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noveMBer 2010 volume 14, number 6 R&D News ......................... 1 Pharma Notes .................... 6 Appointments .................... 7 New Products .................. 15 Calendar .......................... 17 Career Spotlight............... 18
2010 readers’ Choice awards page 8 lawson researChers reCeive fundinG to develoP non-reaCtor Based isotoPes Researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) have been selected by Natural Resources Canada to receive funding to move forward with a project to develop production of the key medical isotope technetium-99m (Tc-99m). Tc-99m is a radioactive tracer used in nuclear medicine for a wide variety of diagnostic tests. However, demand for medical use began to overtake a dwindling supply in the late 2000s. The Canadian government announced the funding of four projects, totaling $35-million, on Oct. 15. Lawson has teamed up with TRIUMF, Advanced Applied Physics Solutions, BC Cancer Agency, Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization and the University of
British Columbia to study, develop and prepare for commercialization a technology suited for producing Tc-99m isotopes using existing medical cyclotrons. According to Dr. Michael Kovacs, director of the Lawson Cyclotron & PET Radiochemistry Facility, “With the aging NRU reactor at Chalk River reaching the end of its useful life, this project is a critical first step by the federal government to ensure a stable and highly diversified supply chain of technetium-99m for Canadians.” In funding this project, Natural Resources Canada has recognized the depth of the team’s expertise in the design of cyclotron targets. The funding will be used in London to upgrade the beam current output of our General Electric cyclotron. A high current target and pneumatic transport system will be installed and shown to produce technetium-99m at commercially relevant levels.
metrohm eXpands its Brand in Canada
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Starting Jan. 1, 2011, the best of Brinkmann Canada will be rebranded as Metrohm Canada. Although this rebranding is a new development, the Brinkmann-Metrohm partnership has actually spanned more than five decades; and for the last five years Brinkmann has been a fully owned subsidiary of Metrohm AG (a worldwide market leader in titration, ion chromatography and electrochemistry instruments and accessories). With the Brinkmann-Metrohm USA brand transformation already thriving in the U.S., this rebranding simply ex-
tends Metrohm’s global presence to include all of North America along with the rest of the continents. For customers in Canada, this rebranding initiative provides more ordering flexibility, more technical support and expanded field service.
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November 2010 Laboratory Focus www.bioscienceworld.ca
news Cold weather testing centre opens in Thompson, MB The Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and Environmental Research (GLACIER) facility and the not-for-profit Environmental Test, Research and Education Centre (EnviroTREC)
is officially opened, as the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification and the Honourable Peter Bjornson, Manitoba Minister
of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade joined Rolls-Royce Canada Limited, Pratt & Whitney Canada, the National Research Council Canada (NRC), and other aerospace industry
representatives to celebrate. This cold weather testing and research facility will benefit Manitoba and the world’s aviation industry. Continued on page 3
PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Terri Pavelic SENIOR WRITER Tonya Costoff staff writer Shawn Lawrence CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jürgen Gailer NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Patricia Bush
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Gowlings announces winners of its 7th Annual Biotech Essay Contest
Continued from page 2
Official speakers during the press release EnviroTREC is a year-round research facility specializing in supporting engine icing certification and research. EnviroTREC is co-located with industry in this new facility built by Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and Environment Research Inc. (GLACIER) which is a limited joint venture between Rolls-Royce Canada Limited and Pratt & Whitney Canada. “GLACIER will be a highly advanced centre for ice testing, which is critical to the aerospace industry to ensure
engine dependability and quality. The centre will also be a global leader in cold weather research, which will deliver important benefits to the aviation industry,” said Walter Di Bartolomeo, chairman of the board of GLACIER. Funding of $42 million for the facility includes government investment of $13.4 million, a $9 million secured, repayable loan from the province of Manitoba with the balance coming from the aerospace industry.
Canadian government supports microbiome research A significant new investment will allow researchers to investigate the trillions of microorganisms that reside in or on the human body and the role they play in health and disease as well as develop new detection methods and treatment options for several chronic diseases. “Our government is committed to improving the health of Canadians affected by significant digestive and immunity based diseases, and being a world leader in supporting research excellence,” said the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health. “Today’s strategic investment will lead to new treatments and effective health care programs for Canadians.” “Genome British Columbia is pleased to be partnering with CIHR on this important initiative and to be able to support two leading BC scientists and their teams in areas of research that will have a significant impact on the health of many of Canadians,” said Dr. Alan Winter, president and CEO of Genome British Columbia. “This work will build upon existing technologies and capacity developed over recent years through Genome BC, Genome Canada and CIHR funding and has excellent
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November 2010
potential for positive results in the fields of immunological disorders and female reproductive health.” Lois Brown, Member of Parliament for Newmarket-Aurora, ON, announced, on behalf of Minister Aglukkaq, over $14 million in federal funding over five years to support seven new research teams. As well, $1.4 million in funding is being provided by Genome British Columbia, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, and the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The research teams are based in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia. “The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada is very pleased to partner with CIHR and others in microbiome research. Inflammatory bowel disease is believed to be caused by abnormal immune responses resulting from a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers in conjunction with gut microbes. Hence, microbiome research is integral to finding ways to prevent and cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which affect one in 160 Canadians,” said Kevin W. Glasgow, MD, FRCPC and CEO of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada.
Supporting the next generation of biotech leaders, Gowlings selects the three winners of its 7th Annual Biotech Essay Contest. Laureen Hachem of Toronto, ON; Beverly Allen of Riverview, NB; and Katie Kalinowski of Morden, MB are this year’s winners. Launched during National Biotechnology Week in 2004, the contest supports students entering a Canadian post secondary institution in a life sciences-related field “Gowlings has a robust life sciences practice with more than 150 members, over 40 of which have a life sciences-related degrees. This contest gives us an opportunity to showcase the variety of career options available to students in this field,” said Jane Clark, National Leader, Life Sciences and partner with Gowlings’ Ottawa office. “We had 41 high school students from across Canada enter the contest this year. A record number,” said Konrad Sechley, a partner in Gowlings’ Vancouver office and contest judge. “The competition was excellent and all those who
news entered should be congratulated.” The top prize of $5,000 was won by Laureen Hachem, the Toronto District School Board’s top scholar and graduate of Northern Secondary School for her essay, Small Size, Big Results: How the Nanoparticle is Revolutionizing Clinical Medicine. “I was very excited when Gowlings called me to tell me I had won the contest,” said Hachem. “I have always been really interested in life sciences and the impact that research in this field has on society. This year I worked on a research project related to spinal cord injury in Dr. Tator’s neurosurgery lab at Toronto Western Hospital. I am currently attending the University of Toronto to study life sciences and in the future, I hope to go to medical school.” Second place is awarded to Beverley Allen from Riverview High School in Riverview, NB, for her essay on pandemic influenza and the efforts of a Canadian company using alternative plant-based production methods for vaccines. Allen will receive a laptop Katie Kalinowski, a Morden Collegiate graduate from Morden Manitoba took third prize for her essay on DNA Barcoding. Kalinowski, who received an iPod Touch, is attending the University of Manitoba in the fall. This is the first year Gowlings has awarded a second and third place prize.
