Hands-free workflows!
The new IVARO BioBank is designed to slash the time spent on laborious processes previously conducted by hand. Fledgling company ASSAYMATIC is showcasing its flagship R&D project at LABVOLUTION 2017 on the brink of its market launch.

ASSAYMATIC GmbH was founded with the aim of developing innovative solutions for processing samples in test tubes and vials. The Leipzig-based company is equipped with solid expertise in handling test vessels ranging in size from 0.3 to 50 ml. The expert team channels its combined skills into developing solutions for HPLC, GC and - most recently - biobanking applications. The systems are designed in modular form so as to be configurable and adaptable to meet customers' precise requirements by automatically replicating the exact workflow that would normally be performed by hand. The team’s software and production expertise enables the company to produce highly customized applications.

The IVARO BioBank that the company is showcasing at LABVOLUTION 2017 in Hannover looks set to take the market by storm as a desktop device for performing fully automated aliquoting processes on blood and other biomaterial samples in cryogenic vials. The special feature of this innovative equipment is its ability to replicate the entire workflow for processing samples - even opening and re-sealing the primary and secondary test vessels. Developer ASSAYMATIC GmbH points out that the IVARO BioBank is capable of performing end-to-end sample tracking and then feeding information output into a downstream LIM system and even offers a cooling option and the possibility of photographing the original test sample.
ASSAYMATIC GmbH (04229 Leipzig, Germany), Hall 20, Stand D67
Contact: Dirk Peters
Tel.: +49 341 927 9979-0
E-Mail: info@assaymatic.com

It all depends on the perspective!
The knowledge that a change of perspective often leads to new insights is not unique to researchers, but it is particularly important to them - and Leica has developed the DMi8 platform with researchers in mind. The Wetzlar-based company is presenting its reinvented inverted microscopy technology at LABVOLUTION 2017.

The DMi8 platform aims to provide an ideal solution for all user requirements - from basic microscopy all the way through to high-end imaging. Thanks to the modular and upgradable design, the Leica DMi8 portfolio covers everything from manual operation to fully automated systems that are capable of advanced imaging, thereby turning simple observation into interaction. "Life sciences are constantly evolving. At Leica Microsystems, we have created a unique platform that grows with researchers' needs. The Leica DMi8 tailor-made solutions make preconfigured microscopes a thing of the past," says Julian Burke, Chief Scientific Officer of Leica Microsystems.

According to Leica, "One fluorescence port is good, but two are better!" The DMi8 is therefore equipped with an additional access point for a second light source in case user requirements extend beyond standard imaging methods. Direct access to the infinite light path makes it possible to connect an additional light source for techniques such as FRAP, photo activation, laser ablation, laser tweezing and optogenetics.

The DMi8 platform is particularly impressive as a solution for live cell experiments. Combining easy handling with sophisticated analysis, the DMi8 and LAS X software really come into their own with living samples. The DMi8 incubation system takes excellent care of cells during imaging, while LAS X software controls all acquisition and environmental parameters. It also makes functions such as 3D image analysis or tracking and other experimental parameters easy to manage.
Leica Mikrosysteme Vertrieb GmbH (D-35578 Wetzlar), Hall 20, Stand D12
Contact: Dr. Andreas Christian Hecker
Tel.: +49 6441 29-0
E-Mail: corporate.communications@leica-microsystems.com

Fireflies as bright as stars?
Berthold Technologies is looking to set new standards in luminescence detection with the next-generation Sirius II tube luminometer it is showcasing at LABVOLUTION 2017. The Sirius II offers outstanding sensitivity in both flash and glow applications.

Despite its impressive technological credentials, the Sirius II is surprisingly user-friendly and can be operated just as well by a trainee researcher as by an experienced scientist. An automatic shutter reliably prevents any ambient light from reaching the detector and means the measurement process can be activated the instant the device is closed. The integrated touchscreen with its intuitive user interface eliminates the need for connection to a PC and provides a very straightforward means of setting experiment conditions and taking repeat or dual measurements directly on the device. Users can even produce graphic representations of measurements using this stand-alone piece of equipment.

