World News

Computer Which Mimics Brain is a New Cancer Tool

CANCER Research Campaign (London, England) scientists have trained a computer to help diagnose cancer by mimicking the thought processes of the human brain. The computer program, which is one of two highlighted in the Campaign's new Scientific Yearbook, helps doctors diagnose tumors by interpreting patterns from a type of scanning called magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). At the moment, most doctors use biopsies to diagnose and assess tumors because MRS scans, which give patterns of the chemical content of tumors, can be very difficult to interpret. But a European trial has shown that a computer program — modeled on the brain's neural network — is 80 per cent successful at diagnosing and assessing the severity of cancerous tissue removed from patients in biopsies. Its inventors believe the program will prove even more useful at diagnosing cancer in a patient's body — without having to carry out a biopsy.

“These results are very exciting as MRS could be a far better way of diagnosing and assessing a tumor than a biopsy because it does not involve surgery,” says Campaign-funded researcher, Prof. John Griffiths of St. George's Hospital Medical School, London. ìAnd we believe we can improve on the accuracy rate of 80% to make it even better. It is also remarkable that we can now train a computer to mimic the neural workings of the human brain and help in the diagnosis of cancer.”

The trial, which involved a collaboration between experts in Britain, Spain, and Denmark, is one of many methods of artificial intelligence which are being experimentally used to interpret MRS scans.

This one, which copies the interactions of neurones in the brain to recognize MRS patterns, was designed by a former CRC researcher, Dr. Ross Maxwell, who worked with Professor Griffiths. And trials into this program, carried out with the help of Professor Griffiths and Professor Carles Arus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, have proved 80 per cent successful in diagnosing and assessing pictures of tumors actually in the human body. Another computer program, developed by Dr Rosemary Tate now of Birkbeck College, London, is also very promising. Her program uses mathematical methods to recognize patterns in MRS scans and translate them into information about the tumor.

The Editor of the Campaign's Scientific Yearbook, Dr. Lesley Walker says: “Professor Griffith's area of research looks set to vastly improve the diagnosis of cancer, particularly brain tumors. I believe it is only a matter of time before we will be able to use this sort of ‘artificial intelligence’ to diagnose and grade a tumor at the push of a button. The jury is still out on whether it will be a computer program based on mathematical logic or the brain's neural network that will prove the most fruitful line of research but my money's on the latter.”

For more information, contact the Cancer Research Campaigns press office at Phone: [phone] or (out of hours) 44 468 992023, Fax: [phone].

* Both Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are performed by placing a patient in a magnetic field. But whereas MRI gives a visual picture of the water content of living tissue, MRS gives a graph of the chemical content of living tissue.

* Trials involving the two computer programs mentioned in the release were carried our on brain tumors.

Zinsser Analytic Announces New Products

Zinsser Analytic (Berkshire, England) announces a new generation of automatic synthesizers. SOPHAS is capable of 864 syntheses in a single run. SOPHAS economically uses its hardware components as it transports the reaction blocks to the various processing modules. SOPHAS offers unlimited flexibility: each block can be processed using different reaction volumes, times, agitation, heating and cooling, washing, et cetera. The idea of SOPHAS was to create a universal tool for the chemist. The open construction of the system allows the use of any chemistry or synthesis strategy. Additional tools, ie. temperature probes, pH-electrodes, et cetera can be installed to collect data for documentation or on-line control purposes. The software allows users to optimize all hardware parameters according to individual requirements of the synthesis. The screen shows the workbench of SOPHAS with all modules in place. The software also features GMP-conform documentation of every step of its operation. Even in the case of a power failure, the system can be restarted exactly at the uncompleted step.

The LISSY, from Zinsser Analytic, is a compact, PC controlled robotic sample processor, capable of automating all precision liquid handling tasks. The system works using a robotic XYZ arm with four independent probes. These operate over the instrument's workbench, which can accommodate any kind of racks and holders for tubes, vials, microplates, and slides. The workbench layout is displayed graphically on the computer screen. A microplate handler can be fitted on the XYZ arm as an option, as well as a stacker for multiple plate handling. Due to the unique 32-bit Windows® NT software, “WinLissy,” LISSY users can designs their own layouts for the workbench and protocols using the “drag and drop” technique. Additional commands can be added, to switch internal and external devices on or off, including valves, shakers, alarms, and screen messages. LISSY is an open system, which allows the WinLissy® software to interface with any network organization or automation structure via an RS232 port. WinLissy automatically calculates optimum parameters in the protocol, such as airgaps and dispensing speeds. If necessary, users can define their own parameters.

