In the news

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In the news Nanoparticle-tracking analysis furthers cancer research Nanoparticle (NP)-tracking analysis (NTA) is being used in cancer research to estimate the purity of vesicle preparations and to char- acterize exosomes [1,2]. At the School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, Aled Clayton and his group (Fig. 1) are using NTA to compare the ratio of nanovesicle counts to protein concentration [1]. Clayton and his team are re- searching the roles of exosomes in modulating tumor immunity and the cancer microenvironment in prostate cancer. Exosomes are nanometer (nm)-sized vesicles, pro- duced in abundance by malignant cells, but many of their physiologi- cal functions are incompletely un- derstood. Among Clayton’s interests are exosomes as possible disease mar- kers. He and his colleagues have been using the NanoSight NP characterization system as a reli- able tool to analyze urine and serum from patients. He is also keen to develop fluorescent methods with this platform. ‘‘As well as our own interests in cancer, we also collaborate with local colleagues interested in di- verse conditions (Alzheimer’s, car- diac disease, renal disease and others), in which vesicles may play a role,’’ said Clayton. ‘‘NanoSight’s NTA system has been a versatile platform aiding all of these studies. ‘‘Prior to using NTA, there were few other options available. We had made use of electron microscopy, but we have come to rely on NTA, as it is a very sensitive and versatile platform, well suited to daily use.’’ In their recent work, Clayton and colleague Jason Webber, posed the question ‘‘How pure are your ve- sicles?’’ They proposed a straight- forward method to estimate the purity of vesicle preparations by comparing the ratio of nanovesicle counts to protein concentration, using tools, including NTA and a colorimetric protein assay. They showed that this approach is simple enough to apply to every vesicle preparation to assist researchers with routine quality control. The paper also proposes that the ap- proach may aid in comparing/ standardizing vesicle purity across diverse studies, and may be of par- ticular importance in evaluating vesicular biomarkers. Secreted exosomes At Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, USA, Hector Peinado Selgas and David Lyden aim to gain better understanding and char- acterization of exosomes, NPs se- creted from tumor cells [2]. ‘‘In our laboratory, we are in- terested in analyzing the role of tumor-secreted exosomes in metas- tasis, said lead author Selgas (Fig. 2). ‘‘We have recently published a study describing how exosomes se- creted from melanoma tumor cells are educating bone marrow derived progenitor cells toward a pro- metastatic phenotype. ‘‘We are also interested in ana- lyzing the use of exosomes as bio- markers of specific tumor types and their use as prognostic factors, on which Cornell University currently has pending patents. ‘‘We have found that the protein content per exosome is increased in metastatic melanoma patients,’’ said Selgas. ‘‘In addition, we have observed that metastatic cell lines also have increased protein content per exosome, so knowing the number of exosomes was a defini- tive and necessary step in our re- search. Figure 1. Aled Clayton (back) with members of his group – Joanne Welton, Jason Webber and Ridwana Chowdhury – with their NanoSight nanoparticle- tracking analysis (NTA) system. Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 46, 2013 In the news 0165-9936/$ - see front matter doi:10.1016/j.trac.2013.03.004 v

Transcript of In the news

Page 1: In the news

Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 46, 2013 In the news

In the news

Nanoparticle-tracking analysis furthers cancer research

Nanoparticle (NP)-tracking analysis(NTA) is being used in cancerresearch to estimate the purity ofvesicle preparations and to char-acterize exosomes [1,2].

At the School of Medicine, CardiffUniversity, Wales, Aled Clayton andhis group (Fig. 1) are using NTA tocompare the ratio of nanovesiclecounts to protein concentration [1].

Clayton and his team are re-searching the roles of exosomes inmodulating tumor immunity andthe cancer microenvironment inprostate cancer. Exosomes arenanometer (nm)-sized vesicles, pro-duced in abundance by malignantcells, but many of their physiologi-cal functions are incompletely un-derstood.

Among Clayton’s interests areexosomes as possible disease mar-kers. He and his colleagues havebeen using the NanoSight NPcharacterization system as a reli-able tool to analyze urine andserum from patients. He is also keen

Figure 1. Aled Clayton (back) with members ofand Ridwana Chowdhury – with their NanoSisystem.

0165-9936/$ - see front matter doi:10.1016/j.trac.2013

to develop fluorescent methods withthis platform.

‘‘As well as our own interests incancer, we also collaborate withlocal colleagues interested in di-verse conditions (Alzheimer’s, car-diac disease, renal disease andothers), in which vesicles may playa role,’’ said Clayton. ‘‘NanoSight’sNTA system has been a versatileplatform aiding all of these studies.