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November 2010 Laboratory Focus www.bioscienceworld.ca
news
Carleton Chemistry team takes home success
Professor Maria DeRosa Photo:Ian Murchison
Canadian government investment leads to milestone in solar powered energy Canadians could one day power their homes affordably with solar power, thanks in part to a Canadian government investment of $1,751,000. Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Orléans, Royal Galipeau, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology, unveiled and powered on the “solar tracker” - a new highly efficient clean energy technology. The semiconductors using nanostructures for record increases in solar cell efficiency (SUNRISE) project stems from research and development efforts to bring clean power generation technologies to Canadians. The concentrator photovoltaic solar tracker is installed at the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology in Ottawa and jointly operated by the National Research Council of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The system can generate over 2 kilowatts of electricity which means that on a sunny day, it could provide a large fraction of the elec-
tricity needed to power a typical home. While solar cells already generate emission-free electricity in many remote locations in Canada, they are not yet cost-effective as the primary source of electricity in homes and businesses already connected to the electrical grid. SUNRISE proposes a new class of modules based on novel high efficiency solar cells which have shown promising results in performance compared to existing technology, making these next generation solar cells an ideal prospect for commercialization in regions of abundant direct sunshine. SUNRISE is funded by the National Research Council of Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Business Development Bank of Canada. The project is a research collaboration between the National Research Council of Canada, the University of Ottawa, the Université de Sherbrooke, and industrial partners Cyrium Technologies Inc. and Opel International Inc.
A team of students working with Chemistry professor Maria DeRosa have won the 2010 Dance Their PhD competition sponsored by Science Magazine. Led by doctoral student Maureen McKeague, the team beat out three other finalists to take the title. They were presented with a $1,000 cheque last night in New York City at the Imagine Science Film Festival. “I never thought I’d be asked to dance my thesis,” said McKeague. “But I’m delighted that this kind of competition is helping to get the word out about our scientific research at Carleton that could eventually be used to diagnosis heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and birth defects.” Richard Losick, a molecular
biologist at Harvard and one of the judges, says he chose the video “because it effectively integrated the concept of what happens during the process being depicted with the movement of the dancers.” “The dance was enjoyable and humourous to watch in and of itself. I am planning to show it in my molecular biology lecture.” Dr. DeRosa’s research examines a type of nucleic acid called aptamers that can bind tightly to a specific molecule. Aptamers come from the greek aptus meaning “to fit.” She and her team are using chemistry tools to understand how these pieces of DNA or RNA can fold into certain shapes that make pockets for these targets. This information
can then be used to design useful devices out of these nucleic acids, like biosensors or smart therapeutics. Given increasing concerns about infectious diseases, bioterrorism agents and environmental contaminants, there is an urgent need to develop these kinds of innovative sensing tools for the rapid and accurate detection of these substances. The winning team consists of: Johny Abboud, Mike Beking, Elyse Bernard, Charlotte Bradley, Amanda Foster, Tariq Francis, Amanda Giamberardino, Uyen Ho, Erin McConnell, Laura Novitsky, Yasir Sultan, Ryan Walsh, Xiao Li Wang and Xueru Zhang. All except Novitsky are Dr. DeRosa’s students.
Memorial University study links tobacco smoking and colorectal cancer A new study from the Faculty of Medicine shows there’s one more reason not to smoke – there’s a higher risk of colorectal cancer among former and current smokers than non-smokers. This is the first large population-based study in Canada that shows a clear relationship between colorectal cancer and tobacco use. According to the recent study, Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest incidence of colorectal cancer in Canada. Globally, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer in males and the fourth leading cause of death from cancer in females. The study, titled Tobacco Smoking and Colorectal Cancer: A Population-based Case-control Study in Newfoundland and Labrador, was published recently in the Canadian Journal of Public Health. Dr. Peter Wang, senior author of the study, said the re-
searchers found a significant association between smoking cigarettes and colorectal cancer. “Cigarette smoking increased the risk of colorectal cancer among men and women, but demonstrated a stronger effect for males than females,” he said. The study also found among drinkers there was a higher risk of colorectal cancer among former and current smokers compared to nonsmokers. “However among non-drinkers, the study only found a weak relationship
between smoking and the risk of colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Wang. Overall the study indicated that the effects of smoking on colorectal cancer seemed to be stronger in males and alcohol drinkers and also demonstrated a slightly stronger effect on rectum than colon cancer. This study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through an interdisciplinary team research grant on colorectal cancer.
oGi invests in PersonaliZed MediCine for aGe-related MaCular deGeneration
Through its Pre-Commercialization Business Development Fund (PBDF), the Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) has invested in molecular diagnostics company, ArcticDx, Inc. Established in 2007 and based in Toronto, ArcticDx has developed a test, Macula Risk®, the first of its kind and specifically designed to determine one’s inherited risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common form of acquired blindness in the developed world, affecting over 10% of individuals. ArcticDx will use the PBDF investment to undertake studies in support of a planned filing for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Macula Risk. Macula Risk detects variations in genetic markers known to predict the progression of early asymptomatic AMD to blindness using a cheek swab sample. The eyesight of individuals who are genetically predisposed to blindness can be saved through enhanced surveillance and early treatment. Macula Risk helps target effective care to those who need it most and relieves others who would otherwise live with uncertainty. “The investment from OGI will support our filing for FDA approval for Macula Risk,” said Gregory Hines, CEO of ArcticDx. “We think this approval is an important departure from the growing trend of direct to consumer marketing of genetic tests that have only a weak link to science and are often of no clinical value. Macula Risk stands as the best example
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Laboratory Focus November 2010
of a validated test for a multigenetic common human disease. Achieving FDA approval will position Macula Risk for wide spread adoption.” The Macula Risk test will be marketed to eye care professionals who manage most cases of AMD in North Amer-
ica. These doctors will offer the test to individuals with the dry form of the disease who have not yet lost vision. In the industrialized world, AMD is the major cause of uncorrectable vision loss in the elderly, affecting over 2.5 million people in Canada
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news and over 25 million people in the U.S. Age-related macular degeneration is generally a disease of the elderly with the worldwide incidence of the disease growing from one in ten people over the age of
60 to more than one in four people over the age of 75. Macular degeneration is more common than Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
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November 2010 Laboratory Focus www.bioscienceworld.ca
Pharma Notes
Medicago Inc. (Québec City, QC) receives clearance from Health Canada to commence a Phase II human clinical trial with its H5N1 Avian Influenza vaccine (“H5N1 vaccine”). Enrolment of volunteers is now underway. The Phase II randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of different doses of its H5N1 vaccine. Specifically, the vaccine will be studied in approximately 255 healthy adults between the ages of 18 to 60 years. In the first part of the study healthy adults will receive an injection of either a placebo or the H5N1 vaccine at varying doses to determine the optimal dose. In the second part of the study, healthy adults will receive an injection of either a placebo or the H5N1 vaccine at the optimal dose. Interimresults of this study are expected in less than three months. Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Mississauga, ON) completes patient enrolment in its Phase III safety study of CIP-ISOTRETINOIN, the company’s novel, patented formulation of isotretinoin, which is used in the treatment of severe, nodular acne. The Phase III safety study is being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment that was granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The
study is a randomized, double-blinded trial comparing the safety profile of CIPISOTRETINOIN to an FDAapproved, commercially available isotretinoin product. A total of 931 patients were enrolled in the trial, of which 626 have completed treatment to date. “Following an estimated six-month treatment period, the last subject enrolled should complete treatment in April 2011. We expect to have top-line study results in early Q3 2011, which would be followed by an FDA submission in Q4 2011,” said Dr. Jason Gross, Cipher’s vice president of Scientific Affairs. Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (Calgary, AB) announces that interim data from a U.K. translational clinical trial (REO 013) investigating intravenous administration of REOLYSIN® in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer prior to surgical resection of liver metastases was presented at the International Symposium on Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) and Immunostimulation being held in Pamplona, Spain. The presentation was given by principal investigator professor Alan Melcher of Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Leeds, UK. The trial is an open-label, non-randomized, single centre study of REOLYSIN given intravenously to patients for five consecu-
