Wanted: prize-worthy neurobiological research
World-leading laboratory equipment developer Eppendorf and Science magazine are on the lookout for a worthy recipient of the 2017 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology. Submissions close on 15 June.

The international Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology is awarded annually to a young scientist who has undertaken outstanding neurobiological research using molecular and cell biology methods. Each year’s winner is awarded US$25,000 and publication of his or her research in Science. Submissions are open to researchers who are 35 years of age or younger as at the closing date of 15 June 2017. The winner and finalists are selected by a committee of independent scientists chaired by Dr. Peter Stern, who is a senior editor at Science magazine, where he is responsible for all research papers relating to neuroscience and brain research.

The 2016 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology was won by Dr. Gilad Evrony for his work in developing new techniques for sequencing and analyzing the genomes of individual human brain cells. The young Israeli-American scientist, who is based at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital, uncovered a diversity of mutations in neuronal genomes, indicating that every neuron in the brain in fact carries a unique fingerprint of somatic mutations. This is an important development, given that somatic mutations can cause focal brain malformations and may have a role in other as-yet unexplained neurological diseases. The technology developed by Dr. Evrony is also a powerful new tool that enables researchers, for the very first time, to reconstruct developmental lineage trees in the human brain and thus to study how cells proliferate and migrate to build the brain.
Eppendorf AG (22339 Hamburg, Germany), Hall 20, Stand B67
Contact: Dr. Oliver Franz
Tel.: +49 40 53 801-801
Fax: +49 40 53 1835
E-Mail: franz.o@eppendorf.de

Half a century of expertise
The history of flow detectors used to identify the presence of radiolabeled substances in liquid chromatography stretches back about 50 years. At LABVOLUTION 2017, Berthold Technologies is exhibiting the culmination of all those decades of progress in the new FlowStar² LB 514 Radio Flow Detector for HPLC.

Berthold Technologies has invested half a century of expertise in the field of radio HPLC flow detection in the new FlowStar² LB 514 Radio Flow Detector, which it claims to have set a new standard in radio HPLC analysis. Visitors to LABVOLUTION 2017 will be able to see for themselves whether the company has managed to meet its development goals in terms of maximum sensitivity, safety and flexibility. The practical two-channel output is designed to make integrating the FlowStar² LB 514 Radio Flow Detector into existing HPLC systems straightforward. Berthold Technologies has taken an optimized detector and electronics design for ultimate sensitivity and combined it with state-of-the-art touchscreen technology for fast, user-friendly operation. What’s more, the FlowStar² LB 514 Radio Flow Detector can be operated via RadioStar radio HPLC software or the HPLC system's own software, which further enhances its flexibility. Additional features include automatic cell detection, whereby a chip in the flow cell’s mounting frame contains all the vital cell information and ensures the correct cell has been inserted for the measurement process. The instrument also boasts an extensive library with an integrated scanning feature that can be used to improve the detector setup for isotopes.
Berthold Technologies GmbH & Co. KG (75323 Bad Wildbad, Germany), Hall 20, Stand A58/1
Contact: Andrea Gößner
Tel.: +49 7081 177200
Fax: +49 7081 177 301
E-Mail: andrea.goessner@berthold.com

Simplify your lab!
Why aren't smartphones and smartglasses being put to good use in laboratories? iTiZZiMO AG is not only asking key questions at LABVOLUTION 2017 in Hannover, but also answering them with its Simplifier for Life Sciences.

As a partner in the smartLAB project for envisaging the laboratory of the future, the company from Würzburg is looking to integrate mobile end devices previously unused in laboratory environments - such as smartphones, tablets and smartglasses - into digital workflows. Even now, far too often critical processes are still drafted on paper prior to digitalization and long-term storage. But might this change if laboratory equipment equipped with aids such as smartphones or smartglasses could speak and automatically record data?

