Lab Bulletin

A landmark in stereomicroscope evolution

The all new Nikon SMZ25 and SMZ18 stereomicroscopes have evolved to meet the increasing needs for imaging systems that range from single cells to whole organisms. Featuring a large zoom ratio of 25:1 for the SMZ25, superior resolution and exceptional fluorescence transmission capability, the ergonomic, easy-to-use, fully motorised SMZ25 and manual SMZ18 are ideal for all bioscience applications....

Bruker Corporation today announced that it has signed an exclusive patent license agreement with 3M Company, which allows Bruker to include 3M patented innovations relating to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging.

The licensed 3M patents are directed to a technique for performing mass spectrometry analysis on proteins in tissue that has been preserved in paraffin.  The technology enables researchers to more easily study formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue for life-science research and drug development. MALDI imaging has been increasingly used to analyze clinically relevant tissues such as tumor biopsies. The molecular phenotypes observed by MALDI imaging have been shown to correlate with parameters such as disease status or patient outcome, and have been successfully applied to the classification of tissue samples.

JPK Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation for research in life sciences and soft matter, reports on the work of the Nano-Mechanics Laboratory at the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) Pune, India.

Market leaders in temperature controlled microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments report on the use of their popular CSS450 stage for polymer research at the New University of Lisbon, Portugal.

Syngene, a world-leading manufacturer of image analysis solutions is delighted to announce that one of its G:BOX Chemi imaging systems is being used at the Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) to visualise and analyse bacterial proteins as part of a research programme to understand the molecular mechanisms behind bacterial immune systems.

Scientists in the Laboratory of Microbiology at Wageningen UR are using a G:BOX Chemi system to accurately image both chemiluminescent and fluorescently labelled Western blots of multi-functional protein complexes belonging to the CRISPR/Cas proteins. These proteins degrade foreign DNA, thus protecting bacteria from infection and by studying them, the scientists hope to unravel how bacterial immune systems function. Determining pathways of bacterial immunity could lead to a number of applications, such as being able to immunise industrially important bacteria used in food production and large-scale fermentations against phage infection....

More speed and precision for in-process inspection

At the 2013 Control international trade fair for quality assurance, ZEISS presented its new Hardware Auto Focus and cleanroom kit for the proven Axio Imager Vario microscope system. An integratable autofocus system ensures fast and precise focusing. The Hardware Auto Focus is ideal for surface inspections on reflective, low-contrast samples. In transmitted and reflected light (brightfield, darkfield, polarization contrast and oblique illumination), the focus system ensures high precision down to 0.3 of the depth of field of the objective lens....

Hitachi High-Technologies has launched the TM3030, the third generation of its popular series of tabletop microscopes.

The TM3030 features improved electron optics to give better resolution and higher magnification capabilities together with built-in image processing to further enhance image quality. The improved electron-optical system of the TM3030 provides significantly better resolution, which is especially useful for the 5 kV mode of operation. Imaging at 5 kV reveals more surface detail and can be used for both topographic and elemental composition imaging. The new electron optics produce sharper images at higher magnifications across its three imaging and analysis modes....

Cytation^TM3 is a cell imaging multi-mode microplate reader that combines automated digital microscopy and conventional microplate detection.