tive days in advance of their scheduled operations to remove colorectal cancer deposits metastatic to the liver. Patients were treated with intravenous REOLYSIN at 1x1010 TCID50, one to three weeks prior to planned surgery. After surgery, the tumour and surrounding liver tissue was assessed for viral status and anti-tumour effects. OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Vancouver, BC) completes a public offering of 3,174,602 units at a price to the public of $15.75 per unit for an aggregate offering amount of $50 million, as previously announced on Oct. 18. The net proceeds to OncoGenex, after underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses, from the sale of the units is approximately $46.7 million. The company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering primarily to advance its product pipeline, including its lead program, custirsen, and OGX-427, which is currently in clinical development as a treatment for prostate cancer and bladder cancer, as well as for general corporate purposes. Labtronics Inc. (Guelph, ON) signs a partnership agreement with BioGenex Laboratories Inc to interface its i6000 and Xmatrx
Automated Staining Systems to LIMS and LIS systems. BioGenex Laboratories Inc is a developer of sophisticated staining systems for clinical diagnostics and research laboratories. In recent years they have seen an increase in customer demand for advanced integration between their instruments and LIMS and LIS systems. In order to provide the best global solution to its customers, BioGenex has partnered with Labtronics Inc to provide LimsLink as the standard interfacing solution. LimsLink has been a standard in the industry for many years and has a proven track record for providing advanced interfaces between any instrument and any LIMS or LIS system. The latest version of LimsLink provides standard methods that simplify the implementation of solutions. It also provides back end database support that will provide customers with instrument analytics. Trans-Hit Biomarkers Inc. (Montréal, QC) enters into an alliance agreement with Caprion Proteomics Inc. Trans-Hit Biomarkers and Caprion will combine its expertise to deliver an integrated service approach, called ‘’Proteome-Hit’’ for accelerating clinical development and validation of novel protein biomarkers. By combining TransHit’s access to high-quality
Great People. Great Chemistry. Reply card #4390
biospecimen collection with Caprio’ns mass spectrometry-based MRM assays for high-throughput, multiplexed quantitative measurement of proteins, ‘’Proteome-Hit’’ will allow rapid multiplexed measurement of protein biomarker candidates on large number of patient samples from high-quality biospecimen collections. Dr. Pascal Puchois, chief executive officer of Trans-Hit Biomarkers, stated ‘’Caprion’s mass spectrometry-based MRM services for rapid multiplexed measurement of candidate protein biomarkers, provide a cost and time-effective alternative to the development of immunoassays. This partnership with Caprion allows us to provide scientists with a solution to quickly measure new protein biomarkers on larges sets of samples, without having to develop immunoassays and questioning the quality of the samples and therefore help deliver stronger clinical proof of concept to their newly discovered protein biomarkers.’’ The Canadian Pharmaceutical Distribution Network (CPDN) (Toronto and Oakville, ON) joins GHX, enabling participating hospitals to gain greater visibility into their pharmaceutical purchasing. CPDN is a service provider to independent drug manufacturers comprising 19 of the leading pharmaceutical companies serving the Canadian hospital market. Approximately 80 per cent of Canadian hospitals that maintain accounts with pharmaceutical companies use the CPDN program to consolidate ordering and delivery of pharmaceutical products from independent pharmaceutical companies. Using the CPDN Web OMS browser-based ordering system, participating hospital pharmacies can place a single order to purchase products from multiple manufacturers, receive the products in a single shipment and make a single invoice payment.
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Laboratory Focus November 2010
YM BioSciences Inc. (Mississauga, ON) appoints Dr. Nick Glover as chief executive officer, effective this month at the company’s Annual General Meeting. Dr. Glover will also be nominated as a director of the company at that time. David Allan, who has been chairman of the company since its founding in 1994 and CEO since 1998, will continue to serve as chairman of YM’s board of directors. “Given the rapid progress being made with our recently acquired CYT387 JAK inhibitor program, the ongoing advancement of nimotuzumab globally, and the compelling prospects for the vascular disrupting agent CYT997, this is the ideal time to strengthen our team with strong leadership to advance these programs energetically,” said Allan. “In addition to his professional and academic qualifications, Nick has served as COO and president for the last several months and has demonstrated to the board that he is an exceptional candidate with the right experience and skills to lead YM. I look forward to working with Nick through this transition in my role as chairman and will continue to support YM’s relationships with the investment community.” Dr. Glover joined YM in June 2010 and is currently serving as president and COO. He was formerly the president and chief eexecutive officer at Viventia Biotech Inc. In addition to his operational experience, Dr. Glover has a background in business development and prior to joining Viventia was an investment manager for a leading venture capital firm. Dr. Glover holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of East Anglia, U.K., a M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Simon Fraser University, Canada. MaRS Discovery District (Toronto, ON) announces that Asif Ansari, former CEO of Los Angeles based eSolar, Inc., has taken the position of chief executive officer at Toronto startup Morgan Solar. Ansari, considered one of the most successful start-up CEOs in the solar energy world, has founded several successful companies and led the development and commercialization of over 20 technical products in the cleantech and aerospace markets. Under An-
sari’s leadership, eSolar attracted financial backing from Google and emerged as a global leader in solar thermal technologies. Ansari has now relocated to Toronto and will apply his experience and expertise to commercializing Morgan Solar’s breakthrough technology, the Sun Simba concentrating solar panel. “Morgan Solar has done something I wasn’t sure was possible - they have cracked the code for CPV (concentrated solar PV) optics, substantially lowering its costs to where it can now deliver a value proposition significantly better than PV (photovoltaics),” said Ansari. “Morgan was able to see the problem in a whole new way, starting with inventing a new optical concentrator to replace conventional Fresnel lens architectures. The potential of this technology is massive.” MaRS Discovery District has been working closely with Morgan Solar, helping it evolve into a Canadian cleantech success story. “Ansari coming to Toronto represents the biggest brain gain for Ontario in the cleantech sector I’ve seen,” said Tom Rand, Cleantech Practice lead advisor at MaRS. “Ansari has enjoyed a string of successes, including eSolar, and he didn’t come to Morgan to fail. The quality of Morgan’s management team, with these sorts of additions, demonstrates their ability to go global on a major scale.” Resverlogix Corp. (Calgary, AB) appoints Kenneth Zuerblis to the company’s board of directors. Recently Zuerblis served as the chief financial officer and senior vice president of ImClone Systems Inc., prior to its acquisition by Eli Lilly. “I was initially attracted to Resverlogix because of RVX-208, its novel atherosclerosis drug, which is a very exciting mid-stage therapeutic gaining worldwide scientific acceptance. Resverlogix is also developing a pipeline of novel therapeutics in several disease categories that have significant unmet medical needs. I look forward to this opportunity to work with members of the board of directors and management as we develop the full potential of the company’s product candidates,” Zuerblis commented. Donald J. McCaffrey, president & CEO of Resverlogix, stated, “Ken is a seasoned veteran in the biotechnology industry with a proven track record of running complex commercial and
Appointments research organizations and we are delighted that he has joined our board of directors.” In an effort to maintain a board of director level at six people, Wayne Chiu will be stepping down from the board effective today. Wayne has been on the board since its inception and has been an important contributor to the growth and development of Resverlogix. The board expresses its thankfulness to Wayne for his years of contributions.” Jennerex, Inc. (San Francisco, Ca and Ottawa, ON) appoints Mark P. Backer, Ph.D., to the newlycreated position of senior vice president, Technical Operations. Dr. Backer will be responsible for all aspects of chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) in support of Jennerex’s late-stage product, JX-594, as well as pipeline products. “We are extremely pleased to welcome Mark to our executive management team, as he brings over 30 years of experience leading all aspects of operations in development-stage and commercial biopharmaceutical companies,” said David H. Kirn, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Jennerex. “His depth of expertise specifically in viral vaccine manufacturing and process development will be instrumental as we look forward to the initiation of our late stage clinical trials, and the development of our commercial manufacturing strategy for JX-594.” Dr. Backer joins Jennerex after working as principal of Biologics Technical Consulting, where he provided strategic and technical consulting services supporting developers of biological products. Previously, he served as CEO and board member for Vaxart, Inc., a private company focused on developing vector-based oral vaccines. Dr. Backer served as founding chairman and then board member of Molecular Medicine BioServices (now SAFC Biopharma), a viralbased contract manufacturing firm. Dr. Backer also held management positions of increasing responsibility with Protein Design Labs, Aviron (now MedImmune Vaccines), Coulter Pharmaceuticals, Systemix, IDEC, Eli Lilly and Genentech. Dr. Backer holds a BS in chemistry from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Washington.
