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Advion BioServices
SISCAPA LC/MS Biomarker Assay Services
This new service is made possible by a license and collaboration agreement between Advion BioServices and SISCAPA Assay Technologies. The SISCAPA assays are mass spectrometry based and are conducted in Advion’s liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) laboratory in Ithaca, New York.
More: www.advion.com
Metabolism, ADME Screening, and Other Early Stage Bioanalytical Services in Indianapolis
Advion BioServices opened a new 22 000–square foot drug discovery bioanalytical laboratory in the Purdue Research Park of Indianapolis’s technology center at the Ameriplex Business Park near the Indianapolis International Airport. Advion’s primary focus is to provide high-quality, later stage bioanalytical drug development services as required by global regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At the new Indianapolis facility, Advion will focus on the earlier stage, drug discovery bioanalytical services that evaluate how potential medicines are absorbed and metabolized in experimental models. Services include data generation activities required for the preparation of a molecule’s entry into clinical testing.
More: www.advion.com
ATCC (American Type Culture Collection)
STR Profiling Service for Human Cell Line Authentication
To verify the identity of human cell lines via short tandem repeat profiling (STR profiling), cells are applied to an FTA card provided with an FTA Sample Collection Kit from ATCC, which eliminates the need to ship samples on dry ice. ATCC will amplify the DNA using the Promega PowerPlex 16 HS System and analyze the results, which are delivered via e-mail within 5 days from receipt of samples.
ATCC offers two levels of service: Basic and Verified. The Basic STR Profiling Service (135-X) includes a signed Cell Line Authentication Report containing an STR allele table and electropherograms that support the allele calls at each locus. The Verified STR Profiling Service (135-XV) includes everything in the Basic service, plus known reference profiling against the ATCC STR Profile database and a comprehensive interpretation of the results.
ATCC generates the STR profile by simultaneously amplifying 15 STR loci, plus the amelogenin gene for gender determination, in a multiplex PCR reaction enabling a 1 in >1017 matching rate for unrelated individuals.
Beckman Coulter Genomics
Automated, High-Capacity Target Capture Sequencing
Beckman Coulter Genomics now offers a completely automated, high-capacity target capture sequencing service that delivers quality sequencing data and streamlines sample preparation for targeted next-generation sequencing. Using Agilent SureSelect Target Enrichment technology with the Beckman Coulter SPRIworks Fragment Library System for automated library construction and the Biomek Laboratory Automation Workstation for liquid handling provides high-quality, reproducible samples ready for sequencing. Sequencing is performed on the Illumina GAII and HiSeq 2000 platforms. LIMS sample tracking also enables large numbers of samples to be processed at the same time.
More: www.beckmangenomics.com/genomic_services/dna_sequencing/automated_target_capture.html
Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT)
Oligo Manufacturing Service
This new service can provide oligos deprotected, desalted, quantified using UV spectrophotometry, and checked for quality using mass spectrometry as standard. Oligos are available in a range of amounts, from 25 nmol up to 10 µmol, with the additional option of large-scale production up to 10 g. As well as providing standard-length oligos, IDT can produce high-quality, long Ultramer DNA oligos, up to 200 bp in length, which can be considered ideal for gene construction, cloning, and DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi).
Oligos can be delivered in individual tubes, as well as 96- or 384-well plates, either lyophilized or resuspended in liquid, such as water or Tris-EDTA (TE) buffer. For high-throughput laboratories, IDT offers a HOTplate service, shipping larger batches of unmodified DNA oligos with next day delivery. For smaller scale use, individual unmodified DNA oligos between 15 and 45 bp in length can be shipped using IDT’s same day high-speed delivery service. Custom RNA oligos can be synthesized and shipped within 2 to 3 business days. Where a higher degree of oligo purity is required, oligos can be purified using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition, it is possible to include user-specified modifications such as nucleotide phosphorylation, fluorophore incorporation, or the use of modified bases (e.g., 5-bromo-deoxyuridine).