Qiagen N.V. Acquires Rosys A.G.

Qiagen N.V. announced, June 2, 1998, the signing of an agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of privately held Rosys AG (Hombrechtikon, Switzerland), an acknowledged leader in the field of robotic liquid handling instrumentation. Swiss based Rosys develops, produces, and markets innovative liquid handling robotic systems for applications including diagnostics, molecular biology and high throughput screening. Qiagen has developed a comprehensive portfolio of more than 250 proprietary consumable products for nucleic acid separation, purification and amplification, and markets them together with automated instrumentation and related services. Rosys has been OEM supplier of instrumentation for Qiagen's rapidly growing BioRobot product lines for almost 5 years. Both companies believe that establishing a strong link between their respective technologies will allow them to develop new markets and offer increasing benefits to customers in all areas of the life sciences. Rosys will maintain and expand sales of their products and systems into other markets, including ELISA, Accessioning, and liquid handling. Private Label, OEM, and end user sales through their distributor networks will continue, as will joint sales and marketing activities with Anthos Labtec.

TECAN Industry Update

TECAN (Hombrechtikon, Switzerland) introduces the new Pos-ID barcode scanner on GENESIS RSP (Robotic Sample Processor). The scanner identifies primary and secondary plates or tubes, and tracks their position and orientation on the worktable. The Pos-ID (version 2), which can be upgraded, helps guarantee safe and secure sample preparation or screening. Pos-ID can alert users if a tube or microplate container is missing. It checks where all the elements of the system are placed on the GENESIS RSP, preventing collisions between moving samples. This gives operators the security of being able to leave the GENESIS RSP unattended. The new Pos-ID is faster and reads a higher density bar code label, allowing for greater accuracy in sample identification. The reading window is also larger, so that the scanner reads codes of up to 30 characters.

TECAN's profiBLOT II automated Western blotting system helps identify proteins associated with disease. The profiBLOT II system can be used to confirm HIV, HTLV, HCV or Lyme's disease, and provides a specificity and sensitivity useful in numerous areas of clinical research. Dispensing and wash volumes can be varied from 250 μl to 300 μl. Incubation time can be set from 1–999 minutes. There are five shake speeds and up to 36 strips can be processed on one tray. The profiBLOT II is a walk-away system that uses Windows™-based PC software or on deck keyboard programming, permitting storage of 20 protocols each of up to 60 steps. This system has a semi-automatic calibration method, which allows individual pumps to self-check and recalibrate against a specific liquid. The profiBLOT II comes in two versions. The N version has two reagent channels for fast dispensing and four channels for single position reagent addition, as well as three aspirating needles to remove liquid from the tray. The S version has six channels for normal reagent addition, and liquid is drained from the tray into the waste channel.

TECAN announces its new web site: HYPERLINK http://www.tecan.com. The new web site went live on June 1, 1998. The upgraded homepage makes it easier to explore TECAN's extensive range of liquid handling systems, microplate readers, and other products and services.

TECAN announces two new application notes for the SPECTRAFLUOR Plus: “Cytotoxicity Studies Using Fluorometry for Quantification”, and “Fluorometric Detection of Growth/Proliferation of Cultured Cells with Hoechst 33342.” To obtain free copies of the application notes, contact TECAN: TECAN AG, Feldbachstrafle 80, 8634 Hombrechtikon, Switzerland, Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: HYPERLINK mail to: [e-mail] TECAN Austria GmbH, Untersbergstrafle 1A 5082 Grödig, Austria, Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: HYPERLINK mail to: [e-mail]. at or HYPERLINK http://www.tecangroup.com

Motorola Inc., Packard Instrument Co., and Argonne National Laboratory to Develop Advanced BioChip Technology