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November 2010 Laboratory Focus www.bioscienceworld.ca
feature
2010
READERS’ CHOICE
AWARDS CoMPiled By: shawn lawrenCe
LABORATORY FOCUS IS PLEASED TO BRING YOU ITS SEVENTH ANNUAL READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS. With the aim of finding out what you, our readers, use in the lab, we asked 10 product-or-resource related questions, and included one bonus question for your favourite lab jokes. Below, we list your top answers. For certain questions, a particular company received resounding mention, while in others a specific product type. We hope you enjoy this showcase of the latest technology, instrumentation and lab equipment being used in laboratories. So let’s take a look at what you, our readers, had to say.
2. Best tech support 1. most reliable instrument Answers in this category varied with both older and newer products receiving equal attention for reliability. Of note, Applied Biosystems had two entries, the company’s latest introduction to real-time PCR the StepOnePlus™ RealTime PCR System, as well as the company’s GeneAmp® PCR System 9700. The latter entry specifically designed for the amplification of nucleic acids was praised for its powerful performance and as being easy to use. Agilent chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) systems were also mentioned while several respondents were particularly impressed with the Thermo Scientific Orion 5-Star Portable Multimeter. Ideal for in-the-field applications, this waterproof, battery-operated pH/DO/ISE/ conductivity meter has built a reputation for standing up to the most demanding applications while offering a full complement of GLP-related features. In terms of reliability in balances and measurement, Mettler Toledo’s reputation remains as strong as ever, while Eppendorf received honourable mention for the reliability of its wide pipette portfolio.
Answers in this category varied with both older and newer products receiving votes. Agilent took top honours in this category in a close race with past winner Waters Inc., 2008 winner Beckman Coulter Canada Inc., Metrohm, Thermo Fisher and Shimadzu also receiving votes. Agilent’s successful integration of Varian’s product portfolio and tech support services into the company was cited as a major reason for its selection.
3. what is the most user-friendly equipment? Known as an economical centrifuge, the Eppendorf refrigerated tabletop centrifuge is also getting notoriety for its user friendliness in clinical and cell culture labs. With various fixed-angle and swing-bucket rotors and an extensive range of adapters, nearly all types of tubes can be used in this centrifuge. These are just some of the reasons the Eppendorf 5810 Centrifuge took top honours in this category. Similarly, another product known for its reliability and high performance, the Shimadzu Nexera LC garnered considerable attention. Thermo Fisher’s Nanodrop, last year’s winner in this category, was once again a top vote-getter along with the BioRad Bio-Plex 200 for its user friendly software.
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Laboratory Focus November 2010
feature 4. Must have consumables: Kit or product you can’t live without This list includes such seemingly generic items such as disposable gloves, sample containers and lab-top com-
puters. In terms of products the QIAprep Spin Miniprep kit, Millipore Milliplex kits and Waters Oasis SPE were
all mentioned. However, the resounding winner was not a product per say, but rather a type of product. It seems every lab needs a pipette or pipette system. Brand names mentioned include Eppendorf, Fisher Scientific, CAPP and BIOHIT.
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5. Best Equipment under $20,000
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Our readers are always on the lookout for the latest innovations in technology that are both user friendly and provide speed and accuracy. But researchers also have another priority in mind when making purchases: reducing cost. So what products provide the best bang for your buck? Well, according to our readers not only is the Thermo Fisher Nanodrop 2000 among the most userfriendly pieces of equipment on the market, but it’s also the best buy. However, the race was close with Waters UV-Vis HPLC detector and Bio-Rad’s Model 1575 immunowash microplate washer both coming just a few votes short. Other humble items not forgotten included Agilent’s GC systems, Perkin Elmer’s thermal cycler and the Shimadzu Autosampler SIL-20A.
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Feature 6. Most worthwhile splurge: instruments over $100,000 When it comes to pricey equipment, our readers made one thing perfectly clear sometimes the cost is just too high. That said, if they had deep pockets to spend from their first choice for a big buy is the Shimadzu LCMS-8030. With the slogan speed beyond comparison, this ultra fast mass tandem LC/MS/MS system offers researchers accurate quantification and confirmation of trace level analytes in complex matrices. From the detection of drugs and metabolites in biological specimens, to environmental contaminants and pesticides in food, analysts the world over are challenged with detecting an increasing number of target analytes with greater sensitivity and in more samples than ever before. This device sets out to overcome these challenges. Additionally the Affymetrix The GeneChip® Fluidics Station 450 was singled out as a worthwhile purchase. The instrument is used for the wash and stain operation of Affymetrix GeneChip® arrays and includes advancements to provide improved ease of use and true walk-away freedom dramatically improving efficiency in your genetic analysis. Other worthwhile splurges included the Waters ACQUITY UPLC System UltraPerformance LC® (UPLC®) technology and CellBiosciences Nanopro 100.
7. Most valuable online resource Google was bound to get at least a couple of votes here, but when researchers need information on the go, the site they are most likely to turn to is the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). NCBI is a national resource for molecular biology information where the mission is to develop new information technologies to aid in the understanding of fundamental molecular and genetic processes that control health and disease. Another site that was mentioned was Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network (CANARIE), a dedicated network that links researchers and innovators throughout Canada and around the world. Both GenBank and Pubmed web portals were also mentioned by almost all of our respondents as were several suppliers’ websites.
8. Equipment or product that generates the best word-of-mouth buzz For most things to become popular, talking about them generally proves there’s buzz. Among the more popular products talked up around the water cooler was Eppendorf’s Refrigerated Micro Centrifuge 5430R (mentioned in other categories). Roche’s 454 GS20, a high-throughput genome sequencer FLX system also scored high in this category. Perhaps the most popular product was the Archimedes particle-sizing instrument from Affinity Biosensors. The product can measure the mass of the particles flowing through it by how much they change the frequency the device resonates at. By calculating the density of the particles (which
the device can also do) the size of the particles can be calculated. And because the system doesn’t use light to size the particles, it doesn’t suffer from the problems that dynamic light scattering has analyzing mixtures of particles. The instrument also scored big at this year’s Pittcon event winning the Editors’ Gold Award. Another product getting lots of talk Thermo’s LIMS-on-Demand, a firstof-its-kind web-based laboratory information management system also generated a buzz. Available for a monthly subscription fee, LIMS-on-Demand is a fully functional LIMS that allows users to create workflows, monitor sample life cycles, process lab data, and connect with external facilities such as regulatory agencies. It’s geared toward helping small and mid-sized labs save time and money but still have access to a LIMS system.