‘‘Prior to using NTA, there werefew other options available. We hadmade use of electron microscopy,but we have come to rely onNTA, as it is a very sensitive andversatile platform, well suited todaily use.’’

In their recent work, Clayton andcolleague Jason Webber, posed thequestion ‘‘How pure are your ve-sicles?’’ They proposed a straight-forward method to estimate thepurity of vesicle preparations bycomparing the ratio of nanovesiclecounts to protein concentration,using tools, including NTA and a

his group – Joanne Welton, Jason Webberght nanoparticle- tracking analysis (NTA)

.03.004

colorimetric protein assay. Theyshowed that this approach is simpleenough to apply to every vesiclepreparation to assist researcherswith routine quality control. Thepaper also proposes that the ap-proach may aid in comparing/standardizing vesicle purity acrossdiverse studies, and may be of par-ticular importance in evaluatingvesicular biomarkers.

Secreted exosomesAt Weill Cornell Medical College,New York, USA, Hector PeinadoSelgas and David Lyden aim to gainbetter understanding and char-acterization of exosomes, NPs se-creted from tumor cells [2].

‘‘In our laboratory, we are in-terested in analyzing the role oftumor-secreted exosomes in metas-tasis, said lead author Selgas (Fig.2). ‘‘We have recently published astudy describing how exosomes se-creted from melanoma tumor cellsare educating bone marrow derivedprogenitor cells toward a pro-metastatic phenotype.

‘‘We are also interested in ana-lyzing the use of exosomes as bio-markers of specific tumor types andtheir use as prognostic factors, onwhich Cornell University currentlyhas pending patents.

‘‘We have found that the proteincontent per exosome is increased inmetastatic melanoma patients,’’said Selgas. ‘‘In addition, we haveobserved that metastatic cell linesalso have increased protein contentper exosome, so knowing thenumber of exosomes was a defini-tive and necessary step in our re-search.

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Figure 2. Hector Peinado Selgas uses theNanoSight LM-10 system at WeillCornell Medical College, New York,USA.

TrAC’s Top 10 citedarticles publishedsince 2009*

1. Liquid-phase microextraction

by A, Sarafraz-Yazdi and A. Amiri

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010) 1.

2. Dispersive liquid-liquid micro-

extraction for the determination

of organic analytes

by A.V. Herrera-Herrera, M. Asensio-

Ramos, J. Hernandez-Borges and M.T.

Roderiguez-Delgado

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010) 728.

3. Coupling ultra-high-pressure li-

quid chromatography with mass

spectrometry

by D. Guillarme, J. Schappler, S. Rudaz

and J.-L. Veuthey

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010) 15.

4. Electrochemical sensing based

on carbon nanotubes

by P. Yanez-Sedeno, J.M. Pingarron, J.

Riu and F.X. Rius

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010) 939.

5. Graphene for electrochemical

sensing and biosensing

by M. Pumera, A. Ambrosi, A. Bo-

nanni, E.L.K. Chng and H.L. Poh

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010) 954.

6. Vertebrate metallothioneins as

In the news Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 46, 2013

‘‘Before this work, we were onlyfollowing qualitative changes inexosomes. Now we are able to makequantitative analyses using NTA.This has facilitated our recent re-search work.

‘‘Prior to using NTA, I wasmeasuring exosome size by electronmicroscopy. There was no othertechnique available. The new tech-nology allows us to analyze millionsof particles, particle by particle, inminutes, giving not only numbers

Figure 3. Acquity APC.

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but also population distribution.Although the measurement of thesize of the particles is not as accu-rate as the electron microscopy,NTA does allow us to process alarge number of samples in a shorttime period,’’ said Selgas.

Contact:Jeremy WarrenNanoSightSalisbury, UKTel: +44(0)1980 676060E-mail: [email protected]

References[1] J. Webber, A. Clayton, J. Extracellular

Vesicles 2 (2013) 19861.

[2] H. Peinado, et al. Nature Med. 18 (2012)

883.

target molecules for analytical

techniques

by V. Adam, I. Fabrik, R. Kizek, V.

Adam, T. Eckschlager, M. Stiborova

and L. Trnkova

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010) 409.

7. Liquid-phase microextraction

techniques within the frame-

work of analytical chemistry

by F. Pena-Pereira, I. Lavilla and C.

Bendicho

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010) 617.

8. Carbon nanostructures for se-

paration, preconcentration and

speciation of metal ions

by K. Pyrzynska

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010) 718.

9. The role of ionic liquids in

sorptive microextraction techni-

ques

by E. Aguilera-Herrador, R. Lucena, S.

Cardenas and M. Valcarcel

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010) 602.