Motorola Inc., Packard Instrument Co., and the U.S. Government's Argonne National Laboratory-partnered with the Russian Academy of Science's Englehardt Institute of Molecular Biology, in Moscow-have joined forces. The goal of their project is to develop and commercialize a new technology that can decode the genetic structures of living things thousands of times faster than existing technology. The technology uses biochips, robots, and computers to automate the massively parallel detection of gene mutations and to simultaneously analyze the activity of thousands of healthy and diseased cells and tissues. A biochip is a small glass slide with thousands of absorbent micro-gels fixed to its surface. A single biochip may contain 10,000 or more micro-gels in an area about the size of one microscopic slide. It provides a medium for matching known and unknown samples of DNA and automating the process of identifying the unknowns. The advantage of this technology is that it provides a 3-dimensional platform to perform assay tests, allowing multiple layers of DNA to be stacked for greater sensitivity and accuracy. Because the gels are 3-dimensional, they can immobilize and assay important biological molecules such as proteins, RNA, and cDNA. “Instead of reading DNA one letter or word at a time, the biochips read whole phrases and sentences at a time,” said Andrei Mirzabekov, a biologist whose research at Argonne and Engelhardt developed the biochips.

The Argonne-Engelhardt approach promises to decode genomes and detect genetic mutations thousands of times faster than conventional technology by automating a process similar to a computer “word search” for unidentified DNA strands. For example, tests of the Argonne/Engelhardt technology led to the speedy identification of the genetic change in individuals with thalassemia, a defect in the blood's hemoglobin similar to sickle cell anemia. This disease is caused by a genetic defect that affects only one or two base pairs in the relevant gene. The Argonne-Englehardt process identified the presence of that genetic mutation in the blood of thalassemia patients in only seconds.

To provide time and cost efficiency, in developing this new technology, the companies have specialized their roles. Motorola will focus on the clinical diagnostics market by developing and refining mass-production systems for creating biochips. Motorola will also serve as a supplier to Packard and its customers. Packard will focus on the life science and drug discovery markets by developing, manufacturing, and distributing the analytical instrumentation and reagents to use and process biochips, specifically, the liquid handling system to dispense DNA assays onto the biochips and the imaging system to analyze the molecular reactions. Argonne, and the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology will contribute intellectual property in the form of 19 inventions. The partners believe they can make the biochip technology accessible to a broad range of markets for a wide range of applications.

Based on the Argonne/Engelhardt technology, Packard will develop the BioChip Arrayer and BioChip Imager. The BioChip Arrayer delivers tiny droplets of assay fluid to the chip's surface with unparalleled precision and accuracy. To dispense the droplets, Packard developed the technique called Piezoelectric tip system, which is capable of placing drops as small as 300 picoliters. The BioChip Imager is a laser-optic imaging device to analyze all samples on a single biochip quickly and accurately.

Through miniaturization and automation, this technology will greatly reduce the amount of a sample needed for analysis and increase the number of samples that can be analyzed simultaneously. For example, conventional drug screening typically costs $4 to $5 per sample. Packard estimates that, through miniaturization, costs can be brought down to 40 cents eeded for analysis and increase This biotechnology will have myriad applications in life science, including medical diagnostics, drug discovery, environmental restoration, and agriculture. For drug discovery, academic life science research and pharmaceutical research, biochips have immediate practical applications for polymorphism analysis, gene expression studies, and monitoring clinical trials. Within a few years, biochips could be routinely used to study cellular responses to drugs under investigation, to detect genetic differences between patient populations, and to determine the therapeutic effectiveness of new drug candidates. The transition into the clinical diagnostics market is planned to take place in four to five years.

Packard BioScience Company Acquires BioSignal, Inc.

Packard BioScience Company (Meriden, Connecticut) announced, July 13, 1998, the acquisition of BioSignal, Inc., a biotechnology research company based in Montreal, Canada. Through the agreement, Packard, which owned 19% of BioSignal shares, paid approximately $8.5 million for the remaining 81% interest in the company. Through this acquisition, Packard and Biosignal will also be able to further develop new fluorescence and luminescence assays and reagents, as well as provide high-value services for applications involving lead compound screening, drug screen development and gene expression mapping.

Argonaut Technologies Announces New Products

Argonaut Technologies (San Carlos, CA) is introducing a series of ten new chemistry products for parallel solution phase synthesis in medicinal and organic chemistry applications. The product line includes four scavenger resins for a variety of electrophiles and nucleophiles, and six bound reagents, including acid, bases and coupling agents, to facilitate a wide range of solution phase reactions and workups. The use of polymer-bound reagents and scavengers provides a simple and effective means of purifying multiple solution phase reactions in parallel, and has become an important compliment to solid phase synthesis for the generation of compound laboratories. Argonaut's new products offer high functional group loading and chemical stability, fast reaction rates and low leachable impurities. These products may be purchased individually, packaged in a complete “Solution Phase Toolbox,” or in solution kits for specific application, including a Coupling Kit, Scavenger Kit, Polymer Tosyl Kit, and Base Kit. The Solution Phase Toolbox covers a wide range of needs, with 10g quantities of all ten new products, along with product information cards containing detailed procedures for use and a pre-calibrated ArgoScoop™ for convenient resin measuring.

