JPK Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation for research in life sciences and soft matter, reports on how researchers from the Université de Paris-Sud and CNRS Montpellier have used the new QI mode of AFM imaging to quantitatively characterize living bacteria without any immobilization.

Dr Christian Marlière of the Institute of Molecular Sciences (ISMO) located at the Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Orsay leads a research team to study the dynamics and properties (mechanical, electrical and electro-chemical) of living bacteria in purely controlled physiological conditions at nanometer scale: motility or adhesion processes of bacteria on solid substrates, biofilms formation, the influence of light on moving properties of cyanobacteria, effects of antibiotics on bacterial membranes and biofilm etc....

iXon EMCCD camera's spatial resolution and high readout speed demonstrate possibility of finding more stars and planetary systems in our galaxy

With the accelerating interest in seeking out Earth 2.0 exoplanets, the need for accurate star maps on which to base our searches only increases. However, an international team of scientists has found two previously undetected stars in a recently mapped globular cluster using the ultra-sensitive Andor iXon 897 Electron Multiplying CCD camera on the Danish 1.54m telescope at La Silla, Chile. This discovery raises the possibility that we can pinpoint more potential target planets that would be hospitable to life...

Anasys Instruments reports on the recent publication from the University of Illinois which describes the development of a novel technique for chemical identification at the nanometer scale based on AFM-IR. The work is described in a paper published in the Review of Scientific Instruments 84.

For more than 20 years, researchers have been using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure and characterize materials at the nanometer scale. However AFM-based measurements of chemistry and chemical properties of materials were generally not possible, until now...

JPK Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation for research in life sciences and soft matter, reports on the research studies of the nanophysics group to couple the chemical information of STED microscopy with the high resolution spatial and force measurements provided by AFM to study biological samples in liquid.

The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) was founded in 2003 in the city of Genova to promote Italy's technological development and advanced education. Professor Alberto Diaspro is the Director of the Department of Nanophysics. His research includes the design, realization and utilization of optical and biophysical instrumentation such as far-field super resolution optical microscopy and nanoscopy, conventional and confocal microscopy, two-photon fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy architecture, and scanning probe microscopy (STM, SNOM, AFM). This last area has led to collaborations with JPK Instruments... 

NanoSight reports on how Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, NTA, is being applied in the Chemical Engineering Department of the California Institute of Technology to study nanoparticle-based therapeutics being developed for the treatment of illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer's.

The central theme of the Mark E Davis research group at Caltech is the use of chemical engineering concepts (synthetic chemistry and analytical engineering problem solving) to answer important fundamental questions in the physical and life sciences. Current research entails designs for the synthesis of inorganic and hybrid, organic-inorganic materials for catalysis and biocompatible materials for the delivery of macromolecular therapeutics...

Ultrahigh accuracy imaging modality (UAIM) technique provides more than 200% accuracy improvement compared with conventional low-light imaging

Super resolution localization microscopy techniques, which allow the capture of images with a higher resolution than the diffraction limit of approx. 250 nm, are breaking new ground in our understanding of subcellular structures and the movement of individual molecules within cells. However, the positional accuracy attained by these powerful techniques has been limited by the pixelation and noise generated by CCD and EMCCD detectors...

International panel of experts bestows seal of quality to products featuring outstanding designs

At the awards ceremony on 1 July 2013, the ZEISS Microscopy business group received the renowned red dot award: product design for the Axio Zoom.V16 zoom microscope. In 19 categories, the jury selected the product with the most successful product concept from the total 4,662 entries. Following the ceremony, the product will be on display in a special four-week exhibition at the red dot design museum at the Aalto Theater in Essen...

Oncodesign officially receives AAALAC's accreditation mark, in recognition of 18 years of consultation, investment and ethical commitment in the area of animal experimentation in cancer research

Oncodesign, a contract research laboratory for the discovery of new anticancer therapies, today announces that its Dijon-based research center has received AAALAC certification. AAALAC, the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International, is an internationally recognized association for assessment and accreditation in the field of animal experimentation. AAALAC accreditation is a voluntary undertaking rather than a regulatory requirement. To date, more than 700 institutions in 29 countries have received this accreditation...