10. Molecularly-imprinted poly-

mers: Useful sorbents for selec-

tive extractions

by A. Beltran, F. Borrull, R.M. Marce

and P.A.G. Cormack

Trends Anal. Chem. 29 (2010)

1375.

*Extracted from SciVerse Scopus, 13

March 2013

Dow and Watersadvance polymeranalysis

Dow Chemical and Waters ad-vanced polymer analysis with thelaunch of an ultra-high-pressure sizeexclusion chromatography system,the Acquity APC (advanced polymerchromatography) (Fig. 3), at Pittcon2013 in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

It seemed almost to mark the50th anniversary of the first in-strument for gel-permeation chro-matography, GPC 100, as a resultof collaboration between companyfounder Jim Waters and Dow Che-mical in 1962.

After the success in working withWaters in applying the AcquityUPLC (ultra-high-pressure liquidchromatography) technology since2004, Dow approached Waters tosee if GPC could be improved with asimilar approach. The result is theAcquity APC system, at the heart ofwhich is an innovative refractiveindex (RI) detector, which has beenoptimized for low dispersion butalso with the low noise and driftperformance required for accurateintegration, even at low polymerconcentrations.

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Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 46, 2013 In the news

The precise flow delivery of theisocratic solvent manager ensuresthat the calibrated system deliversaccurate molecular weight data,day after day. Additionally, thesystem features new column tech-nology based on rigid, sub 3 lm,high pore volume bridged-ethylhybrid particles that provide sig-nificant gains in stability and fasterseparations.

Dow Associate R&D Director JimAlexander gave a resounding en-dorsement. He showed how theAcquity APC had speeded up poly-mer analysis by a factor of 10–20.He said that the smaller particle size(1.7 lm) in the column gave muchmore accurate molecular weightdata.

Potentially, the Acquity APC hasa range of 200–2 X106 Dalton, sothat it could be applied not only topolymers but also to proteins.

Waters Separations TechnologiesVice President Ian King notedthat APC represents a majorchange from soft gel columnsthat are susceptible to swelling inthe solvents used for polymer ana-lysis.

‘‘With APC, scientists can rundiverse polymer applications on asingle system, on one bank of col-umns with a variety of solvents,’’ hesaid. ‘‘Now our customers can sig-nificantly improve laboratory effi-ciency and asset utilization. Thiscollaboration with Dow is an ex-ample of what can happen whenyou merge leading edge technology

Figure 4. Optilab UT-rEX.

with excellent innovation and ef-fective collaboration.’’

Contact:Chris OrlandoWaters CorporationTel.: +1 (508) 482-2623E-mail: [email protected]

Beaten to the punch?Wyatt Technology could claim tohave beaten Waters to the punchwith its launch earlier in the year ofits Optilab UT-rEX (Fig. 4), the firstdifferential refractive index (dRI)detector specifically designed for usewith ultra-high performance liquidchromatography (UHPLC) systemsin order to measure concentrationsover ıL-volume peaks.

‘‘We can claim to be the first tomarket,’’ Wyatt CEO Geoff Wyatt,‘‘and, although we don’t now ex-pect to sell many UT-rEX instru-ments to users of Waters’s AcquityUPLC systems, our Optilab UT-rEXis compatible with the instrumentsof all other manufacturers of ultra-high-performance liquid chromato-graphy (UHPLC) systems.’’

Using a combination of minia-turized components and semi-conductor-photodiode technology,as well as proprietary computeralgorithms, the linearity of the Op-tilab UT-rEX spans an enormousconcentration range. Coupled withits sensitivity to samples that arenot ultraviolet (UV) active, thisperformance makes it suitable foruse with UHPLC.

Considering the extremely smallpeak volumes of UHPLC, the mixingvolume from the Optilab UT-rEX iskept to the absolute minimum atless than 1.5 ıL, compared to 20–40ıL or more of other RI detectors. Asa result, the superior resolutionfrom UHPLC columns and instru-ments is not compromised with theUT-rEX dRI detector.

In addition, there are no range orgain settings. The full range of in-strument detection is always pre-sent, and the full sensitivity existsover the entire range. The smallflow cell and temperature regula-tion enable stable dRI baselines andRI signals, which further enhancethe sensitivity of the OptilabUT-rEX.

The Optilab UT-rEX can be oper-ated below ambient temperaturesas easily as above ambient. ‘‘Nohassle’’ temperature control can beprogrammed down to 4�C or ashigh as 50�C.

Contact:Geoff WyattWyatt TechnologyE-mail: [email protected]: www.wyatt.com

C60 stars with Kroto

C60 is being synthesized in hugequantities by stars in space so that itis responsible for much of cosmicinfrared background (CIB) radiation

Figure 5. Professor Sir Harry Kroto,Nobel Laureate.

