50 Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis Technology Facilitates Cancer Metastasis Research
NanoSight, leading manufacturers of unique nanoparticle characterisation technology, reports on the breakthrough cancer metastasis research of Dr Hector Peinado Selgas and Dr David Lyden's research team from Weill Cornell Medical College. Lead study author Dr Peinado, Instructor of Molecular Biology in the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell, describes in his recent published research work in Nature Medicine with senior author Dr Lyden's research group how they were able to gain better understanding and characterisation of exosomes, secreted nanoparticles from tumour cells.
"In our laboratory, we are interested in analysing the role of tumour-secreted exosomes in metastasis. We have recently published a study describing how exosomes secreted from melanoma tumour cells are educating bone marrow derived progenitor cells toward a pro-metastatic phenotype. We are also interested in analysing the use of exosomes as biomarkers of specific tumour types and their use as prognostic factors, on which Cornell University currently has pending patents on this technology."
"We have found that the protein content per exosome is increased in metastatic melanoma patients. In addition, we have observed that metastatic cell lines also have increased protein content per exosome. Therefore, knowing the number of exosomes was a definitive and necessary step in our reseach. Before this work, we were only following qualitative changes in exosomes. Now we are able to make quantitative analyses using Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis technology. This has facilitated our recent research work. Prior to using NTA, I was measuring exosome size by electron microscopy. There was no other technique available. The new technology allows us to analyse millions of particles, particle by particle, in minutes giving not only numbers but also population distribution. Although the measurement of the size of the particles is not as accurate as the electron microscopy, NTA does allow us to process a large number of samples in a short time period."
To find out more about NanoSight and to learn about particle characterisation using the Company's nanoparticle tracking analysis instruments, visit
www.nanosight.com and register to receive the next issue of NanoTrail, the company's electronic newsletter.
MORE INFO. 126
New Vibration Free Chilling Incubators with 100 Litre Capacity
Research on Visual Perception Wins 2012 Prize
The US scientist, Marlene R. Cohen PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition at the University of Pittsburgh has won the 2012 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology. Dr Cohen uses the response of groups of visual neurons to estimate which part of the visual world an animal is paying attention to at any given moment. Her approach provides a new way to study how our mental activity affects what we perceive and how cognitive processes such as attention are controlled.
Dr Cohen writes “No matter how hard people concentrate on a task, their minds wander. These cognitive fluctuations can greatly alter both perception and neuronal responses, but they cannot be measured behaviourally or from conventional neurophysiological measures.
“As a postdoctoral associate with John Maunsell, I developed a method for estimating these cognitive fluctuations using the responses of a few dozen neurons in visual cortex. This showed that fluctuations in visual attention have large and complex effects on an animal's ability to perform a simple perceptual task. The ability to measure attentional fluctuations provides new insights into how attention is controlled in the brain and the ways in which different cognitive fluctuations affect perception.” In the future, Dr Cohen plans to use these methods to study how fluctuations in attention and other cognitive states affect the computations performed in the brain and how sensory information is used to guide behaviour.”
The Prize is sponsored by Eppendorf and the journal Science. This international US$25,000 prize is open to scientists of 35 years of age or younger who have made outstanding contributions to neurobiological research. The next deadline for applications is June 15, 2013. For more information about Dr Cohen and the Prize, visit
www.eppendorf.com/prize.
MORE INFO. 127
Torrey Pines Scientific announces new Larger EchoTherm™ vibration free bench top chilling incubators that are ideal for protein crystallography and other life science laboratory uses.
The incubators are 100 litre capacity and are Peltier- based for heating and chilling. They have no compressors or CFC's and are vibration-free making them ideal for doing protein crystallisations.
Other applications include incubating marine samples below room temperature, enzyme reactions and deactivations, hybridisations, ligations, storing oocytes, and general lab incubations.
There are two models. The IN55 is fully programmable and the IN50 is simple digital. Chamber size for both is 100 litres. They are settable from 4.0ºC to 70.0ºC and feature PID temperature control to ± 0.1°C, digital display to 0.1°C, and accuracy to ± 0.2ºC.
They have RS232 I/O port for remote control and data collection, digital timer in hours, minutes and seconds with user settable Auto-Off, temperature ramping on programmable models, and audible alarms.
Chamber size is 24" high by 20" deep by 14" wide and come with eight stainless steel racks with room for twelve. Racks are split, front to back, in the middle for variety of sample sizes.
The units are shipped with universal power supplies that take AC line inputs from 100VAC to 265VAC, 50/60 Hz and converts that to 12 volts DC for the unit, AC line cord for the country of use, user's manual and full 12-month warranty.
The IN50 and IN55 are UL, CSA, and CE compliant. MORE INFO. 129 Online INTERNATIONAL LABMATE - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013
Unique Personal Lab Steriliser Sets A New Benchmark
Amsbio has announced CoolCLAVE™ - a compact, easy-to-use personal lab steriliser. CoolCLAVE™ uses ozone gas to clean your laboratory tools. It is effective in sterilising and deodorising lightly contaminated pipettes, pipette tips, gloves, plates, small instruments, and even personal items such as keys and glasses.
To sterilise items, simply place them inside the CoolCLAVE™ Steriliser and press START. The anti- microbial properties of ozone provides a powerful sanitising effect that is capable of killing more than 98% of most pathogenic organisms, such as bacteria, fungus or virus, in just 8 minutes.
The antimicrobial properties of ozone also eliminate the odours produced by these organisms providing an additional beneficial deodorising effect. Best of all, the CoolCLAVE™ sanitiser is very safe and efficient, it operates without using any harsh chemicals, harmful UV rays, or heat, and does not damage any surfaces or leave any chemical residues behind.
The CoolCLAVE™ is very easy to use. Its sterilising action is able to penetrate into cavities or crevices that are unreachable by other methods, like ethanol spray or UV lamps, so your research tools or personal items are more thoroughly and safely cleaned. CoolCLAVE™ is inexpensive to run and is highly reliable requiring minimal maintenance.
MORE INFO. 128
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