New Products

Column Thermostat For HPLC Jones Chromatography USA Inc. Lakewood, CO Endogen Woburn, MA National Diagnostics Inc. Atlanta, GA National Labnet Co. Woodbridge, NJ The line of modular homogenizers includes three models of hand-held or stand-mounted motors with variable speeds ranging from 5,000 rpm to 45,000 rpm. Volumes of 0.2 ml to 5,000 ml can be processed using any one of a large selection of interchangeable shafts and generators. The generators and shafts can be mixed and matched to provide a means of creating coarse, aqueous, and fine mixes. The stainless-steel shafts can be disassembled for cleaning or replacement and are autoclavable up to 110°C. An analytical mill attachment with cooling chambers also is available to allow heat-sensitive solids to be pulverized while reportedly preventing sample loss. PolyScience Niles, IL OligoPlate provides custom oligonucleotides attached to 96-well plates. Assays using such "capture probes" on microwell surfaces have the advantage over ELISA-type microplate formats of being processed easily in a high-throughput manner with a reduction in labor-intensive steps, the company claims. The unit can be tailored for any target capture and enables batch analysis of amplified DNA products. The microplate assays can be performed with nonisotopic detection systems (for example, colorimetric, chemiluminescent, or fluorescent) and have the potential to be completely automated. For capture assays, the probe is attached directly to the plate surface through either a 5´ or 3´ amine modification, leaving the entire length of the probe available for hybridization. This reportedly results in improved signal-to-noise ratios and greater well-to-well reproducibility. Plates coated with a universal capture probe are available. The company can also synthesize specific target capture oligonucleotides as a chimeric probe, including the complement of the universal sequence. Capture assays are performed by a simple hybridization protocol. Genosys Biotechnologies Inc. The Woodlands, TX The disposable Sterivac bottle-top filtration units are designed for the preparation of up to 20 liters of tissue culture media, buffers, and biological fluids. The Sterivac-10 and Sterivac-20 devices use the high-flux, low-binding Millipore Express (PES) membrane for flow rates up to 1.5 liters per minute, reportedly without loss of protein, making them suitable for high-throughput applications. No pumps or bottle changes are required because the devices' start-and-stop filtration action enables simple setting up, filtering, and transferring of the unit to another receiver. Millipore Corp. Bedford, MA ARK, a horizontal attenuated total reflectance (ATR) kit, features complete purge capabilities and tool-free alignment for use with a variety of solid and liquid samples. It has an aluminum-casted body and a baseplate mounting configuration. Designed with integral purge tubes, the accessory is sealed to the spectrometer, which isolates it from the atmosphere. It sits in the FT-IR sample compartment and maintains purge even while samples and crystal plates are changed. It can be used for analyzing both aqueous and non-aqueous liquids as well as solids. The accessory comes standard with a 45¡ zinc selenide crystal plate; a variety of crystal materials and angles also are available. The ARK is available in three configurations: the ARK Trough Plate Kit, ARK Flat Plate Kit, and ARK Combination Kit. Spectra-Tech Inc. Shelton, CT The line of three epitope affinity-purified, monoclonal anti-phosphotyrosine antibody products is designed for studies of signal transduction events. The PY-7E1 clone has similar reactivity to 4G10 but with significantly higher sensitivity, according to the company. The PY-1B2 clone is a high-affinity, broad-reactivity antibody that reacts with several prominent tyrosine phosphorylated proteins on western blots of A431 cell lysate that are missed or weakly detected by 4G10. PY-Plus is a monoclonal cocktail of the PY-7E1 and PY-1B2 clones that also includes clone PY20. All three reagents are available as HRP or Sepharose conjugates. The three clones recognize tyrosine phosphorylated proteins in both the native and denatured states. Positive reactivity is independent of species. Zymed Laboratories Inc. South San Francisco, CA The C-75 Chromato-Vue cabinet provides darkroom conditions for viewing and photographing thin-layer chromatography plates and EB/DNA sequencing or fluorescing materials. It features uniform ultraviolet radiation provided by 15-watt short-wave and long-wave tubes mounted internally on two sides of the cabinet, overhead white light for illuminating the cabinet interior, a contrast control filter that absorbs ultraviolet light to enable sample viewing without "blue haze," and an access curtain to block out external light for darkened viewing. The interior measures 17" deep x 14" wide x 6" high. It can be used with