Beckman Coulter News

Beckman Coulter, Inc. (Fullerton, CA) announces its bulk packaging formats for DNA synthesis reagents to meet the needs of oligo production facilities. Both derivitized bulk CPG and Phosphoramidites can now be packaged in large volumes, of one-gram increments, to meet customer manufacturing requirements. Beckman Coulter will also provide liquid reagents in bottles fitting most high-throughput DNA synthesis instruments.

Beckman Coulter introduces the new Optima MAX Personal Ultracentrifuge System, with the first ever rotor to reach 1,000,000 × g. Optima MAX combines high g-force, high capacity and ease of use with a comprehensive new family of rotors. Four new ML-series rotors for the Optima MAX cover a wide range of applications and extend the volume capacity of tabletop ultracentrifugation. The MLA-130 fixed angle rotor spins ten tubes of 2.0 mL each to a maximum force of over 1,000,000 × g, providing rapid pelleting and separation of proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids. The MLS-50 swinging bucket rotor spins four tubes of 5 mL, the same tubes used in the SW50.1 and SW 55 preparative rotors. The MLA-80 fixed angle rotor spins 64 mL of sample to over 440,000 × g, as does the MLN-80 near vertical tube rotor, which is ideal for contamination-free CsCl plasmid isolations. Optima MAX features Smart Lock, a self-locking rotor attachment that automatically secures the rotor to the drive hub. The Optima MAX occupies only 6.3 square feet and fits in standard size hoods for added biosafety. The imbalance-tolerant induction drive minimizes operator errors. Optima MAX systems are certified by the CE marking, UL, and CUL approvals. They are manufactured in an ISO 9001 facility and are completely CFC-free.

Beckman Coulter has also introduced a new Circulating Reservoir that provides a continuous supply of solvent, buffer, or reagent to the Multimek96 Automated 96-Channel Pipettor. This eliminates the time-consuming user intervention required to refill normal reservoirs. A peristaltic pump circulates liquid between the 96-well reservoir on the Multimek Labware Deck and a glass supply bottle. The front of the pump has controls for circulating speed and power on/off.

Beckman Coulter, Inc. announces a method for the purification of plasmid DNA using QUIAGEN S QIAwell 96 Ultra Kit™ and Beckman Coulter's Biomek 2000 Laboratory Automation Workstation. This method, which runs with no human intervention, completes the purification of 96 samples in approximately one and one half hours, a significant over traditional manual purification. DNA recovery, purity, and suitability for cycle sequencing are comparable to manual results. A Biomek method has been written to automate every step of this purification process. The Gripper Tool from Beckman Coulter facilitates the operation by moving and relocating devices and labware on the Biomek worksurface.

Beckman Coulter is introducing two new high-capacity rotors in the ARIES (Automatic Rotor Imbalance Equilibrating System) family, which are the world's first self-balancing rotors. The new JS-4.2A and JS-4.2SMA ARIES rotors are specifically designed for use in Beckman Coulter's J6 Series high-speed centrifuges. ARIES technology eliminates the need for manual sample balancing, resulting in simplified processing. These rotors automatically identify and correct imbalance, rather than merely tolerate it. ARIES also incorporates Smart Balance Technology, allowing the rotor to correct imbalance and complete the run even when an imbalance occurs at high speeds, such as when a tube breaks. The JS-4.2A round and the JS-4.2SMA oval ARIES windshield swinging bucket rotors can spin up to six blood bags, six one-liter bottles or tubes at speeds of 4,200 rpm, generating force up to 5,020 × g and 4,900 × g respectively.