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Figure 6. Gunther Laukien was awardedthe Pittcon Heritage Award 2013posthumously.

In the news Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 46, 2013

that has confounded astronomers,Nobel Laureate Professor Sir HarryKroto (Fig. 5) told the audience atthe Wallace H. Coulter Plenary Lect-ure at the opening of Pittcon2013 in Philadelphia, PA, USA, inMarch.

Although he had proposed thatC60 is responsible for CIB radiation aslong ago as 1992, seven yearsafter he discovered C60 as a new formof carbon, it was not until nearly20 years later that astronomersfound confirmatory experimentalevidence using the Spitzer infrared(IR) telescope. The IR spectrathat the astronomers reported forstars in 2010 overlapped with the IRspectrum of C60 to a great extent.

Prof. Kroto, currently FrancesEppes Professor of Chemistry atFlorida State University was givingthe first ever Wallace H. CoulterPlenary Lecture at Pittcon. To markthe 100th Anniversary of WallaceH. Coulter, his eponymous founda-tion signed an agreement underwhich the Pittcon Conference re-ceived an endowment to undertakeeducational training and develop-ment in laboratory science withspecial emphasis in resource-limitedcountries worldwide, so the PittconConference renamed the PlenaryLecture in honor of Wallace H.Coulter.

The Wallace H. Coulter Lecture-ship Award recognized Prof. Krotoas ‘‘an outstanding individual whohas demonstrated a lifetime com-mitment to, and made importantcontributions that have had a sig-nificant impact on education, prac-tice and/or research in laboratoryscience’’.

Prof. Kroto entitled his WallaceH. Coulter Plenary Lecture‘‘Exameter Objects to NanometerOnes and Back Again’’, explainingthat exameter objects are thebiggest structures in the Universe,out of which stars emerge, andthese emerging stars have been asource of C60 for millions of years,even if his discovery of C60 on Earthwas so recent.

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Heritage Awardhonors Laukien

Gunther Laukien was awarded thePittcon Heritage Award 2013 atthe opening session of Pittcon 2013in Philadelphia, PA, USA, in March.

His son, Frank, the currentPresident, CEO and Chairman ofBruker Corporation, accepted theaward on behalf of his father, post-humously.

Chief Founder of Bruker PhysikAG, now Bruker Corporation, Gun-ther Laukien (Fig. 6) pioneeredmany of the first commerciallysuccessful nuclear magnetic re-sonance (NMR) spectrometers andled the practical commercializationof NMR spectrometry and Fourier-transform (FT)-NMR.

‘‘More than any other en-trepreneur of his era, Laukien wasresponsible for the globalization ofNMR technology’’, said the citation.

‘‘After important progress wasmade in the understanding of FT-NMR, Bruker went global with theWH-90 in 1971, the first FT-onlyNMR spectrometer . . . .

‘‘Bruker’s growth and worldwidedistribution network allowed Lau-kien to expand into the production ofnew types of analytical instruments– mass spectrometers and FT-infra-red spectrophotometers – as well asmedical devices. Moreover in 1978,Laukien’s global success led IBM toinvest in Bruker and collaboratewith it in developing and producing

a broad suite of analytical instru-ments that were sold in the UnitedStates under the IBM label . . .

‘‘In his later years, before hisdeath from cancer in 1997,Gunther Laukien devoted much ofhis time in developing mass spec-trometry.’’

Accompanied by his daughter,Brigitte, Frank Laukien expressedgreat pleasure in accepting thePittcon Heritage Award on behalf ofhis father, who had established theBruker Corporation on its path ofinnovation with integrity with thegoal of improving the quality of life.

Start-ups win PittconEditors’ Awards

The pHit Scanner from SenovaSystems (senovasystems.com) tookthe Gold Award in March at Pittcon2013 in Philadelphia, PA, USA – atwhich all the Editors’ Awards wentto start-up companies.

The pHit Scanner is the world’sfirst calibration-free pH meter, ac-cording to Senova. The sensorcomprises a carbon substrate coatedwith analyte-sensing molecules.The chemistry used to create thesensor allows for an ionic commu-nication to take place without anymass transfer. This design mini-mizes drift, as there is no porous fritor junction, as commonly found inglass pH meters. Also, the non-porous design virtually eliminatesclogging and prevents sample con-tamination due to leaking.

The Silver Award went to Opto-fluidics (www.optofluidicscorp.com)for its Molecular NanoTweezer, anattachment to standard micro-scopes, which handles the smallestof particles, including individualproteins, viruses, cells and in-organic nanoparticles via a laser-trapping technology.