Cytation™3 is a cell imaging multi-mode microplate reader that combines automated digital microscopy and conventional microplate detection.  This unique patent pending design provides rich phenotypic cellular information with well-based quantitative data. 

Solentim system offers substantial economic benefits

Due to the significant time saving advantages of their Cell Metric^TM systems, Solentim, the market-leading developer of innovative tools for shortening steps in the upstream cell line development workflow, have had their best quarter of sales revenues to date. This includes multiple shipments of Cell Metric^TM systems to customers in the US and a repeat order from US biopharma. Cell Metric CLD^TM is a bench-top imaging station, which includes a 10 plate automated plate loader...

FLIR Systems has announced the FLIR Microscopy Stand - a complete solution for thermal evaluation of very small objects.

Comprising a FLIR SC5000 series thermal imaging camera with a x3 or x5 microscopic lens and high precision X,Y,Z stage for accurate positioning the FLIR Microscopy Stand is capable of accurate temperature measurement on targets as small as 3 microns square. Benefiting from a research-grade thermal imaging camera with a large focal plane array detector that delivers very low NETD and advanced design microscopic lenses the FLIR Microscopy Stand is able to deliver very high spatial resolution making microscopic thermal evaluation of electronic and photovoltaic components routine...

Market leaders in temperature controlled microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments report on the use of their popular THMS600 stage for polymer research at the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers (CNR), Italy.

A group of scientists from the CNR is investigating the melting kinetics of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), a natural thermoplastic polymer with mechanical properties comparable to synthetic polymers. PHB is now the focus of scientific interest as it has commercial potential as a fully biodegradable and biocompatible product. Potential uses include environmentally friendly packaging and films, pharmaceutical drug administration, and biocompatible resorbable medical implants. Small batches of PHB have been produced since 1925 by bacterial fermentation, but until now there is no large scale commercial production because it is more expensive than commonly used polymers...

Link Technologies’ solid-supported Cyanine 540 and 650 dyes increase workflow efficiency

Link Technologies Ltd, an ISO 9001:2008 certified specialist oligonucleotide reagent manufacturer, has launched a range of high quality cyanine dye products to support the continued increase in demand for fluorescent labelling in biological imaging and molecular diagnostics. As well as introducing a new range of 3’-CPG solid supports modified with Cyanine 540 and Cyanine 650, Link Technologies now also manufactures and supplies the commonly used phosphoramidites, so researchers can now source an extended range of cyanine reagents produced to Link Technologies’ exacting standards...

Nanounity announces the public launch of new characterization tools and techniques for the microscopy community. Products from Pemtron & Delmic will debut at the annual 2013 Microscopy & Microanalysis Conference & Exhibition to be held in Indianapolis, August 4-8. The company will be presenting exciting new products of manufacturers from the USA, Korea and Europe.

New instrumentation, tools and techniques, will be featured on the Nanounity booth, #828, at this year's annual M&M meeting being held in Indianapolis, August 4-8, 2013. The Pemtron SEMART™ PS-250 scanning electron microscope (SEM) will be making its Nanounity US debut. This intermediate microscope provides users with quick and easy operation offering high performance at a reasonable price, a level that a user might expect to pay at least twice to own. With the power of the PS-230, the PS250 allows users to work with larger samples up to 140 mm while retaining 3 nm spatial resolution. Users may add optional EBSD (Electron Detector Back Scattered) and EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectrometer) for more comprehensive analytical performance...

The new MCS XY stage from PI miCos for industrial measurement technology combines high guiding and positioning accuracy with loads of up to 20 kg and high dynamics.

Its areas of applications include industrial surface measurement technologies such as topology measurements on workpieces and optics or structural measurements on semiconductor wafers. Its high load capacity of 20 kg allows further axes to be mounted on the platform, such as vertical, rotary or tilting stages. The MCS system achieves its performance characteristics through selective combination of mechanical and electronic precision components....

Dr Andrzej Kulik is a research associate in the Laboratory of the Physics of Living Matter at the EPFL in Switzerland.

