| COMPUTERS/IT |
Full-Web LIMS
Offers option to remotely control 2D rack scanners
LabCollector, a full-web laboratory information management system (LIMS) from Agilebio, New York, has been updated to a new version (v4.9) supporting BioTillion’s RFID tube scanners. The system natively offers the ability to control remotely a wide range of 2D rack scanners: Micronic, BioMicroLab, ThermoScientific, and FluidX. It also provides full compatibility with Biotillion’s RFID BoxMapper series, enlarging its compatibility with the newest market products.
Agilebio
(800) 453-9128; www.agilebio.com
| EQUIPMENT |
Single-Use Laboratory Bioreactor
Operates in a variety of volumes
Sartorius Stedim Biotech, Bohemia, NY, introduces UniVessel SU, the second generation of its single-use bioreactor. This stirred tank bioreactor can be operated in a choice of working volumes ranging from 0.6L to 2L.
Sartorius
(800) 368-7178; www.sartorius.us
Circulating Water Baths
240°C range with ±0.005°C stability
New circulating water baths from PolyScience, Niles, Ill, make cooling and heating easier. The Performance Programmable Circulating Baths feature an icon-driven, touchscreen display that makes selecting and setting operational parameters simple and straightforward. Available in both refrigerating/heating and heat-only models, they control bath temperatures as broad as -40° to +200°C with ±0.005°C stability.
PolyScience
(800) 229-7569; www.polyscience.com
Tilt Bin Cart
Versatile storage solution
Medicus Health, Kentwood, Mich, offers the Medical Tilt Bin Cart, a two-sided cart with clear bins that makes supplies highly visible. It provides a useful storage solution for point of service items that labs use every day. The bins tip out for easy access to supplies, and visible stored items simplify tracking inventory status. The work-height top creates added workspace. The cart measures 25.5 inches wide x 18.5 inches deep x 39.5 inches high. It is made of 16-gauge beige-colored steel, and has a weight capacity of 250 pounds.
Medicus Health
(877) 514-1140; www.medicus-health.com
Direct-to-Slide Printers
Built to withstand tough lab conditions
Primera, Plymouth, Minn, offers direct-to-slide printers that help keep slides clearly identified. An alternative to handwritten labels or labels that are difficult to apply, Primera’s original ribbons for its Signature Slide Printer resist chemicals typically found in pathology and histology labs. For procedures that demand even tougher inks, the company offers new chemical-, temperature-, and abrasion-resistant ribbons. Called TuffCoat 2 (TC2), these new ribbon formulations were specifically developed to deliver superior performance in the toughest pathology, histology, and cytology lab applications. The ribbons are available in black and CMYK. They dry instantly without the need for heat, fans, or IR light.
Primera
(800) 797-2772; www.primerahealthcare.com
Laboratory Gas Burners
New features stress safety, comfort
The Fuego SCS Series of laboratory gas burners from WLD-TEC, Göttingen, Germany, offer a host of new features focused on user comfort. They include Zero-pressure shutoff, cooling reminder for inoculation loops, and user-account selection. The safety control system constantly analyzes potential hazards and, if necessary, initiates safety measures, such as an interruption of the gas supply. The DoubleClick IR-sensor prevents unintentional ignition or ignition due to dropping or falling objects.
WLD-TEC
(310) 589-3709; www.wld-tec.com
Durable Storage Solutions
Designed to meet specific lab needs
Lista International Corp, Holliston, Mass, offers durable storage solutions for labs, including base and wall cabinets, and overhead storage built into workstations. The units are durable and offer optimal efficiency and convenience. An extensive selection of base and wall cabinets meet needed size and functionality requirements. All cabinets can be configured with door and shelf storage, drawer storage, or a combo of both. They can include sink cabinets with multiple sink options, and wall cabinets available as open-shelf, sliding, or hinged doors, or Plexiglas doors for easy identification of supplies. All drawers are full-extension and have a 440-pound capacity.
