Laboratory Products 27 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
http://www.nanosight.com/ and register to receive the next issue of NanoTrail, the company's electronic newsletter.
LAB PRODUCTS MORE INFO. 605
2013 HPLC/UHPLC Training Programme with Courses from World-Renowned Experts Announced
Identification of S. aureus from Positive Blood Culture in just 20 Minutes
New technology now enables unprecedented (20 minute) species identification of bacteria, directly from positive blood cultures, to enable the reporting of specific pathogen type simultaneously with the Gram stain results. This means clinicians can prescribe the correct antimicrobial therapy for patients with bloodstream infections much earlier, ensuring better patient outcome, reduced hospital stays and lower medical costs.
QuickFISH™ is a rapid, molecular diagnostic platform, developed by AdvanDx, and now exclusively available in the UK from Alpha Laboratories. Based on clinically proven proprietary AdvanDx PNA probe technology and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridisation (FISH), the quick and easy procedure requires only five minutes hands-on time, with a total of only 20 minutes to result. It simplifies and streamlines laboratory workflow and built-in, universal controls ensure confidence in test results. Limited instrumentation and capital investment requirements make QuickFISH easy and inexpensive to implement.
QuickFISH marks a significant advance in time-to-result and ease-of-use that will help clinicians, consultant microbiologists and hospital pharmacists greatly improve antibiotic therapy for patients with dangerous bacterial pathogen infections such as Staphylococcus aureus. AdvanDx has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration and completed the IVD CE mark requirements for QuickFISH.
Additional QuickFISH assays for identification of other clinically important microbial species are currently in development and will provide continued opportunities for AdvanDx, Alpha Laboratories and healthcare professionals to work together to improve patient care and reduce overall healthcare costs in the United Kingdom.
Find out more and view a video of the QuickFISH protocol at
www.alphalabs.co.uk/quickfish.
Hichrom's HPLC training programme is now available, featuring courses covering every area of HPLC and UHPLC and delivered by world-renowned experts including John Dolan and Mel Euerby. Whether you are a relative newcomer to HPLC or a seasoned veteran, you can benefit from one of these courses.
Topics covered will show you how to decrease costs, increase throughput, prevent costly method problems occurring, transfer methods from HPLC to UHPLC and develop faster, more reproducible HPLC/UHPLC assays in a time effective manner.
In
fact, all of these courses are guaranteed to increase productivity and efficiency in your laboratory, reducing your analysis costs. If this doesn’t happen Hichrom will happily refund your money!
Costs are from £155 each and bookings made before 8th February 2013 will be eligible for an ‘early bird’ 10% discount. Furthermore, ChromSoc, RSC and IBMS members receive an additional 10% discount on all courses, provided a valid membership number is quoted at the time of booking. All courses are IBMS CPD accredited and certificates will be issued to delegates on request.
Courses are running at a variety of locations across the UK throughout 2013. To receive further details on the 2013 training programme please contact Hichrom Ltd on Tel: 0118 930 3660, or email:
seminars@hichrom.co.uk.
CHROMATOGRAPHY MORE INFO. 607 LAB PRODUCTS MORE INFO. 606
Report on the Use of AFM and Single-Cell Force Spectroscopy
The interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) was formed by various research groups at Aarhus University together with groups from the Faculty of Science at Aalborg University. iNANO comprises facilities for the synthesis of nanostructured and nanopatterned 0D (i.e. nanoparticle), 1D, 2D and 3D materials.
The group of Dr Rikke Meyer works at the interface between microbiology and nanoscience in the quest to understand how bacteria form biofilms and how this may be prevented. AFM and optical microscopy are used to visualise bacterial cells and to study the interaction forces between cells and an abiotic substrate.
The motivation for using AFM in Dr Meyer's research was firstly to obtain detailed images of bacterial cells without extensive sample preparation.
Furthermore, as she is interested in the interactions between bacteria and abiotic surfaces, she and her team use AFM force spectroscopy to quantify these interaction forces. AFM is one of several techniques used in these studies. These also include brightfield microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.
Dr Meyer commented on her research and reasons behind her choice of AFM: "The coupling with optical microscopy is no doubt the feature that was most important for me in deciding to go with an AFM from JPK. As a microbiologist, I work with very heterogenous samples and it is not feasible to use AFM imaging to locate the field of interest, as large areas of the sample are often visualised to locate a site of interest. In the combined system, we can use the optical image to locate cells of interest before engaging the AFM for imaging or other measurements."
She continued: "AFM has mostly been used to study bacterial cells that are isolated in pure culture. However, the vast majority of the bacterial species we know to date have not been isolated and can only be studied in situ. Fluorescence labelling allows a rough identification of bacteria directly in the sample and fluorescence imaging can thus be used to locate cells of interest before AFM imaging begins. The combination of AFM with optical imaging is thus particularly important for the analysis of bacteria in environmental samples."
MICROSCOPY MORE INFO. 608
LABMATE UK & IRELAND - JANUARY 2013
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