9. Best time-saving instrument, product or lab tip Once again, Waters ACQUITY UPLC System scored high with our readers winning this category for its ability to give researchers a productive edge. Many of the comments we got back cited this products ability to give more information in a single, short run making it one of the more efficient HPLC products on the market. Other products getting votes in this category for saving time were Invitrogen’s SYBR® Safe DNA gel stain & Safe Imager™ blue light transilluminator, and Metrohm’s Auto-titrator.
10. Favourite lab clean-up tip Laboratory Focus received so many valuable responses to this question; we figured we’d just go ahead and print a handful: • use Alcanox powder to clean glass plates used for running acrylamide glass • keep all work in one spot close to wash-up area • “wipe it, swipe it, dispose it” • use lots of bench coats • you use it you clean it (the sooner the better) • hire a junior technician • use a bench liner • vinegar • prevent high humidity • buy disposable paper towels from a cleaning supply company rather than a laboratory supply company • use disposable labwares and pre-package reagent, no clean up
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11. the Best lab Jokes this side of the bench
As usual, we got a number of great jokes from our readers, so here are a few of the funniest: 1. A rabbit is sitting outsider her hole typing away on a laptop. A wolf comes up and asks what the rabbit is doing? She says she’s working on her PhD thesis. He asks “what’s the title?” She replies, “How to eat wolves and foxes.” He says, “What could you know about that?” She invites him into her burrow to show him. After a few minutes she comes out and starts typing again. This time a fox comes by. Again he asks her what she’s doing and she tells him. They go into the burrow together, after a few minutes she comes out this time followed by a lion. The Moral: Don’t ask what the thesis title is; ask who the supervisor is.
burner spontaneously ignites. 5) You put your plates in the incubator to cool down. 6) Every time you open the fridge door, it rains. 7) The urea in your sequencing gel mixes goes into solution without difficulty. 8) A pellet of dry ice has a half-life of 12.3 seconds.
9) The Taq polymerase begins to denature. 10) The glucose in the cupboard begins to caramelize.
4. Do molecular biologists wear designer genes? 5. What does PhD stand for? Permanent head damage 6. What is the fastest way to determine the sex of a chromosome? Pull down its genes. 7. You know your lab is too warm when... 1) Your low melt agarose does. 2) No matter how often you fill them, your ethanol bottles are always empty. 3) You can heat-shock your bacterial transformations on your bench. 4) The gas from a Bunsen
insightful responses next year!
We’d like to thank all our readers who took time out of their day to take part in the 2010 Reader’s Choice Awards and we look forward to your
again
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Feature
By: Jürgen Gailer Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary
Visualizing interactions between
medicinal drugs and blood plasma constituents
S
ince the seminal discovery by the english physician William Harvey that the bloodstream essentially constitutes a conveyor belt which supplies all vital organs with life-sustaining essential elements (as well as other nutrients) in the 17th century, numerous mammalian plasma proteins have been intensively studied and, for some, crystal structures could be obtained. The binding of Fe3+ to its plasma transport protein transferrin, for instance, is now very well understood at the molecular level. What is generally much less studied, however, is how medicinal drugs (those in clinical use and those that are in development) ‘interact’ with plasma proteins and metalloproteins (proteins which contain bound Cu, Fe or Zn). The health relevance of such ‘interactions’ is clearly illustrated by the fact that the irreversible binding of a newly developed medicinal drug to human serum albumin, for instance, will likely render the drug ineffective when administered to patients since it will be unable to enter the target organ (e.g. a tumour). Furthermore, the introduction of a medicinal drug into the bloodstream may adversely affect the transport of essential metals (e.g. Zn2+) to organs, which, if the medicinal drug is frequently administered, will conceivably result in disease (e.g. Zn-deficiency). Our general lack of understanding these ‘interactions’ must be attributed to two main contributing factors, namely the sheer complexity of plasma on the one hand (plasma contains ~10,000 proteins) and the general lack of appropriate tools to study them on the other. Thus, there is an urgent need to devise useful proteomic methods that allow one to probe such interactions in a conceptually simple and rapid manner. One critical obstacle that must be overcome to develop a bioanalytical method to probe interactions between medicinal drugs and plasma constituents is the aforementioned complexity of the plasma proteome. This complexity, however, could be dramatically reduced if one were able to analyze plasma for a sub-proteome, such as all proteins that contain bound Cu, Fe or Zn (these proteins will be collectively referred to as metalloproteins from now on). Importantly, a bioanalytical method that
is capable of separating and detecting plasma metalloproteins would enable one to study the perturbation that a given medicinal drug exerts at the metalloprotein level.
Developing a simple LC-based bioanalytical method to separate plasma metalloproteins The development of a separation for plasma metalloproteins requires one to select (a) an appropriate mobile phase, (b) a suitable separation mechanism/stationary phase and (c) a proper technique to simultaneously detect the metals that are bound to the metalloproteins of interest (i.e. Cu, Fe and Zn). (a) Selection of a mobile phase: Since metal-protein bonds of several metalloproteins are known to be labile, the maintenance of their integrity during the entire LC separation process is absolutely critical, but can be ascertained by carefully choosing an appropriate mobile phase. Considering that metalloproteins are naturally contained in a medium which contains ~2 mM of phosphate (range 0.8-3.6 mM in human plasma) and about 0.9 per cent of salt, phosphate buffered saline (PBS) buffer offers a chemical composition (10 mM phosphate, 2.7 mM KCl and 137 mM NaCl) which resembles that of human plasma and should therefore aid in the stabilization of metal-protein bonds in the metalloproteins of interest. Importantly, the ionic strength of the mobile phase must also be sufficiently high to preclude any irreversible binding of plasma proteins and metalloproteins to the stationary phase during the analysis. (b) Selection of the separation mechanism/stationary phase: To avoid any time consuming sample preparation steps, it would be ideal to directly analyze undiluted plasma. Thus, a robust separation mechanism is needed that can tolerate the protein concentration of plasma. In addition, the selected stationary phase (i.e. its chemical composition) should allow one to consecutively analyze plasma samples without any necessary column cleaning steps between analyses. In principle, these requirements are met by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), which is usually operated under isocratic separation conditions (i.e. no gradi-
ent elution). After screening several commercially available SEC stationary phases for their ability to separate rabbit plasma into as many protein fractions (i.e. protein bands) as possible, an analytical Superdex 200 SEC column (30 x 1.0 cm I.D., fractionation range 600 kDa-10kDa) was found to be ideally suited. (c) Selection of a detection technique: The detection of the separated Cu, Fe and Zn-containing metalloproteins in the SEC column effluent requires an appropriate metal-specific detector. Although an inductively coupled plasma mass
spectrometer (ICP-MS) could be used for this purpose, this detection technique does not tolerate the salt content that is associated with PBS-buffer (>1%) and an alternative detection technique had to be identified. A related analytical technique – namely inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) – is ideally suited for this purpose as it not only tolerates the salt content of PBS-buffer, but it can also simultaneously detect Cu, Fe and Zn as well as other metals, if this is necessary. The analysis of fresh rabbit plasma (0.5 mL) with the developed SECICP-AES system, which is comprised of the aforementioned components (a)-(c) (Fig. 1), allows one to detect ~12 major metalloproteins in <25 min (~5Cu, ~2Fe and ~5Zn) (Fig. 2)1. The SEC-ICP-AES analysis of thawed rabbit plasma revealed a decreased number of Cu-metalloproteins (only 1 Cu-metalloprotein, namely ceruloplasmin is detectable), whereas the number of Fe and Zn-containing plasma metalloproteins (and their intensity) is identical to those obtained for fresh plasma.
