Non-isotopic immunoassays, for all their increasing specificity and sensitivity, remain for biochemists some of the most labor-intensive operations in the clinical/diagnostic lab. The repetitive pipetting of sampies, dilutents, and reagents to and from microtiter plates not only ties up highly qualified staff in tedious procedures but also opens the door to mistakes—a situation ready made for automation. A degree of automation has already been achieved with systems such as the Biomek 10

When one of the most widely used methods in the analytical laboratory also tops the lists of least-loved jobs, there has to be room for improvement. And for many years, this has been the situation with the Kjeldahl method for nitrogen (or protein nitrogen) analysis. Now 105 years old, this mainstay technology of many chemists in food laboratories has proved its worth for several reasons. First, unlike more modern instrument-based methods, the Kjeldahl method can be used on large sample sizes

Using laser technology similar to that found in compact disc players, scientists from England’s York University have developed a liquid chromatography detector that could prove to be the answer to one of the most perplexing problems facing the pharmaceutical industry. Many drug licensing bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, are now proposing that all pharmaceuticals under development be screened for optical activity. That is, they are requiring tests to determine whet

When they first appeared six years ago, they were looked on as something of a novelty. Many people dismissed them, saying, "they're fascinating, but they'll never take over." Today of course they are here en masse, with a tight grip on many scientists' working lives. No, we're not talking about extraterrestrial invaders, but rather mere laboratory robots—although no mechanical device with the elegant sophistication of these modem-day tools could ever be aptly described as "mere" anything.

Anyone doubting the United States’ significance in the international biotechnology arena should take wing to Hanover, West Germany, later this month and see the impressive showing the US. will make at Biotechnica 88—the Fourth International Trade Fair and Congress for Biotechnology. Far and away the largest non-German contingent among the 400-plus exhibitors, US. representation continues a pattern of increasing Visibility in the biotech sector. The pattern was clearly astablished