Thermo Fisher Scientific creates new
iPhone app for selecting bottles and carboys

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has created a free iPhone and Android app for the selection of Thermo Scientific Nalgene bottles, carboys and vials. Based on their specific laboratory needs, users simply insert a Nalgene® catalog number or search terms and the intuitive app recommends the most appropriate container from our extensive inventory of almost 700 choices. Results are based on the specific properties for chemical resistance, autoclavability, inertness, temperature tolerance and a host of other parameters and certifications for the customers' individual lab activity.

To further refine product recommendations, users can change search criteria and view technical drawings and dimensional outputs to assess product suitability before purchase. Results can be saved for further study or sent to an email address.

For more than 50 years, Nalgene bottles have set the standard for quality and superior performance and continue to prove that not all containers are created equal.  Each Nalgene bottle comes with a leak-proof guarantee to protect valuable liquids. Sizes range from 4 mL to 50 L and small quantity to bulk packs, so scale-up can occur without the need to revalidate materials as projects progress from research into production. Nalgene bottles and containers are available in a wide range of certified materials for laboratory, food and pharmaceutical use.

For further information and to download the free Thermo Scientific Nalgene bottles and carboys app, go to the iTunes® store or Android Market and search for Nalgene Bottles, website: www .thermoscientific.com/nalgenecontainers  iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.  Refer to next page

High specificity of Thermo Scientific Nunc and Microtiter plates makes them ideal for diagnostic screening

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, supplies a broad range of immunoassay plates for use in diagnostic applications. Solid capture surfaces are commonly integrated into in vitro diagnostic kits, where they are used to bind a component of interest, thus removing it from solutions such as serum or urine. The Thermo Scientific Nunc immunoassay plates are therefore key to any screening applications.

In vitro diagnostic kits are often stored long term, either prior to shipping, or in-lab. As such, it is vital that all components maintain stability over time. The Thermo Scientific immunoassay plate guide details all of the available plate formats and helps you to match them to the right assay type. The rigorous quality assurance process, detailed within the guide, ensures stability if maintained over time, even at room temperature. This makes the immunoassay plates suitable for diagnostic screening applications.

For further information and to download the immunoassay plate guide, view website: www.thermoscientific.com/oemdiagnostics

SANYO's brand new MDF-U76V is the most
energy-efficient 700 litre -86ºC freezer available

The new SANYO MDF-U76V ultra-low freezer combines improved cooling performance with outstanding energy efficiency. The advantages include greater security for precious research or clinical samples, as well as significantly lower running costs and added environmental benefits. A leading independent test institute in the Netherlands has measured the power consumption of the MDF-U76V at 13.77kWh/24hr. Based on current published data, this makes the MDF-U76V the most energy-efficient 700 litre -86ºC freezer on the market.

This latest -86ºC VIP upright freezer has been specifically designed by SANYO to meet the growing demand for energy savings, without in any way compromising freezer performance. In fact, cooling efficiency, insulation characteristics and door-open recovery times have all been enhanced through exclusive SANYO innovations: a capillary tube heat exchanger, next-generation VIP PLUS insulation, and the Cool Safe compressor. As a result, greater temperature uniformity throughout the freezer and faster temperature pull-down contribute to industry-leading sample security.

SANYO's advanced new capillary tube heat exchanger significantly increases the overall efficiency of the freezer. By optimising the available heat exchange areas, system reliability is also increased and energy consumption is cut. In addition to helping minimise energy use, the high performance patented vacuum panels together with high-density foam insulation enable SANYO VIP ULT freezers to provide up to 30 per cent more storage capacity than a conventionally insulated freezer, saving valuable lab space. These two SANYO-developed technologies allow the use of smaller, high-efficiency 750W Cool Safe compressors in the MDF-U76V, which use less energy and reduce heat output.

An optional water-cooled condenser is available for the MDF-U76V. This enables laboratories with a chilled re-circulating water system to reduce the requirement for air conditioning within the freezer facility, reuse heat energy elsewhere and achieve even greater savings.

SANYO in profile
SANYO Electric Co. Ltd. is a multibillion dollar global corporation developing advanced technologies and unique products for environmental, energy and lifestyle applications. SANYO E&E Europe BV is a Biomedical division dedicated to life science solutions based around user-driven innovations, such as dual-cooling freezers to ensure sample security. Headquartered in the Netherlands, SANYO E&E Europe BV has sales and service organisations in the UK, France and the Netherlands and manages sales, marketing, logistics and technical service for SANYO laboratory products throughout Europe.

SANYO Biomedical products include an array of laboratory equipment featuring industry-leading technology, controls, construction and performance. Product lines include V.I.P. ultra-low temperature freezers, cryogenic freezers, pharmaceutical and medical refrigerators, cell culture incubators, plant growth chambers, and portable autoclaves.

