Laboratory Focus February/March 2018

Pharmaceutical

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Clinical

Chemical

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Advanced air controls help ensure safe air in laboratories Page 7

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February/March 2018 Volume 22, Number 1

Three Industrial Revolutions Coming from Speedy, Cheap Genome Technology Page 13

R&D News.................. 1 Appointments............. 6 New Products........... 16 App Reviews.............. 18

eSight named one of the best inventions in 2017 by giving the gift of sight

eSight will work on individuals with low vision, and who are legally blind. People who are legally blind have an acuity of 20/200 or poorer in their better eye. Low vision is another term often used, referring to people who have an acuity of 20/70 or poorer in their better eye. The eyes are very complex organs and there are many eye conditions that can cause blindness or low vision.

The company has seen tremendous amounts of interest from companies wishing to help their blind employees to schools wanting to give the gift of sight to students. Time magazine has aptly named eSight for being one of the best inventions in 2017.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/ esight-named-one-of-the-bestinventions-in-2017-by-givingthe-gift-of-sight/

Time magazine has named eSight one of the best inventions in 2017. After years of challenging work, and millions of dollars, the company was able to develop electronic glasses that actually allowed the blind to see. Inspired by his two blind sisters, the founder had decided to use his engineering skills to find a solution they could live with.

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The organization believes that everyone deserves to see. This technology has the capability of changing millions of individual lives across the world. It will allow for mobility and freedom and for each person to experience those momentous moments when they can see their loved ones faces, their peers, and a whole new way to virtually see life.

Ontario awards grants to bring quality healthcare closer to home Ontario is contributing 12 new projects grants through the Health Technologies Fund to bring quality help closer to home. The fund is there to support the development of Ontario-based technologies that improve care for people, boosts the impact of investments in health innovation and grow health innovation companies.

The twelve grants that were awarded were in the ballpark of $294,000 to $500,000 each total-

ing $5.5 million. The new projects will include a portable device that detects brain bleeds in traumatic brain injury patients; a platform that allows people with upper body mobility injuries to access smart devices, computers, wheelchair driving controls and more; and a new digital tool that will shorten the time patients need to spend in the hospital following heart surgery by Continued on page 3

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February/March 2018 Laboratory Focus www.laboratoryfocus.ca

news uOttawa opens an interactive research lab inside a museum The University of Ottawa is now conducting a new experiment – but inside a museum.

Developmental psychologists and linguists are studying how language and cognition develop from infancy to school age at the country’s

second “Living Lab”.

The state-of-the-art UOttawa Living Lab opened in late 2017 and is connected to the children’s gallery at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. Families can walk right in and participate

in short games, puzzles, or problem-solving tasks with the researchers.

The greeting room consists of a large glassed-in area where interesting facts about child development are shared on a large flat-screen. This

space leads to three testing rooms where UOttawa professors pursue their research with the help of senior undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.

This is the largest living lab in Continued on page 3

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news Ontario awards grants Continued from page 1 providing high-quality monitoring from home.

The $20-million Health Technologies Fund is developed and funded by the Office of the Chief Health Innovation Strategist (OCHIS) and administered by the Ontario Centres of Excellence. This is the second round of Health Technologies Fund investments by Ontario this year.

The 2017-18 grants are focused on market-ready projects that were selected for their potential to improve patient outcomes and bring value to the healthcare system.

Investing in innovative health technologies that help patients receive care closer to home is part of Ontario’s plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The

Research lab inside a museum Continued from page 2

Professor Chris Fennell with child (Photo Credit: University of Ottawa) Canada, and the second built after the University of British Columbia.

Research in a museum is a relatively new concept. It began back in 2005 when researchers at Harvard University and MIT began collaborating with the Museum of Science in Boston to undertake studies on cognitive development.

The living lab model is ideal for quick research projects because they can be conducted in a public setting with people who are already expressing an interest in science. It results in gathering variable data during short interactions that will not incur taking time away from families. As the lab progresses, more researchers will be inducted into the facility.

Before the opening of the new lab, the researchers were engrossed in a two-year pilot project at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum to test how a permanent living lab would work and fine-tune studies.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/uottawaopens-an-interactive-research-labinside-a-museum/

“Ontario has a wealth of innovators looking to connect with clinicians and patients to find new ways of delivering better care, closer to home,” says William Charnetski, chief health innovation strategist for Ontario. “The job of my office and the purpose of the Health Technologies Fund is to help spark that demand-driven innovation and get it embedded into our health system quickly. The fund is part of our value-based innovation framework that has three clear goals: improve patient outcomes, optimize the impact of our investment in health innovation and scale promising Ontario companies.” plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable

child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of Medicare in a generation.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/ontario-awards-grants-to-bring-qualityhealthcare-closer-to-home/

Artificial intelligence researchers discover a new way to discern medical images A team of artificial intelligence researchers has developed a new deep-learning method to identify and segment tumours in medical images.

This software makes it possible to automatically analyze several medical imaging modalities. Through a supervised learning process from labeled data inspired by the functioning of the neurons of the brain, it automatically identifies liver tumours, delineates the contours of the prostate for radiation therapy or makes it possible to count the number of cells at the microscopic level with precision.

“We have developed software that could be added to visualization tools to help doctors perform advanced analyses of different medical imaging modalities,” explains Samuel Kadoury, a researcher at the CRCHUM, professor at Polytechnique Montréal and the study’s senior author. “The algorithm makes it possible to automate pre-processing detection and segmentation

(delineation) tasks of images, which are currently not done because they are too time-consuming for human beings. Our model is very versatile – it works for CT liver scan images, magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the prostate and electronic microscopic images of cells.”

When a patient has a CT scan, the image will have to be standardized and normalized before being read by the radiologist. It takes an expert eye to quickly and confidently determine what the images represent. And perhaps, a little bit of magic.

The researchers came up with the idea of combining neural networks to create image segmentation. A neural network being a complex series of computer operations that allows the computer to learn by itself, feeding it a massive number of examples.

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) work a little like the human visual cortex by stacking several layers of input

to then process and produce an output result – an image. There are several types of neural networks, all structured slightly differently. The researchers then combined two neural networks: a fully convolutional network (FCN) and a fully convolutional residual network (FC-ResNet) to create an algorithm that will discover lesions by itself.

The researchers compared their results of their algorithm with the results of other algorithms to conclude that theirs compares on the same level, or better than the ones previously obtained. The versatility of this new algorithm could make it possible to train it for different pathologies such as lung or brain cancer. Training an algorithm is a very long process, but, once trained, this model could analyze images in fractions of seconds and reach a performance level in detection and classification comparable to that of human beings. Researchers, however, think it will still be many years till AI will fluidly be at work in hospital settings.

Despite AI possibly being many years yet from fully coming to fruition, the advancements are allowing researchers to perform tasks at a speed that can not be done by a human. We are coming into an age of remarkable possibilities – and this new method of deep learning only demonstrates that further.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/artificialintelligence-researchers-discovernew-way-discern-medical-images/

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news

Knowing when a plant is stressed could make all the difference Determining what a plant needs at precisely the right time is critical when a plant’s health is stressed through lack of nutrients or by weeds; but how can farmers know when the right time is?