The team at Berthold Technologies has integrated decades of experience in developing ultra-sensitive luminometers into the Sirius II tube luminometer, which is capable of taking both individual measurements - such as reporter gene, ATP and cell proliferation assays - and multiple measurements, such as tests for environmental toxicity or mutagenicity. Its detection limit for fireflies’ luciferase of under one zeptomole (i.e. less than 0.000000000000000000001 mole) makes the Sirius II the perfect equipment for ultra-sensitive detection of bioluminescence. Hence the name Sirius II, as it can seem to make fireflies shine as brightly as this celestial star.
Berthold Technologies GmbH & Co. KG (D-75323 Bad Wildbad), Hall 20, Stand A58/1
Contact: Dr. Thomas A. Schild
Tel.: +49 7081177 0
E-Mail: thomas.schild@berthold.com

Take a good look!
Greiner Bio-One is offering visitors a crystal clear insight into high-resolution microscopy at LABVOLUTION 2017. Users have declared its CELLview Slide the optimum tool for cell cultivation, immunocytochemistry and cell analysis - and made it product of the year!

Developed in collaboration with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, the CELLview Slide consists of a transparent plastic slide fitted with a detachable black compartmentalization tray and glass lid. The tray is divided into ten round wells the same size as a standard 96-well plate, which enables users to add cells and reagents to the CELLview Slide using a standard multichannel pipettor. The round-well design helps reduce meniscus effects, thus ensuring even cell distribution and optimum microscopic analysis. The black compartmentalization reduces cross talk between adjacent wells during fluorescence microscopy and protects against undesired bleaching, while predetermined alpha-numeric well-coding ensures samples are not mixed up.

The integrated optical glass displays virtually no autofluorescence and ensures total planarity, which is so crucial for maximum-resolution automatic microscopy. To promote optimum growth of extremely sensitive cells, the CELLview Slide can also be supplied with a special surface coating. After detaching the compartmentalization tray, the CELLview Slide can be used as a standard slide and be mounted, for example, or put into long-term storage without taking up too much space.
Greiner Bio-One GmbH (D-72636 Frickenhausen), Hall 20, Stand B68
Contact: Werner Röhrich
Tel.: +49 7022 948-0
E-Mail: info@de.gbo.com

GNOME prototype with a giant effect
According to Austrian playwright Johann Nestroy, progress normally seems to be much greater than it actually is. However, the GNOME (gold nanoparticle mediated) laser transfection technology that Laser Zentrum Hannover e. V. (LZH) is showcasing at LABVOLUTION really does appear to mark the start, literally, of a golden age in transfection.

The ultimate objective of LZH's new GNOME technology is to transfect large numbers of cells both gently and efficiently. According to its developers, the new technique will be particularly suitable for high-throughput screening. LZH is unveiling the prototype of this innovative technology at LABVOLUTION 2017 in Hannover. Visitors to the Lower Saxony Pavilion organized by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture and the Ministry for Economics, Labor and Transport will be the first to get an impression of how GNOME laser transfection works and the possibilities it offers.

Transfection - that is to say moving exogenous molecules into biological cells - is a key technology for basic research and also for clinical and industrial applications such as drug screening, protein production and gene regulation. The main challenge lies in permeating the cell membrane efficiently without any lasting effect on the cell or the molecule's functionality. The GNOME laser transfection technology developed by LZH aims to deliver high transfection efficiency with a minimal influence on the target cells as well as high vitality rates and short process times. Gold nanoparticles added to the cells adhere to the cell membrane and accurately focus the laser energy of a picosecond laser. The membrane is permeated and exogenous molecules flow into the cell.