For further information, e-mail: sales.nl.seee@sanyo.com or view website: www.eu.sanyo.com/biomedical  Refer to page 301 

Technology exchange combines unique methods
for design of novel, high quality compounds in drug discovery 

Optibrium, a provider of software solutions for drug discovery, and innovative software and services provider Cresset, today announce an agreement to collaborate on the development of next-generation platforms. The innovative companies will work together, combining unique approaches to help drug discovery projects quickly identify novel, potent compounds with a high chance of success downstream.

The collaboration will involve a two-way exchange of technologies: Optibrium's ADME models, currently provided as a plug-in module for its StarDrop™ software platform, will be made available to users of Cresset's desktop applications. Similarly, Cresset's FieldAlign^TM software, which helps chemists understand the three-dimensional structure-activity-relationship of their chemistry in order to design active compounds, will be made available as an optional plug-in module for StarDrop, which helps project teams to confidently target compounds with a good balance of properties for their therapeutic objectives.

Achieving a combination of potency with appropriate ADME and safety properties is essential to the discovery of high quality drug candidates. Cresset's molecular field technology provides unique insight into the biological activity, properties and interactions of molecules, which enables biologically meaningful comparisons that are not limited by two-dimensional structure.  Optibrium's StarDrop platform helps to guide decisions on the design and selection of compounds by integrating in silico and experimentally measured properties using a unique multi-parameter optimisation approach, chemical space and Glowing Molecule™ visualisations and predictive modelling. 

Dr. Matthew Segall, CEO of Optibrium, said, "We are very happy to be working with the team at Cresset. This collaboration furthers our aim to deliver leading edge in silico technologies directly to the desktop of all drug discovery scientists through StarDrop's user friendly, interactive interface. The new FieldAlign module in StarDrop will bring a powerful 3D view of compound interactions that will complement StarDrop's existing 2D QSAR models."

Dr. Robert Scoffin, CEO of Cresset, added "This collaboration is an excellent opportunity for two companies to combine talents and technologies in order to offer a better product to our combined customers. This highlights the power of bringing together complementary technologies from leading-edge companies to better address problems in Drug Discovery."

The technology shared under this collaboration will form new components in upcoming releases of Optibrium's StarDrop and Cresset's desktop applications. Full details of these exciting new developments will be announced soon.

For further information about StarDrop and Optibrium's software solutions view website: www.optibrium.com or e-mail: info@optibrium.com

For more information about Cresset's software and service solutions view website: www.cresset-group.com or e-mail: sales@cresset-group.com

New Tinytag thermocouple data logger
provides cost-effective and versatile monitoring

A new thermocouple data logger has been launched by Gemini Data Loggers, manufacturers of the Tinytag range. Tinytags have an established reputation for accuracy and reliability across many industries; the new thermocouple logger provides monitoring for a broad spectrum of temperature ranges and is highly versatile, enhancing the choice of solutions available and meeting the specific demands of many applications and industries.

The new Tinytag Ultra 2 Thermocouple data logger offers all the recognised benefits of thermocouple temperature monitoring - fast response, versatility, cost-effectiveness and ease of use. The unit supports the most popular thermocouples types - K, J, T and N -providing monitoring for temperature ranges from -270°C to 1370°C, depending on the type being used. This makes it suitable for a wide range of applications, including the accurate monitoring standards demanded by the food processing industry, to the extremes of temperature experienced in hot industrial processes such as smelting, right through to conditions experienced in freezers. Thermocouples are available either as bare wire, offering lower cost and faster response times, or built into probes designed for specific uses depending on their type of construction or insulation material used. The logger also has a built-in temperature channel allowing the particular process and the ambient air temperature to be monitored simultaneously.

Furthermore, the new Tinytag thermocouple logger offers additional versatility by incorporating a connection that supports both standard and miniature thermocouple plugs. The unit features burn out response - the option to configure the logger to drive readings either low or high in the event of thermocouple failure, making it obvious to the user that a problem has occurred. The compact, stand-alone logger has a battery that lasts for over a year, and like all Tinytag products it is compatible with the easy to use Tinytag Explorer software. Data is downloaded to a PC via a USB connection where the software clearly presents the data as graphs and tables.

The Tinytag Ultra 2 Thermocouple data logger is competitively priced at £99 + VAT. For customers new to Tinytag data loggers, a starter pack including the logger, USB connection and the Tinytag Explorer software is available for only £130. (At the time of going to press)

Gemini Data Loggers in profile
Gemini Data Loggers, the company behind the Tinytag electronic data recorders, was established in 1984 and now trades globally with a network of over 40 distributors. As well as manufacturing Tinytag data loggers, all Tinytag hardware, firmware and software is designed in-house, enabling tight quality control and the flexibility to respond to specific customer needs.

For further information, e-mail: info@tinytag.info or view website: www.geminidataloggers.com