This Grain Farmers of Ontario research project, led by Dr. Clarence Swanton, of the University of Guelph, and the University of Waterloo’s Dr. Roydon Fraser, has shown that a corn plant’s leaf temperature can tell you whether that plant is healthy or not – and do so before the problem is readily visible.

Supported by funding from Growing Forward 2, both Swanton and Fraser have been working on a prototype sensor for corn that can rapidly detect changes in leaf surface temperatures.

This will help farmers identify and respond to plant stress like nitrogen

deficiency or weed competition quickly and accurately, and often before any visual evidence of stress, like yellowing leaves, becomes apparent.

There were four controlled environment trials using corn that were completed in the University of Guelph greenhouse which let the researchers

control inputs like water and nitrogen.

There were also three outdoor field trials conducted, two in Woodstock and one in Elora.

Swanton and Fraser observed that healthier plants had cooler temperatures during the day compared to plants lacking nitrogen or fighting weeds, especially when comparing

Possible “4D” printing approach arrives small molecules like water or drugs to be transported in the body and released.

The engineers have learned to control how much the hydrogel will shrink and grow. If temperatures sink below 32 degrees Celsius (about 90 degrees Fahrenheit), the hydrogel will absorb more water and swell in size.

Meanwhile temperatures that exceed Chess piece 3D printed with hydrogel (Credit: Daehoon Han/ Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick)

Engineers from Rutgers University have invented a “4D printing” method for a smart gel that could lead to the development of “living” structures in human organs and tissues, soft robots and targeted drug delivery.

“The 4D printing approach here involves printing a 3D object with a hydrogel (water-containing gel) that changes shape over time when temperatures change,” says Howon Lee, senior author of a new study and assistant professor in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Rutgers University.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, demonstrates that a fast, scalable, high-resolution 3D printing of hydrogels will remain solid and retain their shape despite containing water.

Examples of hydrogels in modern life include Jell-O, contact lenses, diapers and the human body.

Engineers at Rutgers and the New Jersey Institute of Technology have been working with a hydrogel that has been used for decades in devices that generate motion and biomedical applications such as scaffolds for cells to grow on. This hydrogel manufacturing has traditionally relied heavily on conventional, two-dimensional methods such as molding and lithography.

In the study, the engineers used a lithography-based technique that’s fast, inexpensive and can print a wide range of materials into a 3D shape. It involves printing layers of a special resin to build a 3D object. The resin consists of the hydrogel, a chemical that acts as a binder, and another chemical facilitates bonding when light hits it with a dye that controls light penetration. The smart gel could provide structural rigidity in organs such as the lungs, and can contain

low and high nitrogen rates. The results were less clear with nitrogen rates in the middle of the dose range.

More research will be needed to establish what is causing that variability.

If growers were able to recognize stressed plants early, they could target applications of nitrogen or crop protection materials more precisely and rapidly. This would ensure that they’re only used where and in the quantities they’re needed – a benefit for both the environment and growers looking to manage costs.

Funding for this project was provided by Growing Forward 2 (GF2) a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists with the delivery of GF2 programming in Ontario.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/knowingwhen-a-plant-is-stressed-couldmake-all-the-difference/ 32 degrees Celsius will begin to expel water and shrink the hydrogel. Thus far, the objects the researchers have been able to create within the hydrogel range from the width of a human hair to several millimeters long. They have also discovered that they can control the motion of these objects by interceding with the temperature.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/possible-4d-printing-approach-arrives/

Anandia Labs announces the closing of a $13.4-M privateplacement financing

Anandia Laboratories Inc. announces that it has closed a private placement financing of common shares of CAD$13.4 million at a postmoney valuation of CAD$63 million.

Lead investors in the financing were Green Acre Capital and York Plains Investment Corp.

Anandia Labs is making a name for itself as a cannabis analytics, testing and genetics company.

They are one of 33 Health Canadaissued Dealers Licenses, that will cultivate, extract, test, import and export cannabis in any form. The company also uses genomics and modern plant breeding technologies to develop advanced products and next-generation cannabis varieties.

Anandia Labs has approximately a 20 per cent market share under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR). The

company operates out of a 5,400 square foot facility in Vancouver, British Columbia and has plans to construct a 40,000 square foot purpose-built cannabis innovation centre in British Columbia during 2018. The financing will fund the land purchase and construction of the initial phase of Anandia Labs’ Cannabis Innovation Centre, including a 20,000 square foot R&D cultivation facility and a 20,000 square foot building to house tissue culture and extraction infrastructure, including the equipment required for its breeding, laboratory analysis and commercial scale extraction activities.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/anandia-labs-announces-the-closingof-a-13-4-m-private-placementfinancing/

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news

Quebec company makes a breakthrough in food preparation Reaping the fruit of the last fifteen years, a company out of Quebec develops the first Health Canada approved solution for Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) to protect fish, and ultimately the human consumer.

Fumoir Grizzly with partners Université Laval and Merinov announce the development completion of the M35 bacteriocin, which they have named BAC M35.

This bioingredient will be integrated into Grizzly’s production chain and hopes that this will open the door to eradicate the risk of Listeria contamination all over the world.

The M35 bacteriocin is an alternative to traditional microbiological barriers and contains less salt and fewer chemical additives. This bacterial culture is analogous to probiotics, is sourced from a bioingredient naturally present in marine environments and is deemed safe for human health. BAC

M35 protects fish for 21 days at 4 °C without affecting taste or nutritional content. Ensuring healthier fresh food, BAC M35 is natural, remains effective even in varying temperatures and is not harmful to the environment.

Currently, there is no equivalent

currently known anywhere in the world for BAC M35. Fumoir Grizzly intends to market this bacteriocyte internationally. Patent requests have been submitted in the United States and are in progress for Europe. The company plans on first targeting

markets where fish is plentiful, such as Chili, Alaska, and Norway. Fumoir Grizzly is also working on the development and improvement of BAC M35 for use with other foods, including fruits and vegetables, cheeses, beef and deli meats.

Fumoir Grizzly promises fish of uncompromising natural quality, without added chemicals and salt after the application of BAC M35. This bacteriocin has become a game changer and will keep many consumers out of hospitals from Listeria. Every year in Canada there are roughly 178 cases of Listeria infection that cause over 150 hospitalizations and 35 deaths; not to leave out the immense financial burden on the economy that is estimated around $240 million annually.

This is indeed a breakthrough in food preparation and a tasty one at that.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/quebeccompany-makes-a-breakthrough-infood-preparation/

Precision NanoSystems extends nanomedicine platform with BIDMC Delivra and Intervivo Solutions collaborate to market an anti-anxiety topical cream Hamilton-based corporation, Delivra, announces that they have signed a joint venture agreement using Delivra’s topical therapeutic platform.

This topical base cream can house hundreds of molecules that can be used for human and animal health sectors.

Under the agreement, Delivra and Intervivo Solutions have developed a therapeutic topical cream for sleep, anxiety and separation anxiety for companion animals, as well as transdermal delivery of therapeutics for osteoarthritic pain. Delivra’s expertise in formulation using its innovative delivery system platform combined with Intervivo’s success in demonstrating pharmacokinetic, safety and efficacy data in clinically relevant canine and feline models provides a unique platform for rapid development of transdermal commercial products for the veterinary market. The Humane

Society reported in 2016 that 30-40 per cent of relinquished pets are given up due to behaviour problems such as anxiety.