Lista International Corp
(800) 722-3020; www.lista-dentallab.com
Waterless Bead Baths
Uses less power, does not require germicides
For an eco-friendly option, Cole-Parmer, Vernon Hills, Ill, offers Waterless Bead Baths, which use metallic beads instead of water. The beads are recyclable, use 50% less electricity, and do not require germicides. The bead bath delivers temperature uniformity of +/-1°, and no warm-up time is necessary. The beads create a dry bath, which eliminates contamination and maintenance issues related to many traditional water baths. The beads hold a variety of containers in place without the need for racks or weights. They are impermeable to moisture and gas. Dry, inert, nontoxic aluminum oxide ensures hazard-free operation, including emptying, cleaning, and refilling.
Cole Parmer
(800) 323-4340; www.coleparmer.com
| INSTRUMENTATION |
Fully Automated Integrated Urine Analyzer
150 samples per hour
US Arkray Inc, Edina, Minn, has received FDA clearance for its fully automated integrated urine analyzer Aution Hybrid AU-4050. This latest addition to the company’s urinalysis portfolio combines Arkray urinalysis strip technology with fluorescent flow cytometry sediment analysis in one space-efficient unit. The analyzer improves sample throughput capabilities with continuous sample loading, averaging a rate of 150 samples per hour. The full reflex testing capabilities allows labs to complete urine analysis on the same platform with minimal interaction.
US Arkray Inc
(800) 818-8877; www.arkrayusa.com
| MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES |
Pneumatic Tube Carrier for Hospitals
Enables staff to hold and load carriers more efficiently
Pevco, Middle River, Md, offers Pevco TEC-6, a pneumatic tube carrier designed specifically for hospital material delivery. TEC-6 (Trackable Ergonomic Carrier 6-inch) offers advances in performance and durability. Its ergonomic design incorporates comfortable handholds and contoured ends, so staff can hold and load carriers more efficiently. Red/green latch status indicators help guarantee carriers are closed properly. The carrier also includes integrated bar codes to enable real-time tracking of every delivery. When combined with Pevco Link, transaction data and arrival confirmation for any carrier sent is stored in a database and available to authorized staff.
Pevco
(410) 931-8800; www.pevco.com
5.0-mL tubes
Enable single-hand operation
Eppendorf North America Inc, Hauppauge, NY, introduces new Tube 5.0 mL tubes, featuring a snap cap for single-hand operation and a compact conical design, removing the contamination risks associated with manipulating small volumes in large tubes. The tubes are designed for safe and stable centrifugation up to 25,000 x g, eliminating the risk of sample loss when using rapid protocols.
Eppendorf North America Inc
(800) 645-3050; www.eppendorfna.com
| TESTING/DIAGNOSTICS |
Carrier Screening Tests
Screens for common and uncommon mutations
The GoodStart Select carrier screening tests from Good Start Genetics Inc, Cambridge, Mass, detect common disease-causing mutations in carriers across all 23 diseases recommended for testing by major medical societies as well as rare pathogenic mutations that can go undetected by labs using older, traditional genotyping-based technologies. For example, most traditional genotyping-based technologies detect about 100 pathogenic mutations for CF, while GoodStart Select detects more than 550 pathogenic mutations.
Good Start Genetics Inc
(855) 765-0845; www.goodstartgenetics.com
Blood Culture Identification Panel
27-target panel IDs more than 100 blood pathogens
BioFire Diagnostics Inc, Salt Lake City, has received FDA clearance for its FilmArray Blood Culture 
Identification (BCID) Panel. To date, the 27-target panel is the most comprehensive test to be approved by the FDA, according to the company. The panel provides results from positive blood cultures and can identify more than 100 blood pathogens known to cause sepsis. With an easy procedure requiring only
2 minutes of hands-on time, the BCID Panel can identify a pathogen in nine out of 10 positive blood cultures in about an hour, and provides results for gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and yeast that cause bloodstream infections.