the optional camera mount and DS-34 Polaroid Instant Camera (shown in photo) for photodocumentation. UVP Inc. Upland, CA The AmpliTaq Gold enzyme is a thermostable DNA polymerase that provides researchers with the benefits of the hot-start PCR technique-higher specificity, higher sensitivity, increased yield, and decreased background-but using fewer steps. The enzyme is provided in an inactive state and packaged with GeneAmp PCR Buffers. Activity is regained through a pre-PCR heat step that can be programmed into any GeneAmp PCR instrument system. The transition from enzyme activation to PCR cycling is transparent and accomplished without going to a temperature at which mispriming may occur. Complete reaction pre-mixes can be made in advance and pipetted into reaction tubes or 96-well plates with a multi-channel pipettor. The enzyme may also be activated slowly during thermal cycling through a time-release PCR technique. This technique enables polymerase activity to build as the PCR product accumulates, which can enhance very-high-specificity applications. Perkin-Elmer Corp. Norwalk, CT The Model 78-40 Gas Generator produces low-pressure carrier/combustion gas from any available compressed air supply. It reportedly produces a continuous supply of carrier/combustion gas containing less than 0.1 ppm of hydrocarbons and less than 1 ppm of carbon dioxide. Standard features of the gas generator include coalescing prefilters with automatic drains, a hydrocarbon removal system, and a 0.01 micron membrane final filter. Whatman Inc. Haverhill, MA The Leica EM KMR balanced break-glass knifemaker enables users to produce knives for semi-thin light microscopy sectioning or for cutting ultrathin sections for ultramicrotomy and cryo-ultramicrotomy. It features a harder and smaller scoring wheel mounted in a self-adjusted cartridge, reportedly making it easier to achieve a perfect break through controlled, even pressure. Two new scoring positions enable optimal corner-to-corner breaks when cryoknives are produced. The instrument also features a glass-strip holder and locking devices for adjustments. It enables users to apply a "balanced break" technique to produce a full set of flat sided 25 mm x 25 mm squares when starting with a standard 400 mm long strip of glass in thicknesses of 6.4 mm, 8 mm, or 10 mm. Leica Inc. Deerfield, IL The Mistral HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) column thermostat uses forced heat air exchange to control temperatures with a claimed accuracy of better than ±0.1°C. It fits with any HPLC system and offers flexible positioning of inlet and outlet tubing. The thermostat accommodates multiple columns and allows the injection valve to be placed inside the thermostat. It is available in two primary models: as a column heater with a temperature range of ambient plus 5°C up to 90°C, or as a combination heating/chilling instrument with Peltier cooling devices and an extended temperature range of 5°C to 90°C. The Rat IL-1b ELISA is designed to measure natural and recombinant rat interleukin (IL)-1b in serum, plasma, culture supernatants, and tissue homogenates. It quantitates rat IL-1b levels over a dynamic range from 0 pg/ml to 2,500 pg/ml, using only 50 ml of sample per well. The immunoassay is sensitive to less than 8 pg/ml with serum and plasma IL-1b recovery of 89 percent and 93 percent, respectively, according to the company. It reportedly shows no cross-reactivity with rat IL-1a. OligoPrep is a synthetic meltable gel matrix intended as a replacement for agarose in separating, purifying, and recovering DNA and proteins. It can be used to separate DNA fragments from five base pairs (bp) to 3,000 bp or proteins from 8 kDa to 220 kDa. Researchers can obtain usable samples by excising and melting the relevant gel section. The gel will melt only once and remain liquefied at room temperature. The target DNA then may be used directly for ligations, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications, or hybridizations, or otherwise processed directly in the aqueous phase without the need to purify the DNA from the gel matrix. Excised proteins in the melted gel may be added directly to adjuvant and used for antibody production. The Model 25 rocker is designed for use in temperature-controlled environments up to 80°C. It is available with a single platform or two stacked platforms, with a clearance of 4.3" between the stacked platforms. The platforms measure 11" x 7.6" and can accommodate a variety of plates and trays. A nonslip rubber mat and optional tie-downs keep samples in place. Rocking speed is adjustable between eight tilts and 40 tilts per minute, providing gentle motions for fragile samples as well as vigorous motions for washing blots. Ball bearings on all movable parts reportedly extend the life of the rocker and keep noise levels to a minimum.

New Products

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