Delivra Corp. is a specialty biotechnology company that has a proprietary transdermal delivery system platform that can shuttle pharmaceutical and natural molecules through the skin, in a targeted specific manner. Delivra manufactures and sells a growing line of natural topical creams with the proprietary transdermal delivery system platform under the LivRelief brand, for conditions such as joint and muscle pain, nerve pain, varicose veins, wound healing, and under the LivSport brand for sports performance.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/delivraand-intervivo-solutions-collaborateto-market-an-anti-anxiety-topicalcream/

Precision NanoSystems provides the NanoAssemblr technology in collaboration with The Cancer Centre at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at their recently opened Non-Coding RNA Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Core Facility. This new state-of-the-art facility is devoted to the study of noncoding RNAs, which play a pivotal role in regulating gene expression and are key to understanding, detecting, and treating disease. NanoAssemblr technology plays will aid in overcoming challenges that are presented with gene-delivery nanoparticles for research and drug development.

“An important consideration for providing the NanoAssemblr Platform is the critical role the ncRNA Core Facility is poised to play in the revolution of Personalized Medicine.

Nanomedicines are clinically validated for delivering nucleic acids to the site of disease, which overcomes a crucial technological challenge in ncRNA research and genetic medicine development,” says Euan Ramsay, COO and co-founder, Precision Nanosystems.

“Additionally, the Facility’s accessibility to other major academic institutions and the pharma community in the Boston/Cambridge area furthers our goal to lead the charge in providing

an accessible solution for the discovery and development of molecularly tailored and targeted medicines and aligns with PNI’s philosophy of advancing Personalized Medicine.”

Speeding up the discovery, development, and manufacturing of nanomedicine are some of the aims of this technology and improving treatments for patients with the acceleration of the development of personalized therapies.

The NanoAssemblr platform consists of three instruments that will collaboratively support each stage of the drug discovery and development process. The NanoAssemblr Spark produces microlitre volumes of nanomedicines for discovery research; the NanoAssemblr Benchtop manufactures 1 – 15 mL of nanomedicine formulations per run for pre-clinical nanomedicine development and optimization; the NanoAssemblr Blaze can manufacture up to 1 L of nanomedicines, which allows pre-clinical testing of the nanomedicines in a disease model.

To see this story online visit https://laboratoryfocus.ca/precision-nanosystems-extends-nanomedicine-platform-with-bidmc/

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Appointments

Altasciences Clinical Research, a full-service provider focused on early stage clinical research with over twenty-five years of experience, announces the addition of Dr. Gaetano Morelli to the Altasciences family. Morelli has over two decades of experience in clinical research, phases I to III, as a principal investigator and medical director. He is the director of gastroenterology/endoscopy at St. Mary’s Hospital, McGill University, in Montreal, Canada, and maintains both private and academic GI practices in the area.

Sequence Bio announces the appointment of Dr. Michael S. Phillips as its new Chief Scientific Officer. The emerging data-driven biotechnology company is based in Newfoundland and Labrador.

He comes equipped with over 25 years of experience in large-scale genomic projects, drug target discovery, and leading research teams. His most recent post was

Dr. Michael S. Phillips

VP Genomics at Genomics Medicine Ireland. Michael has extensive expertise leading large research groups in Academia, Biotech, Pharma and Hospital settings for drug target discovery, biomarker research, clinical diagnostics, and technology development. His positions include roles at Merck & Co., Orchid BioSciences, Génome Québec, Université de Montréal, Montreal Heart Institute and Centre Hospitalier de L’Université de Montréal (CHUM) Research Centre.

His role as the chief scientific officer will entail leading scientific development projects and genomic and precision medicine research for Sequence Bio. Specifically, he will be focusing on the NL Genome Project – a proposed large-scale genome sequencing project in the Newfoundland and Labrador genetic isolate founder population to drive novel therapeutic discovery and development.

Dr. Bev Holmes

The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Board has announced after an executive search process, Dr. Bev Holmes, has been appointed to president and CEO. With an eight year history in the company, Bev is ideally suited for this position and will continue to help it grow. Bev brings a wealth of experience in health research, practice and policy to this role. Since joining the Foundation in 2010, her commitment to integrating these disciplines has seen her lead the Foundation through the launch of a new suite of funding programs that focus on developing, retaining, and recruiting BC health research talent and support addressing health system priorities.

She has served as interim president and CEO of the Foundation since early 2017.

Astellas Pharma announced that Nate Crisel has been promoted to vice president, Real World Informatics and Analytics (RWI). He will be reporting to chief financial officer, Chikashi Takeda. Crisel will continue to be responsible for overseeing the RWI division, a central function accountable for expanding efficient, effective and compliant use of healthcare data across the entire Astellas value chain. Prior to joining Astellas in 2008, Crisel served as an analytical chemist

Nate Crisel

and pharmaceutical development project manager at Eli Lilly and Company. After Eli Lilly, he held roles ranging from business development and executive leadership at biotech start-ups, including Embedded Concepts, LLC, and Tracera, LLC. Crisel received a Master of Business Administration in finance and entrepreneurship from Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Indiana University.

Invictus MD Strategies Corp. has announced the appointment of Dylan Easterbrook as chief financial officer. Easterbrook is a seasoned accounting and financial professional, who most recently was controller of a publicly traded global fibre optic connectivity solution provider. Prior to that role he was with Ernst & Young, one of the largest professional services firms in the world where he led audit engagements for both public and privately held companies from a variety of industries, including the emerging markets. Dylan is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences degree

Dr. Tyler Wish as a pharmaceutical product and to enhance its efficacy and safety across multiple patient populations. He is a trained clinical and molecular epidemiologist, as well as an accomplished entrepreneur and life-science executive who was recently recognized and appointed as 1 of 10 “Canadian Innovation Leaders” by the Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. Prior to joining NAC, Tyler was a founder and the chief executive officer of Sequence Bio, a privately-held biotechnology company that lead a large-scale human genome sequencing initiative designed to support genetic-driven drug discovery and precision medicine.

Nuvo Pharmaceutical promotes Jesse Ledger internally, adding the role of chief executive officer to his current title of president.

Dylan Easterbrook from the University of British Columbia. “We are excited about Dylan’s appointment as he brings solid experience and capabilities that match our needs as we continue to develop,” said Dan Kriznic, chairman & CEO, of Invictus MD. “The timing is ideal as we continue to execute on an aggressive development strategy aimed at creating Canada’s Cannabis Company.”

National Access Cannabis Corp., announced that Dr. Tyler Wish has joined the company to establish and lead its research and development division. In this executive role, Wish will be responsible for furthering the company’s efforts to advance knowledge of medicinal cannabis

Jesse Ledger Jesse assumes this role from John London, who is now the executive chairman of the Mississauga based company. Ledger has over 15 years of pharmaceutical experience with a proven expertise in business development. Prior to joining Nuvo in April of 2015, he was vice-president of business development and international Business at Tribute Pharmaceuticals Canada. Ledger holds an honours bachelor of business administration degree from Trent University.

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B y D ave R a us c h

Breathe Deep!

Advanced air controls help ensure safe air in laboratories When did you last read a material safety data sheet in detail?

A critical part of ensuring safe lab procedures, the writing in these documents typically manages to be both dry, yet extremely frightening at the same time. Whether from chemical or pathological agents, the range of hazards discussed in material safety data sheets often involve airborne dangers to lab workers.