The Bronze Award went jointly to:APIX Technologies (www.api-tech.com) for its MAX-One andGCAP miniaturized gas chromato-graphy (GC) systems; and, PIE

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Figure 7. Microsaic Systems�s 4000 MiDchip-based mass spectrometer.

Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 46, 2013 In the news

Photonics (piephotonics.com) for itsPie-in-a-Box passive interferometerengine. APIX’s nanometric resonat-ing device, based on semiconductortechnology, allows GC with ambientair as carrier gas so that GC analysescan take place in the field or on-line.The other nominations were:

SpectroScout family of portableXRF (AMETEK); TwinDrive rhe-ometer (Anton Paar); LGD F 200gas analyzer (Axetris); NGC chro-matography platform (Bio-Rad);SkyScan 1272 NDT and CompactqToF (Bruker); TLC-CMS interface(CAMAG); DIAFILM EA electrodematerial (Element Six); SpinSolveNMR (Magritek); 4000 MiD MS(Microsaic); ezAFM (NanoMag-netics Instruments); NS300 particlesizer (NanoSight); Perseus STA 449F1/F3 (NETZSCH); H2PEM-PD hy-drogen generator (Parker Hanni-fin); QuadraTherm 640i-780isensor (Sierra Instruments); Ac-quity APC (Waters); StrobeLock(WiTEC); Optilab UT-Rex RI de-tector (Wyatt); and, MiScopehandheld microscope (Zarbeco).

Figure 8. Verapamil sensitivity tests by liquid chromatography coupled to the Microsaic4000 MiD mass spectrometer.

Chip-based MS isreadily deployable

Microsaic Systems launched the4000 MiD chip-based mass spec-trometer at Pittcon 2013 in Phila-delphia, PA, USA, which has manyfeatures that allow it to be readilydeployed in a wide range of appli-cations that were not previouslyeasy to address.

Since 2001, Microsaic Systemshas developed and commercializedideas that were originally conceivedat the Optical and SemiconductorDevices Group at Imperial CollegeLondon. The company’s break-through product, the 3500 MiD,launched in January 2011, was theworld’s smallest commercial MS in-strument capable of being coupled tostandard liquid chromatography(LC) systems. It represented a stepchange in the field of MS and won a2012 R&D 100 award from an in-

dependent judging panel and theEditors of R&D magazine.

The 4000 MiD (Fig. 7) bringstogether MS and silicon micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)engineering to transform chemicaldetection. The instrument is easilyaccommodated in a standard fumehood, where it has been used tomonitor chemical reactions, dis-covering intermediate products thatchemists did not know existed.

Unlike any conventional system,the 4000 MiD does not require acumbersome floor pump or separatePC. The 4000 MiD is readily in-tegrated with chromatographyequipment, and is ideally suited toreaction and process monitoring.Users benefit from significant cost-of-ownership savings. Consuming

only a fraction of the power de-manded by conventional instru-ments, the 4000 MiD is also in tunewith ‘‘green laboratory’’ workingpractices.

Amongst its uses is contamina-tion monitoring, for example incontrolling the quality of aviationfuel, where its sensitivity of <100ppm for fatty acid methyl esters(FAMEs) is suitable (Fig. 8).

‘‘Offering the smallest footprint inthe market, the Microsaic 4000 MiDis a fully integrated, versatile, por-table MS system designed for benchchemists,’’ said Microsaic CEO ColinJump. ‘‘The core technologies arechip-scale versions of traditionalMS components, which can beinterchanged rapidly by the user.This modular approach allowsusers to maintain the system with-out the need for expensive servicecontracts and time-consumingcall-outs.’’

Contact:Colin JumpMicrosaic SystemsE-mail: [email protected]: www.microsaic.com

Boron boostselectroanalysis

Element Six expects the free-standing,solid boron-doped microwavechemical-vapor-deposition (CVD)diamond electrode, DIAFILM EA

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Figure 9. Data provided by The University of Warwick show reversible characteristics forelectrolysis of a redox mediator recorded using Element Six�s DIAFILM EA.

Figure 10. Chemical Heritage Foundation display about the invention in 1957 of the electro-chemical detector (bottom left) by James Lovelock (top right).

In the news Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 46, 2013

(Electroanalysis grade) (Fig. 9) totransform sensing technologies,following its introduction at Pittcon2013 in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Its use in the development of thenext generation of advanced elec-troanalysis sensing systems willbenefit the biomedical, environ-mental, food, pharmaceutical, andoil and gas industries.

