Spotlight Biotehnology,Microtechnology & Nanotechnology


1,000-fold Response Increase Shown in Nanoantenna Arrays


Breakthrough in Bioprocess Optimisation For Biologicals


For new biologicals and biosimilars, the innovative Spedia-NMR™ technology from Spinnovation Biologics provides a real advantage for optimising cell cultures, monitoring and standardising manufacturing processes in preparation for larger scale production. Within the past four months, this has been validated by 37 companies developing biologics or delivering services to this industry.


This premium nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis service rapidly identifies a wide selection of feed components, metabolites and toxic compounds in culture media. By comparing media profiles from different cell culture batches, Spedia-NMR™ identifies how a cell consumes and metabolises the media along the culture process. This allows the composition of the media to be fine-tuned to improve cell viability, reach highest yields of biologic product and perform rapid process troubleshooting.


Nanoscale antennas hold out the promise of higher resolution optical imaging of nano objects, including proteins and DNA molecules, and converting solar energy into electricity at very high efficiencies. Now, a team from the University of Illinois led by Nicholas Fang and Kimani Toussaint has demonstrated a 1,000-fold increase in the UV-Visible optical response of devices based on nanoantennas periodic arrays.


First proposed by Robert L. Bailey in 1972, nanoantennas are analogous to radio and microwave antennas, except that they can absorb a specific range of wavelengths of light dependant on their geometry and size. Bowtie NanoAntennas consist of two triangular pieces of gold with their tips facing each other in the shape of a miniature bowtie. They take energy from the illuminating beam and compress it into the nanometre gap separating the two triangles. The result is a concentrated spot of light that is many times more intense than the incoming laser beam.


Fang and Toussaint’s team fabricated 50nm thick gold Bowtie NanoAntenna (BNA) composed of two equilateral triangles with 140nm sides separated by a 20nm gap and acquired the emission spectra when illuminated with 780nm laser light using an Andor iDus DU420A-BU camera.


When individual antennas were gathered into arrays with 500 nm centre-to-centre spacing, they found that the large local intensity enhancement of the single BNA was boosted by a factor of 1,000. More importantly, resonantly excited arrays exhibited uniform emission over a spectral region of more than 250nm. The team believes that optimisation of the nanoantenna array periodicity may lead to even further efficient devices.


Recent studies have also suggested the possible development of nanoantenna-based solar energy collection devices with conversion efficiency up to 80% - compared to 20% for traditional solar cells - as well as the use of nanoantennas arrays as nanoscale light sources to scan and image biological molecules or synthetic nano-objects such as carbon nanotube bundles.


Andor’s modular Spectroscopy solutions encompass a wide range of high performance CCD, ICCD and EMCCD detectors, as well as a comprehensive range of Research-grade spectrograph platforms.


Circle no. 575 New Efficient Microplate Reader The Spotlight


could be on you! Contact Tamsyn Cox on +44 (0)1727 855574 or email: tamsyn@intlabmate.com


Renowned instrument manufacturer, Biochrom Ltd, has launched the new EZ Read 400 microplate reader through its international network of distributors. Customers can now benefit from the cost-effective and easy to use instrument. Offering flexibility and full performance with no redundant features, the filter-based, PC-controlled EZ Read 400 can be tailored to suit application requirements.


The ability to perform single or dual wavelength measurements to incorporate reference wavelength readings, and the option to do so at timed-intervals, means the EZ Read 400 is ideal for ELISA, protein, cell biology and kinetic assays. Designed to take up the minimum of bench space, and incorporating ADAP Basic PC software and USB connections for easy instrument connection and data transfer, the new EZ Read 400 can be configured with a choice of: filter options within a wavelength range of 400-750 nm; choice of data analysis software packages; and QC plate for instrument validation


Circle no. 578


Spedia-NMR™ technology has gained rapid popularity in both the biotech research and manufacturing communities because of the speed of analysis (analyse in a matter of minutes/hours, delivery of service within five working days) and the valuable information it provides in assisting process development.


Spedia-NMR™ technology is available on a fee-for-sample or as a contract service to all biotech. Users range from medium to large biotech companies and some academic clients use this specialist service in their protein therapeutics research. The true adaptability of Spedia-NMR™ analysis has led to its application across a range of cell systems and production platforms including: CHO, stem cells and virus production platforms. Spedia-NMR™ is designed to perform rapid, high throughput analyses of cell culture media batches and feed-batches in a very cost-efficient manner, using fully automated sample analysis and data processing.


Circle no. 576


Integrated Colony Picking for Molecular Biology


Tecan and SciRobotics announced the launch of the integrated Pickolo colony-picker for the Freedom EVO® liquid handling platforms, providing customers with a complete solution for automation of molecular biology workflows, from cloning to PCR sequencing or cell- based screening.


SciRobotics developed Pickolo specifically for Freedom EVO. This application enables fully automated colony picking from both petri dish and multi-well plate formats, combining high-resolution digital imaging technology with flexible, easy-to-use analysis software to select individual colonies. The selection criteria are based on user-defined criteria, including size, shape and colour. The Pickolo provides reliable, automated picking of up to 800 colonies an hour, and is fully interfaced with Freedom EVOware®


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ensuring seamless integration with upstream and downstream processes for improved laboratory productivity. The technology can be extended to be used for fluorescent labeled colonies, including a Tecan detection device.


“Incorporation of colony picking onto the Freedom EVO platform offers our customers end-to-end automation for molecular biology,” said Dr Tamara Brown, Market Manager for Cells and Proteins at Tecan. “The low cost Pickolo system can be quickly and easily installed on existing workstations, providing an off- the-shelf solution.”


Circle no. 577


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