Scientists are not known for staying put. With as much as 20% of the life sciences workforce switching labs each year, product manufacturers' mailing lists are as labile as proteins at room temperature.Enter i-kode http://www.i-kode.com, a new service from Nottingham, UK-based Ikon Informatix. I-kode helps scientists keep their contact information and research interests up-to-date, select vendors from which they want mailings, and gain control over their junk mail."It really puts them in control

Courtesy of ExiqonWith the launch of its new ProbeLibrary kits, Danish biotech firm Exiqon http://www.exiqon.com seeks to simplify real-time PCR. Typically 30 to 35 bases long, PCR probes must be ordered individually from their manufacturers. Exiqon's kits, however, based on locked nucleic acid (LNA) technology, give researchers a ready-to-use library that they can keep in their freezers. (LNAs are bicyclic DNA analogs that exhibit high thermal stability and affinity towards complementary sequen

Courtesy of LeicaLeica Microsystems http://www.leica-microsystems.com, Bannockburn, Ill., has released the DM6000 B, the latest in its new DM line of digital research microscopes. The system includes a host of automated features: an automatic recall function for all settings, fully automated interference contrast, a five-step fluorescence intensity manager, and single-key switching between contrasting techniques, all designed to reduce the tedium of research microscopy, says product manager Jill

Courtesy of Chemicon InternationalSmall research labs that can't justify spending tens of thousands of dollars on a sophisticated automated immuno-histochemistry (IHC) staining system can still Courtesy of Chemicon International benefit from more standardization. Enter the IHC Select Manual Staining System, released last October by Temecula, Calif.-based Chemicon International http://www.chemicon.com.Chemicon's device, which has a list price of $1,495 (US) for the basic kit, holds 40 capillary-g

Courtesy of QuantomiXThe ultrahigh resolution of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) makes it a powerful tool for examining microstructures. But while SEM is a great way to study the surface of a crystal or a silicon chip, its application to the life sciences has lagged far behind its usefulness in materials science and crystallography.SEM samples must generally be imaged in a vacuum, which is not a friendly place for cells. Moreover, traditional methods of preparing wet samples for the vacuum ch

Syngene rolls out a new, versatile gel documentation system