BioFire Diagnostics Inc
(801) 736-6354; www.biofiredx.com
Companion Diagnostic to Guide Use of Therapy for NSCLC
Helps physicians identify EGFR mutation-positive patients
The FDA has approved Boehringer Ingelheim’s GILOTRIF™ (afatinib) for treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) along with the companion diagnostic, therascreen EGFR RGQ PCR kit, 
from QIAGEN, Germany, with US headquarters in Germantown, Md. The therascreen EGFR test helps physicians identify EGFR mutation-positive patients eligible for treatment with GILOTRIF. EGFR (the epidermal growth factor receptor) is a protein found on the surface of cells. FDA approval of the therascreen EGFR test follows an FDA priority review of GILOTRIF (afatinib), and the drug’s labeling requires the use of an FDA-approved test to select EGFR mutation-positive patients for the therapy. Analytical performance of the therascreen EGFR test has been established for 21 EGFR mutations, including the most prevalent resistance mutation (T790M). The test also includes features that are valuable for pathologists, such as the detection of EGFR mutations in separate tubes.QIAGEN
(800) 362-7737; www.qiagen.com
Hepatitis C Seroconversion Panels
Represent variety of donor genotypes
SeraCare Life Sciences, Milford, Mass, introduced three new AccuVert seroconversion panels. The Hepatitis C AccuVert seroconversion panels provide material from a variety of donor genotypes and recent collection periods. Each panel demonstrates how a single donor responds in the presence of the disease during the collection period, with a graphical depiction of seroconversion.
SeraCare Life Sciences Inc
(800) 676-1881; www.seracare.com
New Product IDs Pap Tests
Uses DNA sample to confirm patient
Strand Diagnostics LLC, Indianapolis, and Manhattan Labs, New York, offer the myPAP test. Developed to complement a Papanicolaou (Pap) test by confirming a patient’s identity and helping physicians proceed confidently with treatment recommendations, the myPAP test compares the DNA profiles of the Pap specimen with a reference DNA sample taken via cheek swab at the time of the Pap test. This state-of-the-art testing is available exclusively for Manhattan Labs’ customers who perform Pap testing—and, other labs can refer testing to Manhattan Labs.
Strand Diagnostics LLC
(888) 924-6779; www.stranddiagnostics.com
Anti-Herpes Performance Panel
Broad range of reactivity to anti-HSV 1/2 IgG and IgM markers
The new Anti-Herpes Mixed Titer Performance Panel from SeraCare Life Sciences, Milford, Mass, includes naturally occurring, well-characterized plasma and serum specimens for use in troubleshooting anti-HSV 1/2, anti-HSV 1, and anti-HSV 2 assays. The 21-member panel represents a broad range of reactivity to anti-HSV 1/2 IgG and IgM markers, from negative to strongly positive.
SeraCare Life Sciences Inc
(800) 676-1881; www.seracare.com
HCV Genotyping Test
Fully automated
With the FDA approval of the RealTime HCV Genotype II test from Abbott, Abbott Park, Ill, labs now have a new molecular diagnostic tool to guide physicians in choosing personalized treatment options for patients with hepatitis C (HCV). Performed on the company’s automated RealTime m2000 system, the HCV-GT II test is the first FDA-approved and only fully automated HCV genotyping test available in the United States, according to the company. It enables labs of any size to learn the genetic characteristics of any patient’s HCV infection.
Abbott
(847) 937-6100; www.abbott.com
Lyme Disease Testing
Equivalent to traditional Western Blot technology
Gold Standard Diagnostics Corp, Davis, Calif, introduces its new Line Immunoassay technology for Lyme confirmation testing, giving clinical labs an improved option for serological confirmation testing for Lyme disease. Both the IgG and IgM line blots are substantially equivalent to traditional Western Blot technology, the company says. LIA test strips offer numerous enhancements, including improved sensitivity and specificity, consistent results, large lot sizes, easier handling, and automation options.
Gold Standard Diagnostics Corp
(530) 759-8000; www.gsdx.us
Updated MRSA/SA Blood Culture Test
Reduced time until results are ready
Cepheid, Sunnyvale, Calif, offers the Xpert MRSA/SA Blood Culture test, which runs on the GeneXpert System, for the detection of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA, typically methicillin-susceptible) in blood culture bottles showing gram-positive cocci in clusters. The test takes about 1 hour.
Cepheid
(408) 541-4191; www.cepheid.com