More: www.idtdna.com
Marken
Clinical Trial Supply Depots
Marken expanded its new directly owned, purpose-built depot network to support global clinical trials with two new facilities in Mexico and Argentina. The Mexico and Argentina Pharmaceutical Service Depots join Marken’s already operational Singapore facility and include the full range of temperature control, including 15 to 25 °C (controlled ambient), −2 to 8 °C (cold storage), −20 °C (frozen), and −80 °C (deep frozen), as well as a secured drug store. Each of Marken’s depots also offers specimen kit distribution, collection, storage, and management, as well as reverse logistics for dosage kits, drugs, and equipment, including reconciliation and certified destruction.
More: www.marken.com
Oxford Gene Technology
Next-Generation Targeted Sequencing Service
OGT now offers targeted sequencing, including whole-exome sequencing, as well as custom targeted sequencing of any genomic region of interest. The average next-generation sequencing experiment generates several hundred megabases of sequence, which can be a serious obstacle to researchers in terms of data management, storage, and analysis. To meet this challenge, OGT’s in-house bioinformatics team performs all the standard alignment and quality control processing that maximizes data quality, as well as additional intelligent filtering of the information. OGT’s entry offering provides results as a user-friendly HTML report that places features such as insertions, deletions, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms into context.
This includes the identification of affected genes and proteins, possible disease associations, and links to external databases. OGT’s “advanced” and “expert” services provide an even greater depth of analysis, such as multigenome comparison, the exclusion of variants from a baseline genome, identification of variants shared by all affected samples, and bespoke meta-analysis or focused analysis.
Porvair Filtration Group
Contract Manufacturing of Filtration and Separation Products
Porvair Filtration Group now offers contract manufacture to a host of markets ranging from life sciences to general industrial. As a manufacturer of sintered porous metal and plastics, Porvair offers a variety of core manufacturing competencies that ensure products meet customer requirements. These include fabrication of materials comprising shape cutting using 2D routing, rotary disc cutting or punching and assembly of products by hand, automation, bonding using heat, adhesives, and ultrasonic welding. Facilities for low-volume technical molding with all engineering plastics (including PEEK) and an overmolding capability are also available. Contract metal furnacing, welding, and packing of nonfood or nonpharmaceutical products together with laboratory facilities and engineering expertise complete the portfolio of capabilities.
With manufacturing facilities in both Europe and North America, Porvair offers three levels of control designed to meet regulatory requirements: a 250-m2 area Class 8 regulated cleanroom facility ideally suited for assembly and packaging of screening devices found in health care, life sciences, and laboratories; a 1800-m2 clean area offering fabrication, assembly, and packaging facilities; and a 2000-m2 area offering vacuum furnacing, assembly, and packaging.
Spinnovation Biologics
Three New Service Options
Three different options are now available for accessing Spinnovation Biologics’ services for biologics production: Pay-Per-Sample, Contract Analysis, and Custom Services. Pay-Per-Sample allows users to choose the number of samples and type of analytes to be analyzed. Contract Analysis is designed for large sample numbers, such as multiple projects or multicenter studies. Custom Services offer a tailored analytical approach that addresses specific issues in a biologics development or manufacturing program, with the Spinnovation team providing specialist advice and help.
Warwick Analytical Service
Determination of Sulfur in Organic and Inorganic Compounds
Warwick Analytical Service (WAS) now offers a routine service for microdetermination of sulfur in organic and inorganic compounds with analytical uncertainty of less than ±0.3% absolute. The sulfur method is covered by the company’s ISO 17025 and UKAS accreditation. Analysis requires just a few milligrams of sample and is carried out by combustion of an accurately weighed sample in a silica oxygen flask over an accurately measured volume of aqueous peroxide solution. Combustion of the sample in oxygen yields water-soluble inorganic compounds. The percentage of sulfur is determined by titration with barium perchlorate using thorin screened with methylene blue as an indicator. Sets of work typically include certified reference materials or organic analytical standards to monitor detection trends in the method. This WAS method has been fully validated and is linear from 0.006 mg to 1 mg sulfur. WAS also can conduct special procedures to remove interferences from samples containing fluorine, chromium, arsenic, and metals.
Expert Witness Service
Warwick now provides sample analysis in support of substance identification backed by technical consultancy and signed witness statements that meet standards that are admissible in courts.
More: www.warwickanalytical.co.uk