iTiZZiMO AG answers these questions with the Simplifier for Life Sciences IoT platform for the digital revolution - an extremely promising approach that reveals what is already possible. "Simplifier creates the digital laboratory of the future today," says Professor of Natural Sciences Thomas Scheper. The Director of the Institute of Technical Chemistry at the Leibniz University of Hannover considers the Simplifier an enabler for smart laboratories. The Simplifier links laboratory devices with smartphones, smartglasses, smartwatches and other end devices to provide mobile access to important data from the laboratory information system. While the paper-free IoT platform can be used to automatically record new findings or samples from the poisons cabinet, dual-function protective/data goggles usefully display information about processes or warnings for hazardous chemicals.
iTiZZiMO AG (97076 Würzburg, Germany), Hall 20, Stand A47
Contact: Manuel Will
Tel.: +49 931 306 9999 70
Fax: +49 931 306 9999 79
E-mail: info@itizzimo.com

nICLAS - for the smart lab of the future
The Fraunhofer IPA is at LABVOLUTION 2017 to showcase the latest news from nICLAS, the new Stuttgart-based innovation center for laboratory automation - established by the IPA to develop new technologies for the smart lab of the future in collaboration with key industry partners.

Although the digitalization wave has already started to hit the laboratory scene, many labs still use traditional production methods and structures rather than networked tools and processes. Based in Stuttgart, the new nICLAS innovation center for laboratory automation is set to change all this with technologies developed specifically for the smart lab of the future in line with all industry requirements. As the Project Manager for nICLAS at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA), Mario Bott is well aware of the challenges his team faces: "The samples and products processed in labs are subject to exceptionally strict quality requirements that can make it particularly expensive and complex for companies to establish new technologies." But it is certainly possible for labs to transform into data factories - visitors to LABVOLUTION 2017 in Hannover can find out how at the IPA stand.

Bott has already observed a gradual change: "More and more laboratories are being developed into networked data factories at central company interfaces - from diagnostics labs and lead discovery in drugs research right through to quality assurance and product release. They generate information that is extremely valuable for business management processes." However, with increased demand for customized products and processes based on individualized diagnostics and treatments, labs are also facing many new challenges. To address the complexity ahead, nICLAS aims to develop sustainable modular solutions for hardware and software systems. Members of the nICLAS project include industry users, developers and partners that want to establish links to research and academic training. "The tasks we have set ourselves cover many fields - we clearly need a multidisciplinary team if we are to succeed in the face of international competition," says Bott. "We are therefore delighted to be working with companies including Precise Automation, TECAN, Liconic, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Promega and Festo. Collaborating with these strong partners gives us access to all the latest equipment and innovative technologies." With the support of cutting-edge equipment and the relevant expertise, Bott is confident that his team can lay the foundations for the laboratories of the future.
Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation – IPA (70569 Stuttgart, Germany), Hall 20, Stand A45
Contact: Jörg-Dieter Walz
Tel.: +49 711 970-1667
Fax: +49 711 970-1400
E-Mail: joerg-dieter.walz@ipa.fraunhofer.de

Nucleic acid extraction – paving the way to automation
More than 35 years after silica-based DNA and RNA isolation was first scientifically documented, Analytik Jena AG is appearing at LABVOLUTION 2017 with SmartExtraction - a global innovation in nucleic acid extraction.

SmartExtraction significantly accelerates and hugely simplifies the entire nucleic acid extraction process, paving the way to maximum automation. What’s more, to provide users with as much freedom as possible in their choice of materials, SmartExtraction is designed to be platform-independent. This new technology can be used with all Analytik Jena pipetting systems, including InnuPure® C16 & C96, CyBio® SELMA, GeneTheatre and CyBio® FeliX, and is simple to adapt for use with any liquid handling system.

In addition to simplifying procedures, SmartExtraction also delivers the edge over other technologies in terms of yield, DNA quality and efficiency - and the developers at Analytik Jena AG are at LABVOLUTION 2017 to show us just how. For instance, thanks to high binding capacities, large amounts of high-molecular DNA can be extracted using the appropriate starting materials. Compared to magnetic particle technology used in conjunction with automated pipetting extraction systems, Analytik Jena AG reports a significant increase in the quantity of nucleic acid extracted in many applications, while processing time is substantially reduced. All in all, SmartExtraction is being billed as much more than a matter of optimization - it's a real quantum leap!
Analytik Jena AG (07745 Jena, Germany), Hall 20, Stand B62
Contact: Dana Schmidt
Tel.: +49 36 41 77-92 81
E-mail: presse@analytik-jena.de

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