Developed in collaboration withUniversity of Warwick, UK, DIAFILMEA benefits from being chemicallyinert and stable, overcoming long-term stability issues in the harshest ofenvironments (e.g., corrosive andelevated temperature and pressureoperations). In many of the most de-manding of electroanalysis applica-tions, DIAFILM EA can performthousands of cycles, whereas otherelectrode materials only survive asingle use. This robustness is com-bined with high phase purity andoptimum levels of conductivity, en-abling the highest levels of sensitivity,selectivity and responsiveness.

Element Six is actively colla-borating with commercial partnersto enhance electrochemical-sensing applications. With thewidest solvent window of anyelectrode material and the lowestbackground current and capaci-tance, DIAFILM EA could trans-form the business economics ofelectroanalytical-sensing systemsand technologies.

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‘‘For the past decade or so,thin-film boron-doped diamondelectrodes have not delivered ontheir technical promise, as theindustry has struggled to combinethe necessary level of conductivitywith the required phase purity,’’ saidElement Six Head of TechnologiesAdrian Wilson. ‘‘We have manu-factured a grade of boron-doped CVDdiamond with the ideal optimalconductivity, combined with 100%

phase purity to meet this marketneed.’’

‘‘The research and developmentof synthetic diamond as an electrodematerial has exposed its potential totransform the future of sensingtechnologies,’’ said Professor JulieMacPherson, University of Warwick.‘‘Element Six’s CVD diamond is anexciting material to work with, andone we’ve enjoyed working withthroughout our six-year researchcollaboration with the company.’’

Contact:Website: www.e6.com/sensors

Femtogram electro-chemical detector

Some 56 years after James Lovelockinvented the electrochemical de-tector (ECD), Thermo Scientific in-troduced the Dionex UltiMate 3000ECD in March at Pittcon 2013 inPhiladelphia, PA, USA, whereLovelock’s historic device is high-lighted at the Chemical HeritageFoundation (Fig. 10).

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Figure 11. Dionex UltiMate 3000 electrochemical detector.

Figure 12. Intensities of Raman (blue) and fluorescence (green) signals over time.

Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 46, 2013 In the news

The UltiMate 3000 ECD (Fig. 11)makes the speed and resolution ofultra-high-performance liquid chro-matography (UHPLC) separationavailable with electrochemical de-tection, which offers: the highsensitivity needed to measure neu-rotransmitters; the robustness toanalyze pharmaceutical com-pounds; and, the selectivity to char-acterize complex samples (e.g.,supplements, beverages, and biolo-gical samples).

The UltiMate 3000 ECD featurescoulometric and amperometricsensors that are designed for simple,flexible and low-maintenance op-eration. Coulometric sensors areknown for their stability and lowmaintenance. Amperometric sen-sors are chosen for their very highsensitivity, even with precious, vo-lume-limited samples.

The plug-and-play electro-chemical sensors with SmartChipintelligence are designed to config-ure the instrument automatically,optimize parameters and minimizenoise by eliminating cable connec-tions. Fluidic components are ex-changeable from the front of thedetector without special tools, sosimplifying routine set-up andmaintenance. Full-scale signal auto-ranging protects data integrity byreducing peak over-ranging. TheUltiMate 3000 ECD can be used withgradients for method flexibility andhigh throughput.

Contact:Website: www.thermoscientific.com/ECdetection

Fluorescence andRaman signalsresolved by time

WITec launched StrobeLock, a time-correlated single photon countingmeasurement module, whoseimaging modes include fluores-cence-lifetime imaging (FLIM) andtime-resolved luminescence micro-scopy (TLM), at Pittcon 2013 inPhiladelphia, PA, USA, in March.

StrobeLock can be integratedwith the WITec alpha300 and al-pha500 microscope series, and ap-

plied for Raman fluorescenceseparation (RFS).

StrobeLock facilitates the acqui-sition of additional material con-trasts hidden in the time-function offluorescence and luminescence sig-nals and allows them to be perfectlylinked with Raman, scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) oratomic force microscopy (AFM)imaging. It enables measurementpossibilities for improved, compre-hensive understanding of a sam-ple’s properties and is specificallysuitable for materials science.

The modular design of the WITecmicroscopes facilitates user-friendlycombination of the StrobeLockmodule with the WITec confocalmicroscope series. StrobeLockcomprises a pulsed excitation-lasersystem combined with a time-correlated single-photon counting(TCSPC) detector. The possibility toswitch between time-resolved andconventional modes enables theuser to choose the preferred mea-surement technique.

‘‘StrobeLock complements themodular WITec microscope systemswith customized solutions for themost accurate FLIM and TLM.’’ saidWITec Managing Director JoachimKoenen. ‘‘This exceptional develop-ment significantly extends the cap-abilities of the WITec microscopeseries and opens a new field of

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Figure 13. Raman fluorescence separation (RFS) on calcium-sulfite nanowires: (left) the slow fluorescence signal (yellow); (center) the fastRaman signal (yellow); and, (right) the Raman image (green) combined with the fluorescence signal (red).