Figure 1: Experimental set-up of the SEC-ICP-AES system.
Figure 2: Simultaneous Cu, Fe and Zn-specific chromatogram of fresh rabbit plasma (0.5 mL) obtained by SEC-ICP-AES. Stationary phase: Superdex 200 10/300 GL SEC column (30 x 1.0 cm I.D.; 13 µm particle size); Mobile phase: PBS-buffer (pH 7.4); Flow rate: 1.0 mL/min; Detector: ICP-AES at 324.754 nm (Cu), 259.940 nm (Fe), 213.856 nm (Zn). This figure is reproduced from [1] with kind permission from the Springer + Business media.
www.bioscienceworld.ca Practical application of the developed SEC-ICPAES method Conceptually, SEC-ICP-AES can be applied to obtain relevant information about the interaction of medicinal drugs with plasma constituents (after the addition of the drug to plasma in vitro) with regard to two biochemical events. 1.) It allows one to directly observe the effect that a medicinal drug exerts at the metalloprotein level and in a systems biology-oriented manner as all major Cu, Fe or Zn-containing plasma metalloproteins are detected. This should allow one to study the effect of clinically used chelation therapy agents (e.g. those that are used to treat patients that are suffering from iron overload diseases) with plasma metalloproteins. Importantly, SEC-ICP-AES allows one to simultaneously observe the abstraction of the intended metal from its parent metalloprotein (desired pharmacological effect) as well as the abstraction of an unintended metal from a plasma metalloprotein (toxic side-effect). 2.) Since ICP-AES allows one to simultaneously monitor another metal in addition to Cu, Fe and Zn, it can also be employed to monitor the elution of a metal-based medicinal drug from the SEC column relative to the elution of the endogenous Cu, Fe and Zn-containing metalloproteins (which serve as molecular weight markers). In this manner, the binding of a metal-based medicinal drug (or its hydrolysis product) to plasma proteins can be determined and dynamic changes that may occur over time can be visualized.
Revealing the biomolecular basis of the toxic side effect of iron chelation therapeutics. Genetic human iron overload diseases, such as haemochromatosis, are associated with the accumulation of toxic levels of iron in tissues. Affected patients are frequently treated with socalled iron chelation therapy drugs, which are administered either orally or intravenously. These iron chelation therapy agents form complexes with Fe3+ in vivo, which are subsequently excreted, predominantly via urine. The administration of patients with iron chelation therapy drugs, such as desferrioxamine (DFO) or deferiprone (DFP), however, is also associated with severe toxic side effects,
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Laboratory Focus November 2010 but their biomolecular basis is unknown2. To compare the efficacy of DFO with DFP with regard to the abstraction of Fe3+ from plasma metalloproteins, equimolar amounts of each chelation therapy drug were added to human plasma in vitro. After incubation for 10 min at 37°C the analysis of the mixture by SEC-ICP-AES revealed DFP to be ~8-times as effective in removing Fe3+ from transfer-
rin (Fig. 3)2. Most importantly, however, DFP was also twice as “effective” as DFO in removing Zn2+ from HSA (Fig. 4). The latter result demonstrated for the first time that some of the toxic side effects that are associated with these iron chelation therapeutics are likely based on their adverse effect on the mammalian metabolism of Zn2+. Thus, the application of SEC-ICP-AES allowed fundamentally new in-
sights into blood-based human disease processes in a conceptually simple and rapid manner.
Probing the interaction of the surrogate metal-based drug arsenobetaine to plasma proteins. Arsenobetaine is an essentially non-toxic arsenic compound that is present in nu-
feature merous marine organisms that are used for human consumption. In mammals, this compound is not metabolized and rapidly excreted in urine (~6 h). Interestingly, arsenobetaine was demonstrated to exert a remarkably potent biological effect on the cell viability of mammalian bone
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feature
Figure 4: Zn-specific chromatograms obtained after the SEC-ICP-AES analysis of human plasma (0.5 mL) that had been spiked with a pharmacologically relevant dose of desferrioxamine (DFO) or an equimolar dose of deferiprone (DFP). Stationary phase: Superdex 200 10/300 GL SEC column (30 x 1.0 cm I.D.; 13 µm particle size); Mobile phase: PBS-buffer (pH 7.4); Flow rate: 1.0 mL/min; Detector: ICP-AES at 213.856 nm (Zn). Abbreviation: HSA human serum albumin-bound Zn. This figure is reproduced from [2] with kind permission from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Figure 5: Simultaneous As, Cu, Fe and Zn-specific chromatogram of arsenobetaine-spiked rabbit plasma (A after 5 min; B after 6 h) and human plasma (C after 5 min; D after 6 h) obtained by SEC-ICPAES. Stationary phase: Superdex 200 10/300 GL SEC column (30 x 1.0 cm I.D.; 13 µm particle size); Injection volume: 0.5 mL; Mobile phase: PBS-buffer (pH 7.4); Flow rate: 1.0 mL/min; Detector: ICP-AES at 189.042 nm (As), 324.754 nm (Cu), 259.837 nm (Fe) and 213.856 nm (Zn). Abbreviations: AsB arsenobetaine, Cp ceruloplasmin, Alb human serum albumin (the two arrows indicate labile Cu-metalloproteins that disappear). This figure is reproduced from [3] with kind permission from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
marrow cells in 20013. In order to study the interaction of this surrogate metal-based drug with plasma constituents, arsenobetaine was added to rabbit and human plasma in vitro and the mixtures were analyzed by SECICP-AES over a 6 h period (Fig. 5). The results revealed that arsenobetaine did not bind to plasma proteins >10 kDa and further studies revealed that
it did not bind to any plasma constituent >300 Da in human plasma3. The results explain why arsenobetaine is rapidly excreted in urine and demonstrate that SEC-ICP-AES can, in principle, provide pharmacologically useful information about the interaction of metal-based drugs with plasma constituents in an expedited manner. Considering that the synthesis of
Figure 3: Fe-specific chromatograms obtained after the SEC-ICP-AES analysis of human plasma (0.5 mL) that had been spiked with a pharmacologically relevant dose of desferrioxamine (DFO) or an equimolar dose of deferiprone (DFP). Stationary phase: Superdex 200 10/300 GL SEC column (30 x 1.0 cm I.D.; 13 µm particle size); Mobile phase: PBS-buffer (pH 7.4); Flow rate: 1.0 mL/min; Detector: ICP-AES at 259.940 nm (Fe). Abbreviations: Ft ferritin, Tf transferrin. This figure is reproduced from [2] with kind permission from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
metal-based drugs (containing metals, such as platinum, ruthenium or osmium) for the improved treatment of human cancer patients thrives and taking into account that the vast majority of these drugs are intravenously administered, SEC-ICP-AES can now be ideally employed to study their pharmacologically relevant interactions with blood plasma proteins in vitro. If – as the aforementioned results for arsenobetaine illustrate – the metal-based drug of interest does not bind to plasma proteins (e.g. Human Serum Albumin, Fig. 5), the drug is freely available and can – at least in principle – enter the tumor tissue. Although additional and inherently more costly studies would be necessary in this instance to demonstrate the uptake of the metallodrug into the tumor tissue in vivo, the results that can be rapidly obtained by SEC-ICP-AES nevertheless represent an important intermediate step in the initial assessment of a putative metallodrug.