Under the leadership of Professor Giovanni Dietler, the research activity of the laboratory of physics of living matter is mainly devoted to the study of DNA topology, cellular machines, protein mechanics and high-resolution low temperature Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Through internal and external collaborations, a certain number of other research activities are carried out in particular on knots hydrodynamics, DNA gel electrophoresis, cell elasticity, cell motility, etc. Kulik and his colleagues are measuring the mechanical properties of proteins, cells and tissues. To date, AFM has been the main tool but is now complemented with the arrival of a nanoIR™ AFM-IR system from Anasys...

Xmark Media the organisers of Photonex, the UK's showcase photonics event dedicated to applied optical equipment, biophotonics, fibre optics, lasers, sensing, vision & LIGHT announces the 2013 event. This will be held on the 16 & 17^th October at the visitor-friendly Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

Photonics finds ever more uses in research, industry and the consumer environment. Photonics technologies are of increasing importance to scientific research and for industry. Its use is growing by the day as is the Photonex 2013 conference and exhibition. Photonex organisers, Xmark Media, report that there will be a larger exhibit this year featuring an increasingly diverse range of products & services which will ensure the event continues to attract visitors from around the world...

NanoSight reports on how Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, NTA, is being implemented for the further characterization of natural colloids (inorganic and organic) at the Institute of Water Resources and Water Supply at the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg in Germany.

Inorganic and organic colloids are widespread in aquatic systems, where they influence many water quality treatment processes. Until recently there was a lack of an adequate analysis technique to measure the size fraction below 1000 nm. The research group of Professor Mathias Ernst of the Institute of Water Resources and Water Supply at the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg has adopted the use of NanoSight's NTA technique to provide new insights into water quality...

JPK Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation for research in life sciences and soft matter, report on the success of the fifth international symposium on the applications of optical tweezers and related technologies in the life sciences.

Held in Berlin, over 60 delegates enjoyed excellent presentations for an international group of speakers. This year's symposium was held on the 18^th June in Berlin at the excellent Palisa De/Umspannwerk Ost. A sweltering Berlin welcomed over sixty scientists from around the world to discuss their results and share scientific knowledge in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. NanoBioVIEWS™ is the name of a series of international meetings initiated by JPK Instruments to further the scientific knowledge exchange on instrumentation and applications of nanotechnology in the life sciences... 

Twelve-strong array of ground-based telescopes equipped with specially built red-sensitive cameras to survey the sky to find transiting Neptunes and super-Earths

As the worldwide race to discover Earth-like exoplanets accelerates, Andor's expertise in high-performance digital camera design and manufacture is proving crucial for many of the leading groups in the field. SuperWASP (Wide Angle Search for Planets) has proven to be one of the most successful projects, finding more than a third of all confirmed transiting planetary systems through its two telescopes, each equipped with eight Andor iKon-L cameras. Its successor, the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), aims to build on those successes through a twelve-strong array of telescopes at the European Southern Observatory in Chile, equipped with custom-designed, red-sensitive CCD cameras from Andor...

FLIR Systems has announced the release of a new range of thermal imaging cameras optimised for industrial R&D applications including tyre / brake testing, on and through glass measurements, welding / soldering processes and fast moving process control applications.

FLIR A3500sc / A6500sc series thermal imaging cameras incorporate a cooled 3-5 micron MW-IR detector making R&D applications that need better image quality, more sensitivity and a higher frame rate routine. Achieving a high thermal sensitivity  of <25 mK - FLIR A3500sc / A6500sc series  cameras are able to capture the finest image details and temperature difference information...

Nanounity announces their appointment to distribute the Pemtron range of scanning electron microscopes. The compact Pemtron system has been designed to bridge the gap between tabletop and full size tungsten SEMs.

Tabletop SEMs are inexpensive and easy to use compared to standard size SEMs but have limited performance and capability such as small sample sizes, lower magnifications and lower resolution. Full size SEMs would normally provide better imaging performance and more analytical capability but generally require more knowledge to operate and have a higher cost of maintenance. The Pemtron PS-230 and PS-250 SEMs address the gap between these two types of SEM product, offering competitive prices compared with higher end tabletop SEMs, are easy to use and have a low cost of maintenance while equalling or exceeding the performance of a full size SEM...