The prototype being exhibited at LABVOLUTION is suitable for all standard microtiter plate formats and is therefore ideal for high-throughput screening in applications such as developing active ingredients. This approach could also be used to evaluate innovative treatment options, for example based on CRIPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology.
Laser Zentrum Hannover e. V. (LZH) (D-30419 Hannover), Hall 19, Stand C80, co-exhibitor with the Lower Saxony Ministry for Science
Contact: Melanie Gauch
Tel.: +49 511 2788-419
E-Mail: presse@lzh.de

Your results in safe hands
Rhenus Archiv Services GmbH is demonstrating how the pharmaceutical industry can benefit from cutting-edge GxP-compliant processing and archiving of sensitive material at LABVOLUTION 2017 in Hannover.

The stringent conditions that apply to the storage of pharmaceutical and chemical documentation has inspired a subsidiary of logistics experts Rhenus in Hannover to develop special solutions with these specific sectors in mind. They are designed to meet the requirements laid down by not only Germany's EMA, BFArm and federal and state authorities, but - where medicines are also subject to control in other countries - also foreign regulatory bodies such as the FDA in the United States and the MHRA in the UK. What’s more, Rhenus Archiv Services GmbH covers a whole series of specific laws and ordinances in Germany, including its Medicines Act (AMG), Medical Products Law (MPG), Drug and Drug Substance Act (AMWHV) - and even the Criminal Code when it comes to data protection for test subjects.

The Berlin-based company stores its pharmaceutical customers' documentation in a secure archive in line with good manufacturing practice (GMP) and good laboratory practice (GLP). Rhenus Archiv Services GmbH has already processed and archived more than 100 million items of sensitive material in compliance with GxP for the pharmaceutical industry. Every sensitive piece of material, from fixed samples from animal experiments through to manufacturing documentation files, is cataloged and stored in specially protected, climate-controlled areas in GLP- and GMP-certified secure archives in Germany and various other European countries. Rhenus provides its document and information logistics services to more than 15,000 customers in Germany and abroad, thus bearing responsibility for over 10 billion documents in total. The company also provides a range of postal services for the pharmaceutical industry, including post rooms to process both physical and electronic incoming and outgoing mail, scanning stations for GxP-compliant digitization of paperwork, and mobile and stationary destruction of files and data storage devices. Apart from physical storage, long-term digital archive solutions are also an option.
Rhenus Archiv Services GmbH (D-12055 Berlin), Halle 20, Stand E10
Contact: Heiner Pettan
Tel.: +49 30 68282 954
E-Mail: info@de.rhenus.com

Good-looking, quick on the uptake and content with just a few microliters!
Trinean is unveiling its DropSense spectrophotometer, sporting a new cutting-edge design and extra features, at LABVOLUTION 2017. The device can perform spectral analyses on minuscule samples of DNA, RNA and proteins.

This company has skillfully mastered the challenge of performing quick and high-precision measurements on microliter droplets of samples in 96-well format. The first thing that strikes you is the new DropSense96 model's brilliant turquoise design, which is guaranteed to draw glances in the laboratory. The DropSense96 performs spectral analysis of both visible (VIS) and UV light on droplets placed into a special micro test cell, which allows measurements of samples as small as 2 µl. This minute sampling comes into its own where only limited samples are available, as it leaves bigger reserves for further tests.

The device takes less than five minutes to read a full 96-well DropPlate, while special protection against evaporation avoids unnecessary sample depletion. If classic A260 and A280 absorbance spectra are recorded, the DropSense96 identifies influencing contaminants to reveal the true DNA / RNA or protein concentration. Thanks to its LIMS-compatible software, the device also makes it easy to import data and export results. The full range of measurements spans 230-750 nm. Its wide dynamic range from 5 to 10,000 ng/ul dsDNA banishes the need for tiresome extra dilution steps. What's more, the DropSense96 spectrophotometer has a wide variety of uses and can be operated either by hand or using a pipetter robot.
Bioke, Cell Signaling Technology Europe B.V. (NL-2316 ZA Leiden), Hall 20, Stand A21
Contact: Oliver Schultz
Tel.: +31 71 7200 220
E-Mail: info@bioke.com

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