Conclusions The interaction of medicinal drugs with blood plasma proteins is critically involved in determining their efficacy and/or their toxic side effects, but few methods exist to visualize these interactions. The hyphenation of SEC with an ICP-AES allows one to rapidly determine the distribution of the major Cu, Fe and Zn-containing metalloproteins in mammalian plasma and can be ideally employed to study the effect (intended and unintended) that a medicinal drug that is added to plasma in vitro exerts at the metalloprotein level. Furthermore, the inherent capability of ICP-AES to simultaneously monitor other metals in addition to Cu, Fe and Zn allows one to study the bind-
ing of metal-based drugs to plasma proteins after their addition to plasma in vitro in an expedited manner. Considering that SEC-ICP-AES is conceptually simple to operate and yields results within 25 minutes, interactions between medicinal drugs and plasma proteins/metalloproteins can now be studied in a convenient manner. The aforementioned capabilities of SECICP-AES suggest that this technique will play an important role in drug discovery in the future4.
References: 1. Manley S.A. et al. 2009. Simultaneous Cu, Fe and Zn-specific detection of plasma metalloproteins by size exclusion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 14: 61-74. 2. Sooriyaarachchi M. and J. Gailer. 2010. Removal of Fe3+ and Zn2+ from plasma metalloproteins by iron chelating therapeutics depicted with SEC-ICP-AES. Dalton Trans. 39: 7466-7473. 3. Pei K.L. and J. Gailer 2009. Probing the interaction of arsenobetaine with blood plasma constituents in vitro: an SEC-ICP-AES study. Metallomics 1: 403-408. 4. Manley S.A. and J. Gailer. 2009. Analysis of the plasma metalloproteome by SEC-ICP-AES: bridging proteomics and metabolomics. Expert Rev. Proteomics 6: 251-265.
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Laboratory Focus November 2010
New Products
OXYGEN METER Omega’s new DOB21 is a compact benchtop dissolved oxygen meter and an amperometric dissolved oxygen probe with automatic temperature compensation for field or laboratory applications. It features a RS232 output, auto calibration for all parameters, salinity and barometric pressure compensation, and data logging up to 99 points. Programming is conveniently done via a three button keypad and stored in the non-volatile memory. This product is ideal for testing biological samples, water and waste water, as well as aquariums.
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TISSUE PROCESSOR Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. features the new STP 420ES tissue processor for use in high-volume pathology laboratories. The updated instrument features more robust hardware and ease-of-use, enabling the high-throughput processing of large volumes of tissue to meet the demands of today’s laboratories. The Thermo Scientific STP 420ES models are designed to accommodate the most demanding requirements of researchers and pathologists in the field of tissue processing and have become an essential part of the laboratory workflow. The latest STP 420ES has been updated to include more robust hardware to handle the increasing number of samples processed in modern laboratories. The instrument’s dual chambers allow it to perform simultaneous or independent processing of up to 420 tissue cassettes, enabling higher throughput. In addition, ultimate fluid exchange is ensured by the innovative rotational movement of the main chamber. Rotational agitation is also up to seven-times more effective than conventional tidal agitation, eliminating the need for reprocessing.
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ARRAYS SABiosciences, a QIAGEN company, launches several new RT2 Profiler PCR Arrays for gene expression profiling in nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicology, differentiation and embryonic stem cells markers as well as analysis of epigenetic modulators and enzymes. Covering more than 100 pathways, PCR arrays enable scientists to easily and accurately analyze the gene expression in research areas such as cancer, stem cells, biomarker discovery and immunology. The RT2 Profiler PCR Array provides gene expression data from the RNA within three hours and is composed of PCR Array plates, RT2 first strand kit, RT2 SYBR Green Master Mix and the free PCR Array data analysis software. The arrays, originally developed by SABiosciences, make expression profiling accessible for routine use in every lab with a real-time PCR instrument. The experiment is simple to perform and provides sensitive, reproducible, and reliable results to accurately profile multiple genes simultaneously. The RT2 Profiler PCR Arrays as well as all other products from SABiosciences are now directly available from QIAGEN and offer the most comprehensive portfolio for sample and assay technologies for pathway analysis.
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BUNSEN BURNER WLD-TEC introduces its Flame 100 Safety Burner, the safe alternative for all traditional Bunsen or alcohol burner applications. The Flame 100 is ideally suited for all flame related applications in the laboratory. The 15 millimeter precision flame allows safe sterilization of microbiological instruments as well as graduated heating of dental tools. Flame size and intensity can be adjusted infinitely. The Flame 100 Burner activates immediately with the push of a button. No match or a pilot flame are required. Optionally, the Flame 100 can also be operated by a foot pedal or an external infrared motion sensor. The Flame 100 is suitable for stationary natural gas and propane/butane gas supplies as well as gas cartridges or gas cylinders. The proven Safety Control System (SCS) is also incorporated in the Flame 100. All potential hazards are constantly monitored and, if necessary, protective measures – such as the shutting off the gas supply – are activated.
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CONNECTOR SYSTEM Dolomite introduces the new Mitos In-line Connector System. This innovative connector provides a single, fast and reliable multi-way connection, which offers extensive time savings when compared to traditional connections between individual pipes. In addition to being quick and easy to use, the Mitos In-line Connector provides in-line sealing and highly accurate alignment between the tubes, enabling uninterrupted liquid flow. Available in three standard sizes 4-, 8- and 12-way, the Mitos In-line Connector operates over a wide temperature (-15 0C to 250 0C) and pressure range (up to 10bar), providing excellent chemical compatibility. Furthermore, a low dead volume reduces the risk of cross-contamination between fluid samples, thereby maintaining experimental integrity. The technology benefits a broad range of applications, including chemical and biological analysis, parallel microfluidic processing, providing multi-way fluidic connections between various laboratory equipment. In addition, it is compatible with a variety of polymeric tubes including PTFE, FEP and PEEK. Custom sizes and geometries are also available upon request.
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CELL CULTURE InVitria announces the launch of ITSE Animal-Free, a recombinant and defined cell culture media supplement that provides the ingredients essential for high performance cell culture. ITSE Animal-Free provides a solution for maximizing performance in a consistent and animal-free system. Insulin and transferrin supplements are commonly used in cell culture to reduce the amount of serum, such as fetal bovine serum (FBS), required to optimize performance. Until now, researchers used insulin and transferrin supplements that were derived from animal sources. With ITSE-Animal-Free, cell culture scientists have a new alternative that is completely animal-free and well defined because it incorporates recombinant insulin and transferrin.
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NEW PRODUCTS ROBOTICS
ments. The monitor is fully supported by the Hamilton VENUS software. The new 19” Touch-Screen Monitor can be positioned at any angle up to approximately 135 degrees, mounted on the right side of the STAR instrument, and can be folded out of the way when not in use.
Hamilton Robotics introduces a Touch-Screen Monitor option for its MICROLAB STAR and STARlet liquid handling workstations, providing increased ease of use and space savings. Taking advantage of new Windows* 7 capabilities, the touch screen minimizes the need for a separate keyboard and mouse. Users can customize their own graphical interface with windows that can be moved or scrolled through with finger move-
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DATA LOGGER Omega’s new OM-CP-PHTEMP2000 series is a battery powered, stand
alone pH and temperature data logger with a large LCD display. This product logs data in real-time and features programmable engineering units, programmable start-time, and automatic temperature compensation. This CE marked data logger offers NIST Traceable Calibration. The OMCP-PHTEMP2000 works with Omega’s PHE-4200 series of pH probes. This product is ideal for measuring pH of storm water runoff or drainage.
