile
Based near Cambridge, UK, TTP LabTech supplies laboratory instrumentation for the healthcare, biotech and pharmaceutical sectors. TTP LabTech's products are designed to increase efficiency, effectiveness, flexibility or overall capability in key biopharmaceutical research processes including compound storage (comPOUND®), low volume liquid handling (mosquito®), high content screening (Acumen®), antibody discovery (Mirrorball®) and sample analysis management (LAB2LAB).

For further information, view website: http://www.ttplabtech.com/products/mosquito/crystallography.html  Refer to page 277

Live microscopy in the classroom enables primary
school children to understand more about everyday objects

Children at Longworth Primary School in Oxfordshire were treated recently to the sight of everyday objects from the world around them in exquisite detail, thanks to a live microscopy workshop organised by Carl Zeiss.

The event was the brainchild of Dr Oliver Clarke, a Business Manager at Carl Zeiss, and was held as part of the school's Summer Fete. A Stemi 2000 C stereo microscope complete with the Educational version of the AxioCam ERc5s digital camera was set up in one of the classrooms and children of all ages were invited to find things that they wanted to look at more closely. Images were viewed live on a large LED screen using the DVI-out function or stored using the 'save to SD card' function.

"The children were fascinated by the microscope and spent a lot of time finding things to look at and then looking at them using the microscope," says Longworth's head teacher, Janice Peacock. "The simplicity of operation meant that they were soon viewing and saving their own images quite independently. As well as being keen to learn more about their objects, they pressed Oliver to explain the workings of the microscope itself and the workshop has sparked a renewed enthusiasm for scientific discovery in the classroom. We are hoping to incorporate some microscopy in the science curriculum this yar and look forward to welcoming Oliver to the school again."

According to Oliver Clarke, "Despite the amount of science and nature programming on television, it was a delight to see the excitement generated by the images the children created using a simple-to-operate but quite sophisticated microscope system. It was a powerful personal reminder that all of us in the scientific community need to speak up more about the things we are passionate about."

The Stemi 2000 microscope is one of a six strong range of stereomicroscopes available from Carl Zeiss. Competitively priced but with brilliantly sharp, distortion-free optics, a modular design philosophy and an extensive line of accessories, the Stemi 2000 is a natural starting point for many laboratories.

For further information, e-mail: customercare@zeiss.co.uk  Refer to page 345

Ocean Optics appoints new President

Ocean Optics has appointed Kevin Chittim to the position of company President. Chittim's appointment follows the move of former President Robert Randelman to Divisional Chief Executive for Ocean Optics' parent company, Halma p.l.c.

Prior to his appointment at Ocean Optics, Chittim served as Chief Executive Officer at sister Halma company, Labsphere. During his tenure at Labsphere, Chittim led the company through a period of explosive growth, including a successful merger with SphereOptics in 2010, and establishment of a wholly owned subsidiary in Shanghai, China. Before joining Labsphere in 2007, he held executive positions at Radiant Imaging, Melles Griot, Newport and Spectra Physics.

Of the appointment, Randelman says, "Kevin brings significant knowledge of the photonics marketplace and the potential to make a substantial impact in broadening the range of applications and bringing them to market faster throughout the world. In addition, as our organization grows Kevin will be an excellent mentor and coach to develop our leaders of tomorrow."

For further information, e-mail: info@oceanoptics.eu or view website: www.OceanOptics.eu  Refer to page 268

TRaC and Bristol University strengthen partnership on Earthquake Testing

TRaC, the leading testing, approval and certification services provider has announced that Director of Dynamic Testing, Chris Stone, has been appointed as an honorary consultant in the Department of Civil Engineering at Bristol University.

The appointment centres on the specialised field of Earthquake testing, in which both the University of Bristol, and TRaC, have each developed particular expertise: it formalises a relationship that has existed between the two bodies over many years.

TRaC is the only test house in the UK that can offer Seismic Qualification by Analysis, Test or a combination of the two to verify the resilience of structures and equipment with respect to earthquake vibration and shock. The University's Bristol Earthquake Engineering Laboratory (BEELAB) has a unique - in the UK - triaxial earthquake test facility that can subject test samples to an accurate simulation of earthquake acceleration waveforms.

Chris Stone has applied his expertise to a large number of projects within the UK and internationally, and within the UK. Although the UK is not generally thought of as an earthquake-prone region, certain facilities - such as nuclear plant, power, oil, gas and defence and telecommunication installations - nevertheless have to demonstrate that they can withstand earthquakes. Chris Stone regularly lectures on the practical considerations of earthquake testing, based on his experience of seismic qualification test programmes on equipment that is currently in service in seismically active regions around the world.

With this appointment, and with the established cooperation between TRaC and the University of Bristol, engineers have access to a unique seismic qualification service located in the UK that can determine and confirm the ability of a wide range of equipment destined for deployment anywhere in the world, to survive earthquake events. TRaC can work with the relevant Design Authority to produce a seismic Qualification Test Plan (QTP), which may involve Finite Element Analysis, Physical Testing or both. The Physical Test facilities at BEELAB include a 3m by 3m, 6-axis shaking table which can carry a payload of up to 15 tonnes.

For further information, view website: www.tracglobal.com or e-mail: Bally.Wadalia@tracglobal.com  Refer to page 345

ITT completes acquisition of YSI Incorporated
to enhance its water instrumentation business

ITT Corporation (NYSE: ITT) has completed its acquisition of YSI Incorporated, forming a water-focused analytics business with annual revenue of approximately $300 million. YSI is a leading developer and manufacturer of sensors, instruments, software, and data collection platforms for environmental water monitoring, with facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

"YSI's product offering complements our existing water portfolio and enables us to better serve our global customers and build on our commitment to solve challenges that our customers face across the water industry," said Gretchen McClain, president of ITT's Fluid and Motion Control business, and future chief executive officer of Xylem, the new standalone water company separating in a tax-free spinoff from ITT later this year.

"YSI's expertise in field and outdoor, environmental applications strongly enhances and broadens our analytical instrumentation platform," said Chris McIntire, president of ITT's Analytics business area.

YSI, with a legacy of invention and innovation, was founded in 1948, and reported 2010 global revenues of $101 million. Since 1990, YSI has demonstrated a commitment to its core values and good corporate citizenship through the YSI Foundation.

For further information, view website: www.itt.com