Regardless of the type of lab you work in – testing, university research, healthcare or manufacturing – ensuring safe air is crucial to avoid health impacts ranging from mild irritation to severe long-term damage and even death. Airflow controls have advanced rapidly in recent years, with specialty venturi valves and digital controls that may eliminate the spread of toxic fumes and pathogens, while reducing maintenance costs and conserving energy – in both positive, negative and switchable pressure environments.

The number of workers who are potentially exposed to airborne haz-

ards is substantial. Just one subset of Canadian laboratories – testing labs – employs about 20,000 people in an estimated 2,700 facilities throughout the country, according to the Canadian Council of Independent Laboratories.

Airborne hazards in brief Health & Safety Ontario’s “Laboratory Safety” sheet summarizes the various health and safety hazards from chemical and biological agents. The airborne dangers they list include both short and long-term health effects, such as: • Respiratory system damage from inhaling toxic chemicals • Irritation from acids and bases • Asphyxia from cryogenic chemicals • Infection and disease from viruses, bacteria and fungi The University of Texas at Austin’s Environmental Health & Safety Department goes a step farther in spec-

ifying potential airborne hazards in labs. These include various compressed gases: • Poisonous (chlorine, carbon monoxide) • Reactive (ammonia, boron trichloride) • Flammable (acetylene, ethylene) • Inert (nitrogen, argon) While the university describes the first three types of gases as being of “particular concern,” it explains that inert compressed gases also pose danger since they can cause asphyxia by displacing oxygen from confined spaces.

Specific hazards often present in hospital and biomedical research laboratories include toxic fumes from pharmaceuticals (such as cancer chemotherapy drugs – “antineoplastics”) and solvents for staining and processing tissues in pathology labs to help determine proper diagnoses for patients.

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feature Notably, the airflow controls must provide negative pressure to contain pathogens in labs where such biohazards are present, while positive pressure is crucial in settings where the sterility of the lab is paramount.

Clearing the air One of the most essential components of laboratory safety is the facility’s engineering controls. “These types of controls are preferred over all others because they make permanent changes that reduce exposure to hazards and do not rely on worker behavior,” notes the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

To clear airborne hazards in laboratories, the engineering controls must fulfill multiple functions, including ensuring adequate ventilation and air exchange rates; filtering

airborne contaminants; and maintaining appropriate pressure relationships between the laboratory and adjacent interior and exterior spaces.

Notably, the airflow controls must provide negative pressure to contain pathogens in labs where such biohazards are present, while positive pressure is crucial in settings where the sterility of the lab is paramount.

Many laboratory workers are familiar with fume hoods, which exhaust airborne hazards from their immediate work area. Less visible are the room-level air handling sys-

Tenting process for environmental protection during VAV sensor cleaning can disrupt work flows in labs. Credit: Abatement Technologies, Inc.

Venturi valves help ensure safe, energy-efficient airflow in laboratories and other critical .environments. Credit: Phoenix Controls

tems that transport exhaust fumes outside the building and also ensure appropriate ventilation of the entire lab.

If you work in an older building, it is a safe bet that hidden in the ceiling are many units known as variable air volume (VAV) terminal units/boxes.

Used in commercial and institutional buildings around the world, VAVs boxes are calibrated air dampers to control temperature and humidity into a designated space, and are still common in new labs being constructed today.

The basic operation of a VAV box involves temperature, pressure and sometimes occupancy sensors within a space sending signals to the VAV box controller. Within the VAV box an electric actuator positions a butterfly damper to control the volume of air passing into a space from the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. But, a number of manufacturers offer a higher performance alternative known as a

venturi valve, which provides labs with quicker, more flexible, repeatable and accurate airflow control.

Venturi valves do not require any scheduled maintenance and offer higher airflow turndowns, resulting in more room state pressurization flexibility, lower energy use and reduced maintenance – for operational cost savings.

Advanced airflow control with venturi valves Venturi valves operate based on the Venturi effect, a fluid mechanical principal named after the famed Italian physicist. The body of the valve is a tube with a constricted neck, for an overall hourglass-like shape. A cone assembly inside the valve responds immediately to changes in air pressure in the HVAC ducting, automatically adjusting to pressure changes.

Leaving aside a lengthy discussion of the physics of fluid dynamics and valve operation, this configuration provides a number of benefits in labs,

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feature offset between supply and total exhaust to ensure directional pressure in the space.

Higher turndown ratios mean the device has a wider range over which it can accurately provide the correct airflow. With this improved accuracy, labs can better manage ventilation and maintain air pressure relationships for worker safety and research/ testing/production integrity, regardless of room state (occupied, unoccupied or purge condition).

Cost savings

VAV terminal box sensor fouling due to build-up of lint.

Credit: Phoenix Controls as described below. (To see a demonstration of the inner workings of a venturi valve, many videos are available on YouTube, such as this one posted by HVAC consultant Belnor Engineering: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=_7uhkeRNO-c).

Compared to traditional VAV boxes, venturi valves provide high accuracy airflow control due to: • High speed of response, to both duct pressure and flow setpoint changes which cannot be matched by valves requiring flow measurement (e.g., VAV boxes and other alternatives) due to inherent signal latency between the flow sensor, controller and actuator.

• Mechanical pressure independence

instantly maintains flow, even with constant changes in static pressure, so that a stable, reliable amount of directional airflow is not compromised. No movement of the actuator is needed, thereby extending the life of the entire assembly.

• Factory characterized flow metering technology that provides higher turn-downs to achieve a number of stable, accurate room pressure states. The cone assembly quickly moves into position to achieve the flow set point vs having to measure and find its position.

• Volumetric offset guarantees directional airflow. Zone balance controls for some venturi valves track each other, maintaining a design

While worker safety is paramount when choosing laboratory airflow controls, many lab operators also select venturi valves for the operational cost savings they provide. Energy savings are based on cost reductions due to better management of conditioned exhaust. Operational savings result from no scheduled maintenance, as venturi valves do not use pressure transducers to measure flow.

Energy savings To reduce energy consumption in a ventilation system, it is important to consider air flow. For example, to flow 1,000 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air into a space, the facility designers could specify a 10-inch VAV terminal box or a 10-inch venturi valve. Based on the physics underlying the two valve types, a venturi valve can accurately exhaust as little as 50 CFM, compared to a minimum 250 CFM required from a VAV terminal box. Because a lab typically requires dozens of air control devices or more (depending on its size), and it costs a handful of dollars to vent

each CFM, the energy cost difference between venturi valves and VAVs is substantial.

Reduced maintenance In addition to higher-than-necessary energy consumption costs, a traditional airflow control system using VAVs incurs high maintenance costs.

If not properly maintained, the valve will not function as designed and can result in poor airflow control that reduces lab worker safety.

In its discussion of maintenance of lab systems, Health & Safety Ontario’s “Laboratory Safety” sheet notes the importance of “regular inspection and testing for airflow (proper velocities and volumes), duct work (free of corrosion, leaks and dents), and fans (working properly).” Regular maintenance of VAVs is crucial, as the valves’ butterfly dampers are susceptible to gathering lint and dust. In a facility with 500 traditional VAV terminal boxes, annual cleaning costs are on the order of $50,000 - $100,000. The design of venturi valves obviates this problem and the cost and hassle of regular cleaning.