Beckman Coulter, Inc. is sponsoring the second annual symposium on Solution Interaction of Macromolecules, September 26th through the 29th, 1998 at The Renaissance® Madison Hotel in Seattle, Washington. Symposium seminars and workshops will focus on advances in the determination of stoichiometry, molecular mass, affinity, molecular structure, and receptor ligand interactions. The conference will highlight the use of innovative technology including analytical ultracentrifugation, protein crystallography, light scattering, mass spectrometry, surface plasmon resonance, calorimetry, capillary electrophoresis. A plenary lecture will be given by Dr. Wayne Hendrickson, Columbia University, on “Solution Studies Complementing Crystallographic Analyses.” The keynote speaker will be Dr. Ken Van Holde, Oregon State University. Complete conference information is posted on the Symposium's web site, HYPERLINK http://www.beckmancoulter.com/sia. The fee for all attendees is $525. Symposium registration is open to anyone involved in molecular characterization extending from academia to drug discovery, drug development, and quality control. Participants may register by phone, fax, email, or through the web site. Inside the U.S.: Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]. Outside the U.S.: Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone].

Becton Dickinson Receives Two Patents

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently issued two new patents, 5,731,417 and 5,741,701, to Becton Dickinson Labware (Bedford, Massachusetts). These patents cover the cell culture substrate Fibrillar Collagen, the methods of producing the matrix, and its use in differentiating Caco-2 cells in 3 days vs. 21 days in vitro. The fibrillar collagen martix is used in BIOCOAT® Inserts and Environments and the BIOCOAT High Throughput Screening Caco-2 Assay System.

American Association for Clinical Chemistry Announces Conferences

AACC (Washington, D.C.) announces “Diabetes Disease Managementces—Oportunities for the Laboratory.” The one-day conference will be presented on Friday, October 16, 1998 at the Sheraton Newport Beach Hotel in Newport Beach, California. The speakers include David B. Bernard, M.D., Senior Medical Director for Health and Disease Management, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and William E. Winter, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. Other presenters include a medical director who specializes in disease management, a clinical director of a leading diabetes center, a leading information specialist, and experienced laboratorians. The program will cover:

▪ The role of benchmarking, clinical pathways, and outcomes in disease management

▪ How the clinical data repository and LIS can turn lab data into valuable information

▪ How to communicate that information to the client

▪ How a clinical diabetes program director views the laboratory's role in clinical and economic outcomes and disease management

▪ What technologies support diabetes disease management programs

▪ How a fellow laboratorian developed a successful diabetes management program

▪ How disease management can be your key to improved economics and quality

The advanced registration fee will be $199 for AACC members and $329 for nonmembers. After September 25, the registration fee will be $249 for AACC members and $379 for nonmembers. For press registration, contact Peggy Abbott at: Phone: [phone] ext.718, Fax: [phone] Email: HYPERLINK mail to: [e-mail]

AACC, in cooperation with Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), announces “Issues in Genetic Testing”, a comprehensive, two-day examination of all the legislative, regulatory, professional, and scientific issues involving genetic testing and how they affect the clinical laboratory field. The conference will be held November 3–4 at the Washington National Airport Hilton in Crystal City, VA. The speakers include federal regulators who will explain how they currently regulate such testing and what to expect in the near future. Key legislative staffers will explain the two bills currently being considered by Congress, and what effect each would have on genetic testing data. A review of ongoing research, and its clinical applications, will provide attendees with the latest in scientific developments. Conference participants will also hear about the ongoing Human Genome Project, its discoveries, what it expects to find in the future, and how its scientific breakthroughs are being applied to laboratory medicine. Leading experts will provide an understanding of the unique ethical and legal problems laboratories face in genetic testing. Laboratorians will impart how to effectively address ethical problems in genetic testing. Legal experts will explain the laboratory's responsibilities when performing such testing and how to prevent costly litigation. AACC and AMP have coordinated their programs so that the most up-to-date public policy and scientific information on genetic testing is available in one location. The AACC's Forum takes place the two days prior to the AMP annual meeting on November 5–7. The AMP annual meeting will focus primarily on the science of genetic testing. The advance registration fee for AACC members is $325, $465 for non-members. After October 26, the registration fee is $375 for members and $515 for non-members. To obtain a press registration, contact Peggy Abbott at 800-892-1400.

Zymark Releases Product Brochures and an Application Brief

Zymark (Hopkington, Massachusetts) has released a product brochure for: Twister, the Universal Microplate Handler. Twister functionality, features, and productivity enhancements are described with general references to the microplate instrument market. The list of available interfaces is on a separate piece of literature (TWB2), and is updated frequently. Domestically, Twister Direct interfaces are sold through the Inside Sales Group. The Developer's Twister is sold through the Drug Discovery Group. There are several different OEM Twister interfaces available through Zymark's respective partners.