In the news Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 46, 2013

application for a more comprehen-sive sample characterization.’’

For RFS, while the emission timeof a fluorescence signal is 0.1–10ns, the Raman signal has an emis-sion time of 0.001 ns (Fig. 12). Thisdifference enables RFS to detect theRaman signal [Fig. 13 (left)] andisolate it from the fluorescencesignal [Fig. 13 (center)], or displaythem together [Fig. 13 (right)].

Contact:Harald FischerWITec, Ulm, GermanyTel.: +49 (0)731 140 70-0E-mail: [email protected]

Horizon marks 20thanniversary

Horizon Technology marked thelaunch of its XcelVap automationevaporation/concentration system

Figure 14. Before the hand-over ceremony at thePhiladelphia, PA, USA, the newly launched Xceogy�s original disk extractor (with the celebratory

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at Pittcon 2013 in Philadelphia, PA,USA, by donating its original diskextraction instrument to the Che-mical Heritage Foundation mu-seum, which also happens to be inPhiladelphia (Fig. 14).

The XcelVap provides rapid,gentle, controlled evaporation of upto 54 sample extracts in sizes up to200 mL.

The company’s first product 20years ago was a disk extractor thatremoved solvent from disks undervacuum.

Now, liquid/liquid, continuous,solid-phase extractions of environ-mental, food, clinical or other ma-trices still need solvent to beevaporated rapidly to reduce samplevolumes so as to achieve the bestsensitivity from the final analyticalinstrument – hence the role of theXcelVap – which accomplishesevaporation by combining consistentheat, controlled sparge gas and

Chemical Heritage Foundation museum inlVap is shown alongside Horizon Technol-

cake to the right!).

active venting of the solventvapors.

As a result with the XcelVap, lesstime and attention are needed toprepare reproducible extracts forchromatography (including GC-MS,LC-MSn, GC and LC), so as to im-prove laboratory productivity.

Contact:Marc HamelHorizon Technology, Inc.Salem, NH, USAE-mail: [email protected]

Partnership promotesP4 medicine

Institute for Systems Biology (ISB)and AB Sciex have signed a multi-year agreement to collaborate onthe development of methods andtechnology in proteomics massspectrometry (MS) with the goal toredefine biomarker research andcomplement genomics throughfully comprehensive quantitativeproteomics analysis.

Led by ISB President and Co-founder Professor Lee Hood andProteomics Research Director Ro-bert Moritz, ISB has a concept thatpromises to provide deep insightinto disease mechanisms on thepath to develop medical care that ispredictive, personalized, preventiveand participatory (P4) – a pioneer-ing vision that requires a combina-tion of analytical tools, workflows,databases, collaborations and com-putational strategies.

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‘‘With breakthroughs in trans-lating research into clinical re-levance, P4 medicine is expected toenable the creation of a virtualcloud of billions of data pointsaround each individual as the basisfor straightforward predictionsabout health and disease,’’ saidHood. In December, he was nameda recipient of the National Medal ofScience, which is the highest honorthe US President of can bestow on ascientist, in recognition of visionarywork for the advancement of sci-ence (Fig. 15).

ISB’s groundbreaking research isbeing accelerated by SWATH Ac-quisition, a data-independent ac-quisition (DIA) MS workflow thatcan quantify virtually all detectablepeptides and proteins in a complexsample – all in a single analysis.

‘‘Quantifying enormous numbersof protein analytes at the same timeis a critical need to accelerate P4medicine and the democratization ofproteomics, a revolution that is akinto the sequencing of the genome and

Figure 15. Professor Lee Hood poses with Presidtional Medal of Science at the White House (PhTechnology Medals Foundation).

the democratization of DNA,’’ saidHood. ‘‘SWATH is a game-chan-ging technique that essentially actsas a protein microarray and is themost reproducible way to generatecomprehensive quantitation of theentire proteome. It generates adigital record of the entire proteomethat can be mined retrospectively foryears to come.’’

‘‘With complete proteome-widelibraries, ISB provides the basis tosupport comprehensive SWATHanalysis,’’ said ISB Proteomics Re-search Director Rob Moritz.

Sharing data and methodsCommitted to an open policy ofsharing data and methods, ISB willmake the SWATH libraries avail-able to the scientific community toaccelerate the use of SWATH forbiological research. Utilizing thedepth in proteomics technology de-velopment and underpinned by theextensive proteomics computationalresources in data-interpretationtools, standards initiatives and da-

ent Barack Obama after receiving the Na-oto by Ryan K Morris/National Science &

tabase development under the lea-dership of Moritz, ISB will developSWATH technologies and tools toenable the community to adoptcomprehensive quantitative pro-teome analysis quickly.