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JOB TITLE 70 Laboratory Dir. / Mgr. 71 Laboratory Purchaser 72 Laboratory Technician 73 Research Scientist 99 Other:____________________ ____________________________
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COMPANYs PRIMARY BUSINESS ACTIVITY 50 Industrial Laboratories 51 Academic Laboratories (except medical) 52 Medical Laboratories and Pharmacies within Hospitals and Universities (clinical and research)
55 Government Laboratories 54 Pharmaceutical Companies including Pharmaceutical Wholesalers 57 Private (Independent) Lab 99 Other:____________________ ____________________________
Primary Work Field Aerospace Automotive Biological Sciences Chemicals Electrical/Electronics Energy
16 Environmental Science 17 Food/Beverages/ Agriculture 18 Forensics 19 Genetic Technology 20 Material Science
27 Plastics/Rubber 28 Supplier – Instruments/ Consumables 29 Manufacturing 30 Construction 99 Other: ____________
21 Clinical Sciences 22 Metallurgy 23 Paints/Coatings 24 Paper/Pulp 25 Petroleum 26 Pharmaceuticals
Products Used in your Laboratory Analysis Instruments Basic Lab Equipment Chemicals/Biochemicals Chromatography – Gas
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Chromatography – Liquid Filtration, Water Purification LIMS Liquid Handling & Sample Prep
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Microscopes, Optics, Cameras Safety & Hygiene Spectroscopy Testing Systems/Equipment
M Vacuum Equipment
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ArcticDx...........................................5......................... Brinkmann Canada.............................1......................... Caledon Laboratory Chemicals.........6.................4390 Canadian Institutes of................................................... Health Research (CIHR).....................4......................... Canadian Pharmaceutical............................................... Distribution Network (CPDN)..............6......................... Carleton University............................4......................... Chemical Institute of Canada............9.................4392 Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc.................6......................... Dolomite..........................................15................4399 Eppendorf.......................................19................4403 Fisher Scientific...............................2.................4388 Genome British Columbia....................3......................... Gowlings...........................................3......................... Hamilton Robotics............................16................4400 InVitria............................................15................4397 Jennerex, Inc....................................7......................... Labtronics Inc...................................6......................... Lawson Health Research Institute .1,3................4405 MaRS Discovery District....................7......................... Medicago Inc.....................................6......................... Memorial University...........................4......................... Metrohm ......................................1, 5...............4389 National Research Council (NRC)........2......................... Natural Resources Canada...............1, 4....................... Omega.............................................15................4395 Oncolytics Biotech Inc........................6......................... OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc..........6......................... Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI)........5......................... Pratt & Whitney Canada.....................2......................... Resverlogix Corp...............................7......................... Retsch.............................................7.................4391 Rolls-Royce Canada Limited................2......................... Sanyo.............................................20................4404 The Global Aerospace Centre for.................................... Icing and Environmental................................................. Research (GLACIER) facility................2......................... Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc...............15................4396 Trans-Hit Biomarkers Inc....................6......................... VWR...............................................11................4393 WLD-TEC..........................................15................4398 Wyvern Scientific Inc......................13................4394 YM BioSciences Inc............................7.........................
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November 2010 November 8-10 HealthAchieve Toronto, ON Tel: (416) 205-1300 Fax (416) 205-1301 Email: info@oha.com Web: www.oha.com
November 15 Botanical drug discovery: Breakthroughs in polymolecular therapeutics Venue: MaRS Centre, Toronto, ON Web: http:// botanicaldrugdiscovery. eventbrite.com/
November 15-17 Influenza Congress USA 2010 Washington, DC, USA Tel: 212-379-6322 Fax 212-379-6319 Email: enquiry.us@ terrapinn.com Web: www.terrapinn.com
November 16-17
Laboratory Focus November 2010
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December 2010 December 5-8
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9th Canadian BioPartnering China Immunization Conference Venue: Renaissance Quebec City, QC Shanghai Pudong Hotel, Tel: (613) 941-8189 Shanghai, China Fax: (613) 998-6413 Web: www.techvision. Email: immunconf@ com/bpc web ad 2.qxp 12/23/2005 10:43 AM Page 1 phac-aspc.gc.ca Web: www.phac-aspc. gc.ca/cnic-ccni/index.html
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November 2010 Laboratory Focus
Career sPotliGht Bio-economy Career Profile Compiled by BioTalent Canada Position: Director of laboratory operations and facilities Salary Range: $80,000 to $120,000 per year
Queen’s university shows theM how it’s done – delivering award-winning research
Queen’s University is responsible for award-winning research, which promises improvements to laser surgery. Paul Webster and Joe Yu shared first prize at the 29th Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics poster contest. Low-cost imaging technology could essentially improve the safety of laser surgery in general. Other contributors to the project included graduate student Ben Leung, undergraduate students Logan Wright and Kevin Mortimer and principal investigator James Fraser. Lasers have the ability to be focused very tightly on a tiny spot, but their use is limited in some cases because the beam keeps going and it’s difficult to control cut depth. Amazingly, the researchers were able to create imaging technology that can look below the point of drilling and provide information that allows the surgeon doing the cutting from going too far. Looking ahead to the future, this technology could improve the safety of laser surgery or allow lasers to be used for more medical procedures. On the industrial side of the coin, welders can use the technology to judge how deep the weld is penetrating. The technology can even provide valuable information about the molten metal in the drilling hole. The winning poster was Canada’s only entry in a field of 50 from around the world. The technology stood out in part because it offered a low-cost system with industrial applications. The system cost less than $10,000 in parts and is integrated into the existing laser processing head. The imaging technology is delivered together with the cutting beam. Already a number of companies have shown interest in the research for both industrial and medical applications. The team is even looking at ramping up a major research operation to develop the proof of concept into a technology that is safe for surgeries and welding. “That is a big task, but there are a lot of positive signs that we can get the financial and personnel support we need to take the next step and really help a Canadian startup company,” said Webster.
What I do:
I manage a biotechnology research laboratory and facility, ensuring it’s well stocked and runs in an efficient and safe manner. My day-to-day work revolves around managing the laboratories and the GMP manufacturing facility. I oversee the ordering and purchasing of equipment and consumables required by the scientists. I am also responsible for the facility, including its maintenance and repairs, as well as hiring contractors to keep the building operating at full capacity. My role has also included assisting in the design and building of the original labs and the physical expansion of the operation from a 25,000square-foot facility seven years ago to approximately 55,000 square feet today, which is something I never imagined would be part of my career in biotechnology.
What education and skills do candidates need for this position?
I have a Bachelor and Master of Science, majoring in Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology. In this position, you require at least a Bachelors of Science in a variety of possible disciplines, but a Master of Science would allow you to advance more quickly within the industry. You need strong communication skills, as you deal with a wide range of people on a daily basis, from research scientists and senior management to maintenance and janitorial staff. You also require managerial skills, which help you prioritize your daily work as you deal with many different agendas and needs. Computer skills are definitely required in this position. Patience is something a person would need in abundance when dealing with the internal and external contacts. You also need to be a problem solver, very organized, efficient, and it is essential to have great attention to detail. I would encourage people interested in this position to continue working on upgrading their education whenever possible.
What are the best parts of your job?
My job is interesting and exciting for two reasons: the people I get to work with and my love of science. It is difficult to fully explain to people who do not work in this industry what it is that we do, but the fact that we can genetically modify a naturally occurring plant, known as Safflower, to produce recombinant proteins in the seed and extract to be used to improve people’s health and lives, is fascinating to most.
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