Lab Bulletin Laboratory news updated daily for scientists and laboratory professionals

Pioneering prostate cancer drug abiraterone significantly extends the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer if given before chemotherapy, the results of a major phase III clinical trial have shown.

The results, published in Lancet Oncology, showed that men with advanced, aggressive prostate cancer lived more than four months longer on average if they received abiraterone before chemotherapy than if they did not. The trial, led in the UK by Professor Johann de Bono of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, could fill an important gap in previous evidence for abiraterone’s...

We are pleased to announce that AP Technologies (APT) has been appointed UK and Ireland distributor for Vertilon Corporation.

APT will be responsible for Vertilon's full range of PhotoniQ charge integrating multi-channel Data Acquisition Systems (DAQs), multi-channel photon counting systems, Sensor Interface Boards (SIBs) and accessories. Martin Sharratt, Founder and Director of APT, commented: “I am very excited to add Vertilon’s DAQs to the APT product range – they will be of great interest to customers using our line of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) from...

A worldwide study of the DNA of 100,000 women has discovered two new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

The genetic variants are specifically linked to the most common form of breast cancer, oestrogen receptor positive, and provide important insights into how the disease develops. Scientists believe screening women for all the genetic variants so far identified could eventually pick out those at highest risk of breast cancer and improve strategies for preventing the disease. The study was led by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research...

What studies into male birds tell us about reproduction in later life

Studies into male birds that produce offspring well into their old age could deepen concerns over the trend for delaying parenthood until later in life, for both men and women. An international team of scientists, led by Dr Brian Preston from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), have studied the large, flamboyant houbara bustard, for insights into how aging has evolved. In their most recent work, published in...

Blacktrace Holdings Limited, a leading group of companies focused on Productizing Science®, is pleased to announce that with effect from 16th January 2015 it has acquired the assets of ChemiSens AB, based in Lund, Sweden.

Based in Dijon, France, the Center will boast a unique offering for drug discovery in Europe, combining Inventiva’s screening platforms and libraries with SensiQ’s instrumentation

SensiQ, a leader in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technologies and Inventiva, a French drug discovery company focused on therapeutic approaches involving transcription factors and epigenetic targets, today announce the launch of a European Center of Excellence in SPR technologies, using SensiQ^® Pioneer Fragment Edition (Pioneer FE) instrumentation. The SPR Center of Excellence is based in Dijon, France. Inventiva’s existing...

This all-new platform is designed to offer greater flexibility and increased productivity for cell biology and genomics customers. From microbiology research and cell-based assays to rapid DNA quantification, the Spark 10M delivers a combination of advanced capabilities and exceptional ease-of-use to simplify your daily work.

On January 22, 2015 the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Bohuslav Sobotka, officially inaugurated a new planetarium equipped with ZEISS technology in the Czech city of Hradec Králové.

The modern planetarium, which features a 12-meter dome and seats 100 people, forms part of the astronomical observatory complex located on the outskirts of the university city in north-east Bohemia. The auditorium is slightly tilted to ensure that all the members of the audience have an unobstructed view of the fulldome shows. Five ZEISS VELVET projectors specially designed for dome theaters create an absolutely black background...

Olympus has announced the release of two new configurations of the FluoView FVMPE-RS multiphoton laser scanning microscope series - a Gantry microscope frame and an inverted microscope frame.

Representing the latest in total internal reflection (TIRF) technology, the newly expanded Olympus cellTIRF family offers systems for all needs, including a new cost-effective one-line illuminator with motorised TIRF angle control.

Olympus expands its range of cellTIRF illuminators and accessories with the new economic one-line illuminator (cellTIRF-1L), which complements the high-end, 4- and 2-line (cellTIRF MITICO 4L/2L) illuminators. Ideally suited for use with laser combiners, the cellTIRF-1L with motorised TIRF angle control offers cost-effective flexibility for system builders. The new illuminator can also be used with 3^rd party lasers and enables multi-fluorescence samples to be sequentially imaged at the same penetration depth. Control is effortlessly managed by software integration or via the Olympus Real-Time Controller (RTC) for accurate live cell imaging.

Event organiser, Xmark Media, continues to reach wider audiences with second regional event this year, the Photonex Scotland Photonics Technologies Roadshow is on the horizon.

The Photonex Roadshow will once again make a visit to Scotland this year on Wednesday 3rd June and this time the brand new Technology and Innovation Centre at the University of Strathclyde will be the venue. Encompassing photonics, imaging and light technologies, this is a key event in the Scotland International Year of Light (IYOL) diary. The event combines a lively exhibition with a high-level conference and is expected to attract a large number of visitors from across Scotland...