Company Announcements

Earlier this year, Pacific Biosciences launched a software developer’s network, PacBio DevNet.

Life Technologies and SG Biofuels, a bioenergy crop company, announced the complete sequencing of the Jatropha curcas genome to 100x coverage using the SOLiD 4.0 system.

GnuBIO obtained an exclusive license from Harvard University for the use of microfluidics and emulsion-based methodologies for nucleic acid analysis, stating that this will enable production of a sequencer that allows costs to scale as a function of both sample number and genomic regions analyzed.

Stratos Genomics closed a $4 million Series A financing deal in September to continue development of its ultra–low cost nucleic acid sequencing method for whole genome analysis and molecular diagnostics.

In September, Aspect Magnet Technologies and Mediso Medical Imaging Systems began a collaboration to develop a multimodality system that combines PET and MRI. The system will be available in 2011 and will be sold by Mediso.

Under a new agreement with Oxford University, Oxford Nanopore Technologies will fund research in Professor Hagan Bayley’s labs and exclusively partner with the University to develop molecular analysis products.

Companies that received grants from the National Institutes of Health to develop third-generation sequencers for sequencing a genome for $1,000 were GnuBIO, Caerus Molecular Diagnostics and Intelligent Bio-Systems.

Product Introductions

Life Technologies launched in August the 3500 Dx Series Genetic Analyzers, a CE IVD-marked capillary electrophoresis system, in Australia, India, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan.

Syngene introduced the GENi, an affordable, fully motorized gel documentation system for imaging of all fluorescence and colored gels.

Bio-Rad released the Gel Doc EZ, a compact gel documentation system, featuring push-button functionality, for performing DNA, RNA and protein electrophoresis, as well as western blotting. It can also image stain-free gels.

ForteBio introduced the Dip and Read Protein G biosensor for use on its Octet instruments.

GE Healthcare launched the Triumph II tri-modality preclinical imaging system, an upgraded system featuring a wider bore size for larger animals and higher PET sensitivity.

Caliper Life Sciences released the Living Image Multi-Modality Software Module and the Mouse Imaging Shuttle, providing for integration of data from its IVIS optical imaging systems and its Quantum FX microCT, as well as data from third-party microCT, MRI, PET and SPECT instruments.