Conclusion You do not need to be an airflow control expert to play a role in ensuring that plans for lab construction – whether for a new building or a refurbished building – adequately address air safety. With the basic knowledge of airborne hazards and airflow controls discussed above, you have a starting point to ask the facility designers some intelligent questions to help ensure safe air for you and your lab colleagues.

The number of workers who are potentially exposed to airborne hazards is substantial.

Dave Rausch is the market manager for Phoenix Controls. He has more than 20 years of experience in the building industry, including engineering and product management roles in airflow controls and fire suppression systems. drausch@phoenixcontrols.com

To see this story online visit https://laboratory focus.ca/breate-deepadvanced-air-controls-helpensure-safe-air-in-laboratories/

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Feature

B y Prof ess or Pa lw ind er Sing h and Dr . Manpreet Sing h Bhat ti

Design of Experiments Improves Peptide Bond Yield from 20% to 76%

L

iving matter is primarily made of proteins, so understanding how nonliving matter can form proteins is critical to understanding how life emerged. The peptide bond, which is formed when the carboxyl group of one molecule reacts with the amino group of another molecule, releasing water, is the basic building block of proteins.

In all of today’s living cells, the ribosome, a large and complex molecular machine, serves as the site of biological protein synthesis. But, as life was emerging peptides had to be synthesized in a much simpler way. Researchers demonstrated decades ago that amino acids can be formed natu-

rally in conditions believed to have existed on earth when life was emerging and they have long tried to gain a better understanding of what conditions might be conducive to the formation of simple peptides. Peptide bond formation also has many important applications in pharmaceutical research and manufacturing since certain peptides have been shown to be effective in treating cancer, diabetes, infections and other diseases.

Studying peptide bond formation Researchers Professor Palwinder Singh, organic chemist, and Dr. Manpreet Bhatti, environmental engineer, at Guru Nanak Dev University, Am-

ritsar, India, recently worked to finetune the conditions that best promote peptide bond formation in an uncatalyzed aqueous phase reaction. In their first series of experiments, reaction of an equimolar solution of the amino acids (His) and proline (Pro) in solution in acetonitrile-water was studied as a function of temperature, pH, reaction time and concentration. The four factors of interest were varied one at a time while the yield was subjected to high-resolution mass spectroscopy to quantify the peptide bond formation by measuring the amount of the peptides Pro-His dipeptide, diketopiperazine 2, diketopiperazine 3, and tripeptide 4. However, it was difficult to optimize the conditions

The optimized reaction was used to achieve sequence-specific and non-racemized synthesis of a tetrapeptide and pentapeptide at high yields.

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Feature for the best yield of the dipeptide because the formation of diketopiperazine impedes the quantification of the formation of other peptides.

The researchers changed their approach to using aqueous solutions of Carbobenzoxy derivatized valine (NCbz-Val) and Glycylglycine methyl ester hydrochloride (Gly(OMe)-HCl) which prevents the formation of diketopiperazine. Gly(OMe) was used in place of glycine for easy isolation of the dipeptide methyl ester from the aqueous solution. However, glycine worked equally well for peptide bond formation. The one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach was again used to investigate the effects of temperature, pH, reaction concentration and reaction time on yield. Over 75 runs, the reaction temperature ranged from 60oC to 120oC, the pH was varied from 3 to 10, the reaction time was between 30 and 300 minutes and the concentration ranged from 0.94 to 4.7M. Over 75 runs, the highest yield of peptides was 20%.

Interactions between factors “We felt that we should be able to obtain a better yield than this,” said Dr. Manpreet Bhatti, Assistant Professor in the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences at Guru Nanak Dev University. “I had a hunch that one or more interac-

tions between variables might be playing a role that was obscured by the OFAT method. A major problem with studying one factor at a time is that you cannot detect interactions between factors. By varying an individual factor you can find the optimal value of each one with all the others held constant. However, when you combine the supposedly-optimized values of each factor the results are often far less than optimal because of the ways that they interact with each other.”

“Design of experiments provides a better approach that varies the values of all factors in parallel so it uncovers not just the main effects of each factor but also the interactions between the factors,” Bhatti added.

“This approach makes it possible to identify the optimal values for all factors in combination and also requires far fewer experimental runs than one factor at a time.” Bhatti used DesignExpert® software from Stat-Ease, Inc. to develop a highly-fractionated twolevel factorial screening experiment that evaluated 4 variables at a time, called a resolution IV design. The experiment required 10 runs to explore the design space, including investigating and evaluating the main effects of each factor as well as the two-factor interactions.

“However, when you combine the supposedly-optimized values of each factor the results are often far less than optimal because of the ways that they interact with each other.”

Designing the experiment Bhatti used a Design-Expert template to create an experimental design that requires the minimum runs needed for screening at this level of resolution. “We selected Design-Expert software because it is relatively easy to use compared to other statistical soft-

Figure 1

Fractional factorial design showing four independent variables along with actual and predicted yield. The design is shown in standard order for illustration purposes, but was actually run in random order as shown in the Run column.

ware. Design-Expert walks the user through the process of creating a designed experiment. The user simply enters the factors and selects the type of design that fits his or her needs. The software provides feedback on the design, such as the number of runs required and the effects resolution. This makes it easy to quickly evaluate the pros and cons of different designs.”

As shown in Figure 1, the factors in the experiment were reaction temperature (90˚ to 120˚C), pH (5 to 7) reaction time (180 to 360 minutes) and concentration of reactants (2.5 M to 5.0M)). A maximum yield of 74% of NCbz-Val-Gly(OMe) was obtained with a reaction temperature of 120˚C, a pH of 5, a reaction time of 360 min and a reactant concentration of 2.5 M. Figure 2, shows the data analyzed by the Pareto chart which indicates a strong interaction of pH and temperature that had been masked in the one-factor-at-a-time experiment. The two-dimensional contour plot shown in Figure 3 further shows that the effect of temperature depends dramatically on the pH, which is the key to optimizing the reaction.

The results also showed a single peak in the chromatogram indicating a lack of racemization under the optimized reaction conditions. Racemization refers to the conversion of an enantiomerically pure compound (one where only one enantiomer is present) into a mixture of the enantiomers. A lack of racemization is valuable in pharmaceutical manufacturing applications because it eliminates the need for a subsequent operation to separate the enantiomers.

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feature a conventional method. These results were used to develop a synthetic protocol for production of peptides. The practicability of the method was also verified by synthesizing a pentapeptide. Starting with N-Cbz-Gly, the stepwise addition of Pro, Val, Ala and Ile resulted in the formation of a pentapeptide with a 55% overall yield.

In conclusion, DOE was used to demonstrate that temperature and pH function synergistically in the process of peptide bond formation. The optimized reaction was used to achieve sequence-specific and non-racemized synthesis of a tetrapeptide and pentapeptide at high yields. This is believed to be the first published report of constructing sequence-specific peptides in a noncatalyzed reaction. Besides demonstrating a possible pathway for the creation of proteins from nonliving matter, it may also prove to be an economical method for commercial peptide synthesis.

Figure 2

Pareto chart showing the significant process variables.

Figure 2

Palwinder Singh is Professor, Department of Chemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University

Dr. Bhatti’s is Assistant Professor, Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University

Two-dimensional contour plot showing the effect of temperature and pH on compound yield.