Zymark has also released a new Dissolution Capabilities Brochure. This brochure highlights the MultiDose and the MultiDose Plus Worktations as productivity enhancing tools for fully automating Dissolution testing. The new literature piece discusses the most common reasons for implementing automation in pharmaceutical dosage form testing areas. An explanation of how the workstations help solve these specific problems is provided.

The application brief describes an automated solid phase method of Tricyclic Antidepressant Drugs from Serum. This methods uses Zymark's RapidTrace® SPE column. Treatment of the sample before and after the extraction is described, the automated steps of the extraction are outlined, and recovery data is shown.

To obtain more information on the brochures or the application brief, contact Sharon Correia: Phone: [phone] or Email: HYPERLINK mail to: [e-mail]

Cincinnati Industrial Automation, Ltd. Introduces New Family of Machine Visions Systems.

Cincinnati Industrial Automation, Ltd. (Covington, Kentucky) introduces its new EZ Vision™ family of machine vision products. EZ Vision™ is a general purpose machine vision system for inspections involving parts sorting, assembly verification, and on-line gauging and measurement. The complete system includes user friendly software, current PC technology, frame grabber board, I/O board, lights and camera. The operating system is either Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 (and soon Windows 98). On-site training, installation assistance, or turn-key installation is available. The system is applicable in a variety of industries, including automotives, electronics, semiconductor processing, food and beverage, healthcare, packaging and pharmaceuticals.

BIOCOM/San Diego Prints 1998 Public Policy Agenda

BIOCOM (San Diego, California) has prepared their 1998 Public Policy Agenda, as a summary of the major public policy concerns of the biomedical industry in the San Diego region. In the document, BIOCOM listed their 1998 Board of Directors and provided a brief agenda in response to federal, state, and regional issues. The federal issues included FDA reform, bioethics, national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants, patent protections, patent fees, federal research funding in the biomedical and related life sciences, opening foreign markets for bioengineered foods, EPA reform, pesticide registration, tort reform, and product liability. State and regional issues included workforce development, Ward Valley low-level radioactive waste disposal facility, financial incentives for R&D and manufacturing in California, standards for laboratories, water reliability, water infrastructure improvements, water reclamation and repurification in San Diego, infrastructure improvements Sorrento Valley flooding and access problems, airport service and expansion, and transportation infrastructure improvements. Specific questions regarding the Public Policy Agenda may be directed to Ann Randolph, Managing Director of BIOCOM/San Diego at: Phone: [phone] or Fax: [phone].

Universal Imaging Corporation Announces Three Software Upgrades

Universal Imaging Corporation (West Chester, Pennsylvania) announces upgrades of their three most popular software systems. Versions 3.5 of MetaMorph®, MetaFluor®, and MetaGFP™ allow scientists and industrial users to do advanced microscope automation, acquire and analyze fluorescent and transmitted light images, and find intra-cellular ion measurements using single wavelength or ratio imaging dyes.

One of the new features in MetaMorph® 3.5 is the Measure Grid function, which brings order to the millions of pixels that are regularly acquired from digital cameras and scanners. Measure Grid allows users to lay out an ordered array of circular or rectangular regions on an image and make measurements of intensity, signal to noise ratios, shape, size, and other parameters. It is designed to be used with gene chips, high-density libraries, elisa assays, multi-well plates or similar techniques in which data is arranged in a rectangular array or grid. Measure Grid can also be used to analyze dot blots, yeast mating crosses, or the distribution of a probe along a nerve axon. Other new features include Color Align, Branch on Object Measurement, Digital Auto-Focus, and Track Objects.

MetaFluor® is designed for single or dual wavelength intracellular ion measurements and is used in conjunction with fluorescent indicators such as fura2, fluo3, indol, and BCECF. Version 3.5 gives users the ability to acquire up to five wavelengths and generate two ratios. It offers four graphs for displaying measurement results, more efficient data storage, a simpler user interface to set experiment parameters, stream image acquisition of two wavelengths, and simplified control of digital cooled cameras.

MetaFluor 3.5 also has the capability to save image sequences as AVVI movie files.

MetaGFP™ 3.5 is the new version of Universal Imaging Corporation's software for acquisition and analysis of time based fluorescent and transmitted-light image sequences. New in MetaGFP is the ability to save color images as AVI movies. Another new feature is the use of distance calibrations in nanometers, microns, or millimeters. Calibrations can be measured from a calibration image of a stage micrometer or loaded in from file. Calibration bars can be stamped onto images or movies.