‘‘Having the proteomics datastandardized across laboratories andacross samples really enables us toquantitate entire proteomes at a le-vel that hasn’t been done before,’’said Moritz. ‘‘We aim to definemarkers that can predict whether apatient will respond to a certaintreatment or not, and applyingSWATH will play a big part in takingour advancements to another level.Not only can we now complementthe breadth of genomics, but we willhave the much-needed libraries andsoftware development going forwardto make data-sharing quite easierand standardized.’’

Contact:Hsiao-Ching ChouInstitute of Systems BiologyE-mail: [email protected]

Bruker expands inIndia

Bruker has celebrated grand open-ings of two Centers of Excellence(CoEs) in India – Mumbai andBengaluru (Fig. 16).

For over three decades, Brukerhas grown its presence in India,with sales and service capabilitiesin most major cities, includingNew Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru,Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow andHyderabad. This year, Bruker ex-pects ~$50m in revenue in India,where the company employsover 100 staff, complemented byseveral high-quality distributorswith service capabilities for someproduct lines.

Bruker’s new CoEs in Mumbaiand Bengaluru offer a higher levelof customer support in the im-portant and growing Indian mar-kets for scientific and analytical

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Figure 16. Bruker President and CEO Frank Laukien (left) cuts the ribbon at the grand open-ing of the Center of Excellence at Bengaluru, India.

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instrumentation. The CoE facilitiesoffer customers access to multi-technology applications, trainingand demonstrations. These CoEsalso aim to support research colla-borations between Bruker and keycustomers in India.

The CoE locations were chosen fortheir proximity to major academic,government and industrial researchlaboratories, major hubs of thestrong Indian pharma, biotechnol-ogy and CRO industry, major clinicalresearch centers, and importantcenters for the cement, metals,manufacturing, and food industries.

‘‘With this significant investmentin our two new Centers of Excellence,Bruker has taken a major step for-ward in India to provide highest-level

Figure 17. Pittcon 2013 in Philadelphia, PA, US

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support for the outstanding and ra-pidly growing Indian research, in-dustrial and clinical communities,’’said Bruker President and CEO FrankLaukien.

Philadelphia bringsPittcon success

Pittcon 2013 in Philadelphia forthe first time Organizing Commit-tee was successful with more than18,000 attendees and 1011 ex-hibiting companies from 28 coun-tries, according to the OrganizingCommittee.

Of the more than 18,000 atten-dees, 40% attended the Conferencefor the first time. New this year was

A, proved a success.

a partnership between Pittcon andInnovative Publishing, which led toco-location of the Food Labs Con-ference with Pittcon.

The food industry is one ofPittcon s top industries for growth,said Pittcon 2013 President RonaldBargiel. We are excited about thisnewly formed partnership and lookforward to working jointly to in-crease Pittcon s presence in the foodindustry.

Pittcon 2013 attracted 28% ofattendees from outside the USA.Top countries by attendance wereCanada, China, United Kingdom,Japan, Mexico, and Brazil. Atten-dees included managers, scientists,chemists, researchers and pro-fessors from industrial, academic,and government. They were from anumber of disciplines including lifesciences, food science, drug dis-covery, environmental science, for-ensics, nanotechnology, water andwastewater, energy and fuel, agri-culture and bioterrorism.

With the 1011 exhibitors from28 countries occupying 1925booths displaying the latest in-novations in instrumentation andtechnology used in laboratory sci-ence. This year, there were 167first-time exhibitors.

Robust technical programPittcon offered more than 2000technical sessions presented in 78symposia, 12 awards, 93 oral ses-sions, 12 workshops and 62 pos-ters. Some 40% of the presentationsfocused on life-science topics.

The 42 networking sessions pro-vided the opportunity for confereesfrom around the world to meet ininformal settings to discuss topics ofmutual interest. The facilitator-as-sisted sessions discussed techniques,solutions to challenges and in-novative concepts.

The Short Course program of-fered skill-building training andcontinuing education for laboratoryprofessionals. Participants statedthat these courses are another fac-

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tor in selecting Pittcon as the oneconference to attend every year.This year, 100 short courses cov-ered a wide variety of topics withspecial emphasis on nanotechnol-ogy, specifically nanomaterials,health and safety, and life science.Laboratory-management coursesprovided critical insights into theinterpretation of the requirementsof regulators, global guidelines, andlaboratory standards.

Pittcon 2014Pittcon 2014 will be held inChicago, IL, USA, March 2014.

Contact:Website: www.pittcon.org

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