Building up the peptide chain The optimized reaction conditions were used to produce a number of NCbz-dipeptides and also for a buildup of the peptide chain. The treatment of N-Cbz-Val-Gly(OMe) with NaOH in acetone–water, followed by the reaction of the resulting N-Cbz-

Val-Gly(OH) with L-leucine(OMe)-HCl resulted in the formation of N-CbzVal-Gly-Leu(OMe). Ester hydrolysis and the reaction of N-Cbz-Val-GlyLeu(OH) with L-Ala(OMe)-HCl at 120oC and pH 5 resulted in N-CbzVal-Gly-Leu-Ala(OMe). Although the peptide was elongated in a stepwise

fashion, the sequence of amino acids in N-Cbz-Val-Gly-Leu-Ala(OMe) was verified with the help of the fragmentation pattern in the mass spectrum and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. For comparison of the optical rotation, N-Cbz-Val-Gly-LeuAla(OMe) was also prepared through

To see this story online visit https://laboratory focus.ca/design-ofexperiments-improvespeptide-bond-yield-from20-to-76/

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Feature

B y D m i t r i P e t ro v a nd D e ni s K o u ra k i n

Three Industrial Revolutions Coming from Speedy, Cheap

Genome Technology

I

n just over half a century, humanity has witnessed microwave sized car phones and refrigerator sized computers rapidly evolve into a single, handheld device that is millions of times more powerful than all of NASA’s combined computing capabilities in 1969. The eye watering speed of technological advancement for personal devices has been impossible to ignore, but many people are unaware that genome sequencing technology has actually come further, faster - and isn’t slowing down. The results of which, will soon be revolutionizing society as we know it.

Back in 2009, it took several weeks and cost thousands of dollars for a lab to determine the sequence of a genome. Now, it can be done with the same level of scientific accuracy in a matter of days. Home-based ‘spit tests’ can provide limited genetic information for under $125. Today the worldwide sequencing market is estimated at US$14.71 billion, just a decade since the technology was first introduced commercially.

The reduced cost of sequencing has increased researchers’ and hobbyists’ access to genomic information, which has led to a major increase in innovative breakthroughs in the field.

These discoveries have the power to change the course of humanity in just the next few years. Here are three industries that’ll be impacted:

Welcome to personalized medicine Personalized medicine, or genomic medicine, was born out of the Human Genome Project, completed in April 2003, which sequenced the entire human genome. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the organization behind the effort, it can be defined as “an emerging medical discipline that involves using genomic information about an individual as part of their clinical care (e.g. for diagnostic or therapeutic decision-making) and the health outcomes and policy implications of that clinical use.”

Since its origin, DNA sequencing applied to personalized medicine has furthered the understanding, diagno-

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feature Organized farming is the backbone of that food system and it requires detailed understanding of soil health and fertility to optimise yields, decide which crops to grow and develop fertiliser and pesticide strategies.

sis and treatment of countless diseases, including various forms of cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis among others. It has also allowed us to better track infectious outbreaks, and will increasingly be involved in sci-fi level preventative medicine based on genetic predispositions for disease expression.

This means that very soon, analysis of your unique genomic data may be used to predict which treatment option is likely to be most effective for you, how you are likely to respond, and how to take preventive action if you carry a genetic mutation that increases the risk of developing a disease. A recent study from August 2017, demonstrates that whole-genome sequencing can even be beneficial for primary care visits. In the study, researchers found that doctors could more accurately diagnose and prescribe treatment for patients who knew both their family history information and their DNA sequences.

With ‘at home’ DNA testing kits becoming more and more popular, the use cases and the positive outcomes they deliver are only set to grow. In fact, a report from Credence Research forecasts the direct-to-consumer genetic testing

market to grow to $340 million by 2022, and AncestryDNA recently announced that it had reached an impressive six million people in its database. But if the popularity of companies like 23andme and Ancestry still have you unimpressed by the idea of the future of genomic medicine, you may not be aware that you will soon be able to take a census of not just your genome, but of all the living things inside you.

High-throughput next-generation DNA sequencers and bioinformatics already make it possible to identify the bacterial species that live in your gut. Research has only begun to understand the complex effects these microbial communities have on our health, behaviour, and even mental processes. The future of this research is guaranteed to lead to advancements in health and increase the precision and personalization of modern medicine.

Farming with scientific precision DNA sequencing isn’t just about the bacteria in your gut though, but also what you put into it on a daily basis. Our food system is entirely reliant on the success of billions of fractionable chemical and biological interactions that ultimately result in edible and nutritious food for

our ever-growing global population, which the United Nations expects to reach 9.8 billion by 2050.

Organized farming is the backbone of that food system and it requires detailed understanding of soil health and fertility to optimise yields, decide which crops to grow and develop fertiliser and pesticide strategies. In grand part, these soil tests are currently limited to the chemical analysis of things like soil PH, phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium.

But soil is much more than simply its chemical composition, as it contains millions of species of bac-

teria, fungi and archaea - together, these represent the most diverse and intricate ecosystems on earth. This species data is potentially much richer than any possible chemical analysis, and as the genomic understanding of microscopic environments evolves, it will have important implications for food production and environmental stewardship. The information yielded from this genetic sequencing of soil microbiomes could possibly then be used to identify the root causes of disease in crops, and improve treatment decisions.

As the databases of genetic in-

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Feature formation grow, it will be possible to use genomic information to more accurately identify environmental contaminants, and use strategic species introduction into soil environments to organically metabolise a wide variety of pollutants in soils.

Additionally, similar to the previously mentioned genome-based disease identification for humans, it will be possible to identify causes of disease in crops and develop less toxic treatment strategies. This would all contribute to higher crop yields, more sustainable environmental practices, and overall greater food security which is particularly important considering the estimate that we could run out of food for our growing global population as soon as 2027.

Biological engineering Considering the impending global food shortage, DNA sequencing has showed promise to save the day in yet another way - through biological engineering, or more specifically, synthetic biology - with the creation of lab-grown meats. But that’s just one example. This field of science

encompasses the design and fabrication of all biological components and systems that do not already exist in the natural world. At its core, it’s the process of tinkering with DNA to achieve a wide variety of biologic materials and/or organisms, to apply towards an unimaginable number of uses.

Millions of dollars are currently being invested in companies researching or currently iterating on a wide range of biologic creations, from consumable, bioreactor-brewed “clean” meat that is produced without the slaughter of animals in as little as four weeks, to lab-grown organs that could revolutionize organ replacement. While the industry is still young, an investment report by SynBioBeta showed that over US$1 billion was invested in synthetic biology companies in 2016 alone.

In December 2017, Boston biotech start-up Ginkgo Bioworks, raised $275 million supporting its vision of bringing synthetic biology to the mainstream, and marking it as “perhaps the most heavily funded synthetic bio company ever.” The invest-

Back in 2009, it took several weeks and cost thousands of dollars for a lab to determine the sequence of a genome. Now, it can be done with the same level of scientific accuracy in a matter of days.

The increased speed and reduced cost of DNA sequencing technology for researchers has already given rise to many impressive scientific breakthroughs, but the business models supporting this research are still in their infancy. ment in this company highlights the expectation that practical applications of synthesized biological materials and engineered organisms are set to heavily impact the previously mentioned health care, food and farming industries, as well as the pharmaceutical, biofuel, retail, textile, and several other industries.