LabVantage Solutions Acquires SAP Certification

LabVantage Solutions (Bridgewater, New Jersey) announced July 6, 1998 that it has established SAP certification, which enables LVS to assist clients to link the laboratory with the enterprise. The SAP R/3 System manages all business functions and links related business tasks. With its extensive functionality and high level of integration, the R/3 System meets the full range of business requirements, including financial accounting and controlling, sales and distribution, materials management, production planning, and human resources management. LabVantage Solutions will offer certified SAP R/3 connectivity as an option for their industry-specific LIMS solutions.

Automated Clinical Laboratory Goes Live at Palmetto Baptist Medical Center

The new 2,000 square foot facility housing the new automated laboratory at Palmetto Baptist Medical Center (Columbia, South Carolina) is now in operation. Designed and developed by Roche Diagnostics/Boehringer Mannheim Corporation (Indianapolis, Indiana), in collaboration with the medical center, this automated laboratory streamlines and expedites specimen handling in the regional facility, which performs 1.3 million inpatient and outpatient tests annually. Known as CLAS™ (Clinical Laboratory Automation System), the Roche Diagnostics system maximizes testing and efficiency, while minimizing cost, biohazard threat, and specimen handling. This installation at Palmettop Baptist is the fourth in the United States and the first in the Southeast, according to Chris Demiris, Product Manager, Lab Automation at Roche Diagnostics.

IAI America Inc. Announces a New Linear Actuator

IAI America, Inc. (Torrance, California), announces Intelligent Actuator™'s new IS-T-X-S model as the latest addition to the companyís IS Series linear actuators. The IS-T-X-S is the smallest model in the series and was designed to address the need for a compact, high-performance actuator for use in short stroke, light-payload applications. The new actuator performs equally well as a part of an Intelligent Actuator™ multi-axis Cartesian Coordinate robot system, or in simpler single-axis systems. The actuator features a 60W AC servo motor with incremental optical encoder and ballscrew. As in all IS Series of actuator models, the ballscrew is also the motor shaft. This significantly reduces the overall length of the unit, allowing it to fit where other actuators can't. The unit can position loads of up to 22 pounds horizontally and 17.6 pounds vertically at speeds of up to 24 inches per second and with a repeatability factor of up to +/- 0.0008î. The unit is normally used together with the companyís line of SEL motion controllers.

Abbott and i-STAT Announce Long-term Strategic Alliance

Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, Illinois), and i-STAT Corporation (Princeton, New Jersey) announced, August 4, 1998, the signing of an agreement providing for a long-term sales, marketing and research alliance. The agreement calls for Abbott to assume sales and marketing responsibility for i-STATS's products Corporation (Princeton, New Jersey) announced, August 4, 1998, the signing of an agreement providing for a long-term sales, marketing and research alliance. The agreement calls for Abbott to assume saechnology. Abbott will take a minority equity position in i-STAT, acquiring 2,000,000 chares at $11.35 per share.

“Abbott gives i-STAT the marketing and distribution strength we need to realize the full potential of our technology,” says William P. Moffitt, president and chief executive officer of i-STAT. This alliance will also help us achieve the economics we need to maximize the efficiency of our production process, making our products even more cost efficient.”

The i-STAT system consists of a hand-held analyzer and a series of single-use disposable cartridges, which use i-STAT's innovative biosensor technology to perform specific combinations of commonly ordered blood tests. The system uses a simple one-step procedure, producing results in two minutes or less. An infrared transmitter within the analyzer allows easy communication of test data to the health care provider's main information system. By providing accurate and reliable blood test results more quickly and more simply than most advanced laboratory equipment, the i-STAT system allows for faster treatment decisions, more efficient medicine, and ultimately, better outcomes for the patient.

Abbott expects that it will be able to continue the successful growth of i-STAT's products by building upon the increasingly strong position of the company's MediSense subsidiary in point-of-care testing. MediSense manufactures and markets blood glucose monitoring and data management products. Blood glucose testing is the single largest segment of the point-of-care testing market. “This alliance gives Abbott the opportunity to offer our customers a total solution for point-of-care testing of glucose, blood gases and electrolytes,” says Thomas D. Brown, Abbott senior vice president, diagnostic operations. “By combining the testing and data management capabilities of the MediSense and i-STAT products, hospitals will be able to integrate point-of-care test results in a single data network.” This will provide faster data availability, better quality control, improved staff and patient management and more effective billing.