The increased speed and reduced cost of DNA sequencing technology for researchers has already given rise to many impressive scientific breakthroughs, but the business models supporting this research are still in their infancy. The current DNA sequencing market reflects mostly early adopters and pioneers, and is expected to grow at a near exponential rate as the technology continues to become more affordable and accessible for broader audiences.

With every passing minute, genetic data banks are storing more genetic information, creating larger libraries of increasingly complete genetic material, and the technologies are becoming more efficient. This means that very soon, these cutting edge scientific discoveries will cease to be

novel, and instead, become revolutionary new ways forward for modern society.

Dmitri Petrov is the co-founder of NGX Bio and a lab head at Stanford University.

Denis Kourakin is CEO of NGX Bio - a company which provides access to any sequencing platform globally - fast and cost-effectively.

To see this story and all the figures online visit https:// laboratoryfocus.ca/three-industrial-revolutions-comingfrom-speedy-cheap-genometechnology/

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New Products Reagent kit for toxicokinetic studies Gyros Protein Technologies AB, announces a new reagent kit for early-stage biotherapeutic toxicokinetic (TK) studies. The new Gyrolab Generic TK Kit adds to a growing list of ready-to-use kits, and allows researchers to more efficiently quantify human therapeutic antibodies (IgG) in automated, nanoliter-scale Gyrolab xP and Gyrolab xPlore systems. The Gyrolab Generic TK kit complements the Gyrolab Generic Pharmacokinetic (PK) Kit, introduced earlier in 2017, which is based on the same reagents. The TK Kit addresses a higher concentration range compared to the PK Kit, making it more suited to toxicokinetic studies. Together the kits more fully meet the needs of Gyrolab system users performing PK/TK assays in preclinical and clinical studies. The kits eliminate the need for assay development, as they are supplied in a ready-to-use format, and enable increased productivity as results are generated in just 70 minutes. The two kits cover a combined range of 5 logs, minimizing dilution steps and repeats when performing human IgG quantification in early biotherapeutic development. The kits are designed for use with several species of preclinical animal models, including mouse and cynomolgus monkey.

https://www.gyrosproteintechnologies.com/

Pulsatile blood pumps The Harvard Apparatus Pulsatile Blood Pump is ideal for numerous cardiovascular studies. It closely mimicks the ventricular action of the heart, to provide physiological advantages for perfusion, blood transfers, blood cellular profile studies and more. The positive piston action prevents changes in flow rates, overcoming any variations in resistance or back pressure. The external control interfaces allow for the generation of advanced waveforms and increased control over pressure curves. The ventricular action provides physiological advantages in blood flow for perfusion in cardiovascular and haemodynamic studies. It is ideal for isolated organ perfusion, whole body perfusion, blood transfers, hydration/dehydration procedures, and blood cellular profile studies. A positive piston actuator and ball check valves provide the proportioning action. The product of stroke rate times stroke volume is an accurate indicator of the flow rate. Positive piston action prevents changes in flow rates, regardless of variations in resistance or back pressure. The piston always travels to the end of the ejection stroke, independent of the volume pumped, and the pump completely empties at each cycle. Harvard Apparatus offers the pumping head in polysulfone. The standard models use acrylic which must be sterilized using ethylene oxide or other methods.

This new material makes it much easier to maintain sterility. The pump can be controlled from an external voltage source – 0 to 10 volt DC signal can be used to control the stroke rate and phasing of the pump.

External control interfaces the blood pump with a computer to generate advanced cardiovascular waveforms and more control over pressure curves.

https://www.harvardapparatus.com/

Assays for liquid biopsy Thermo Fisher Scientific expands its Oncomine portfolio with new assays for liquid biopsy and immuno-oncology to complement its comprehensive solutions for clinical research.

Pan-Cancer Cell-Free Total Nucleic Acid Assay The Ion Torrent Oncomine Pan-Cancer CellFree Assay allows reproducible detection and analysis of tumour DNA and RNA across all major classes of somatic mutations (SNVs, indels, CNVs and fusions) from a single vial of blood with as little as 1ng of nucleic acid input within two days. It targets more than 50 genes across multiple cancer types, including lung, colorectal, breast, pancreatic, thyroid and others. Analysis of tumour DNA and RNA from blood has rapidly become a non-invasive alternative to sequencing tissue samples.

It also holds promise as a method to accelerate targeted clinical trials, targeted therapy selection, disease monitoring and drug resistance.

Tumour Mutation Load Assay Joins Growing Immuno-Oncology Portfolio The Ion Torrent Oncomine Tumour Mutation Load Assay is based on a carefully selected set of 409 genes that can be sequenced using as little as 20 nanograms of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) DNA. The assay is designed to improve potential selection strategies for immune therapy clinical trials. The Oncomine Immune Response Research Assay characterizes gene expression in a tumour microenvironment for immune response pathways. Each of the new assays integrate with Ion Torrent sample preparation, targeted sequencing and downstream bioinformatics and reporting tools.

http://www.thermofisher.com/ca/en/home.html

Assay plates Eppendorf twin.tec PCR Plates LoBind are designed to maximize the yield of target molecules. DNA is less likely to bind to polypropylene and will thus remain within the liquid of the reaction. The plates improve recovery of nucleic acids by reducing their absorption to the tube wall. With a combination of special manufacturing technologies and selected polypropylene batches, they will ensure nearly 100 per cent recovery of DNA/RNA molecules-without surface coating to eliminate the risk of sample contamination. twin.tec PCR Plates LoBind are batch-tested and certified by an independent laboratory to be free from DNA, DNase, RNase and PCR inhibitors. The plates feature LoBind material that guarantees maximum sample recovery for improved assay results. They are a one-piece design that combines a polycarbonate frame and polypropylene wells for optimum performance. The extremely thin-walled polypropylene wells guarantee optimum heat transfer to the sample, with raised well rims for effective sealing to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and an exceptionally solid and torque-resistant polycarbonate frame. The OptiTrack matrix for faster sample identification and fewer pipetting errors and is ideal for quantitative real-time PCR.

http://ccc.eppendorf.com/

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Air bearing motion controller systems Physik Instrumente (PI) LP releases a new high-performance motion controller designed to handle 4, 6 or 8-axes of PIglide air bearing positioning stages and precision automation subsystems. Air bearings provide many advantages compared to mechanical bearings. Some of these are a no-particle generation, frictionless, vibration-free motion, highly constant velocity control, nanometer-precision repeatability, and optimal geometric performance.

The A-82x controllers combine a closed-loop digital servo control, drivers, and power supply in one convenient rackmount design. Depending on the number of axes, the total output of power is 1100W to 2000W with peak power at 3900W. They can be operated in stand-alone mode running on stored programs in the integrated flash memory. Highresolution incremental encoders with sine/cosine output and absolute encoders based on BiSS-C protocol are supported. The new controllers also feature ACS ServoBoost which provides better, more consistent and stable servo performance that is indifferent to noise or changes in the system.

http://www.pi-usa.us/index.php

Portable isolators The Purair FLEX is a containment product that redefines when and where glove bags can be used. It is designed to be a flexible and portable film isolator with easy setup and containment capability.

It is constructed of ArmorFlex film which offers complete visual clarity and excellent solvent resistance across a range of chemicals as confirmed by independent product testing. ArmorFlex film complies with FDA 21CFR and 2002/72/EC standards for minimal outgassing, solvent and biological reactivity and static resistance. The materials are FDA approved and pharmaceutical grade with a large workspace. The product has a fiveyear shelf life without using phthalates, latex, silicone or anti-static additives. The HEPA Filtration filter is 99.97% efficient at removing solid and liquid particles, including those containing oil. Composed of 3M’s Advanced Electret media, the filter provides a lightweight, easy breathing combination that is better than fiberglass. The filter meets NIOSH Pseries test criteria and is flame and water resistant. The nitrogen barb also allows users to create an oxygen-free workspace.

https://www.airscience.com/

Aseptic liquid filling machine Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) releases its Flexicon PF7 peristaltic tabletop aseptic liquid filling machine optimised for operation in GMP regulated industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and diagnostics.

Engineered with Flexicon’s trademark precision performance, the PF7 adds a more intuitive, validation-friendly operator interface to reduce the risk of costly filling errors. The instrument has precision dispensing by weight or by volume using Accusil tubing, and the PF7 is designed to work with single-use fluid paths such as asepticsu, to remove any cross-contamination. Altering the fluid path can be done in as little as 60 seconds. The

New Products adaptable filling parameters will achieve optimum accuracy for desired application needs and will store and password protect up to 200 user programmable ‘recipes’ for future use. A simple and powerful user interface featuring large keys and a colour display aids operation while working in gloves or behind glass within a RABS or LAF unit. The unit can connect to a range of balances and printers for error-free calibration and batch reporting to help compliance with GMP and regulatory demands. The PF7 will also connect to a variety of bottle handling systems such as the FlexFeed 15, 20, and 30, or other third-party systems, to facilitate integration with automated filling lines.

http://www.watson-marlow.com/gb-en/

Field emission scanning electron microscope ZEISS releases the new field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) ZEISS GeminiSEM 450 that combines ultra-high-resolution imaging with the capability to perform advanced analytics while maintaining flexibility and ease-ofuse. The instrument has high resolution, surface sensitive imaging and an optical system that ideally supports experiments in obtaining the best analytical results, even when working with low voltages. High-throughput electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis and low voltage X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) deliver first-rate results due to its ability to precisely and independently control spot size and beam current. With the Gemini 2 design, it is possible to work under optimized conditions as the system can switch effortlessly between imaging and analytical modes at the touch of a button. This makes the field emission scanning electron microscope ZEISS GeminiSEM 450 the ideal platform for the highest demands in imaging and analytical performance. Additonally, the ZEISS GeminiSEM 450 caters for a broad variety of sample types from classical conductive metals to beam sensitive polymers, particularly the variable pressure technology reduces charging on non-conductive samples without compromising Inlens detection capabilities. At the same time, it enables high resolution EDS analysis by minimizing the skirt effect. The instrument is suited to a broad variety of applications in materials science, industrial labs and life sciences.

https://www.zeiss.com/

Syringe pump The KD Scientific Legato 100 syringe pump is used in the new Drop-Seqtechnology developed to allow biologists to investigate large numbers of individual cells simultaneously using RNAseq. The Drop-Seq1 method isolates thousands of cells with sets of uniquely DNA-barcoded primer beads in tiny nanodroplets. Three Legato 100 syringe pumps provide the three required independent flow streams of cells, microparticle buffer and oil through a specifically designed microfluidic device. The Drop-Seq method allows standard biology labs a uniquely low-cost, high yield and high purity method for investigating and sequencing complex tissues. The Legato 100 single syringe infusion pump has a flow rate range of 1.26 pl/min to 88 ml/min (syringe size dependent) with 30 lb. (13.6 kg) of adjustable force across the entire flow range. This syringe pump can hold syringe sizes 0.5 µl to 60 ml. Legato 100 Syringe Pump features a high-resolution, chemically resistant, colour touchscreen display for easy convenience, with a USB, footswitch and TTL Interfaces for external control. It has a rugged construction with cold rolled chassis and an integrated spill dam.

https://www.kdscientific.com

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app review NSF Pharma Biotech

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com. ionicframework.nsfionicapp218625&hl=en

The Government of Canada announces new investments The Government of Canada recently made an announcement of two rather large investments that will dramatically impact the life sciences sector across the country.

On January 23, the Government of Canada announced that they are investing $255 million in genomic research from federal and provincial governments, as well as research institutions and private sector partners.

Precision health promises to transform the way Canadians receive medical care. In the near future, doctors may be able to precisely diagnose symptoms based on a patient’s unique genetic makeup and offer them tailor-made treatments that can save the patient’s life.

The federal Minister of Science, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, made the announcements at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, highlighting the $162 million investment through Genome Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and co-funding partners, towards 15 genomics and precision health projects across the country.

The projects funded at SickKids will provide targeted treatments for children with brain cancer and will transform treatment for children living with arthritis. The funding will also back a targeted initiative to address health challenges facing Indigenous populations, and improving diagnostic outcomes for Indigenous children that have genetic diseases.

The second major investment totaling $93 million will be to support advanced genomics technology platforms from coast to coast to aid in the development of improved technologies that underpin research advances in health, agriculture and natural resources.

“It is an honour to support some of Canada’s leading genomics and precision health researchers through investments that will allow them to further their discoveries and innovations,” says the Hon. Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science. “Their incredible work brings hope to Canadians living with chronic illnesses, such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and arthritis, while strengthening Canada’s health-care system.”

The combined total of these investments will provide access to cutting-edge tools, technologies and services to strengthen the Canadian scientific community and provide opportunity to those that are living with disease.

The NSF Pharma Biotech is a must-have app for any Pharma Biotech executive looking to stay up to date on the latest industry regulations and news. NSF International provides access to their legislation and guidance guide and offers a wealth of free resources to help you make better business decisions – webinars, audio white papers, videos and much more.

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Bioinformatics Guide

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com. bioinfoas.aldkfpawet&hl=en This app comes with hundreds of live lectures by bioinformatics professionals and covers even minute details. Some of the topics include current issues in computational biology and bioinformatics, applied bioinformatics using open source software, training in clinical bioinformatics (genomics), how to calculate the molecular weight of a gene, how to find the transmembrane region in a protein sequence, and many many other topics. This app is compatible with all devices from Strange Beaters.

Biotechnology Dictionary

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com. dictionary.arjunastudiobiotech&hl=en This Biotechnology Dictionary works offline and contains thousands of biotechnology words and terms. It is completely free by EasyGoing and is simple to maneuver. It is an excellent learning tool that is accessible no matter where you are.

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Mastercycler X50: with 2D-Gradient

The Next Stage The new Mastercycler® X50 Speed and the 2D-Gradient for enhanced PCR optimization make the Mastercycler X50 the ideal cycler for advanced research in molecular biology. The excellent block regulation gives rise to the next stage of PCR reproducibility.

> Innovative 2D-Gradient for enhanced PCR optimization > Heating rate: up to 10 °C/s > Wide selection of blocks from a fast silver block to 384 > Intuitive touch display > Connect up to 10 units to a network

www.eppendorf.com/mastercycler • 800-263-8715 022.A1.0126.A Eppendorf®, the Eppendorf Brand Design, and Mastercycler® are registered trademarks of Eppendorf AG, Germany.

All rights reserved, including graphics and images. Copyright © 2018 by Eppendorf AG.

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