Company Announcements

In fall 2016, Meridian Bioscience amended its license agreement with Eiken Chemical for its LAMP (Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification) technology to include molecular detection of infectious agents in animals, food and water.

Transgenomic announced in fall 2016 distribution agreements with JoyingBio for China and Biotron Healthcare for India for its ICE COLD-PCR technology.

In October 2016, Canon BioMedical named Labtech as a distributor for its Novallele genotyping products in the UK and Ireland.

JN Medsys entered into a distribution agreement in October 2016 with LMS for Japanese distribution of its Clarity digital PCR system.

In October 2016, SYGNIS announced the receipt of a three-year, £1.2 million ($1.3 million) soft loan from Spain’s RETOS program as part of a collaboration with the Spanish National Center for Molecular Biology, San Carlos Hospital and Juan Dominguez, an R&D foundation.

Product Announcements

Bioline, a Meridian Bioscience subsidiary, launched in fall 2016 the SensiFAST Lyo-Ready No-ROX Mix, a ready-to-use, lyophilization-compatible qPCR mix.

In January 2017, Bioline, in collaboration with MiRXES, expanded its EPIK miRNA Select Assays to include all organisms listed on the miRBase release 21.

In fall 2016, InnoGenomics Technologies released new kits for analyzing challenging forensic samples: the InnoTyper 21 DNA typing system for obtaining results from challenging and degraded samples, and the Innotype HY quantitative assay for comprehensive sample assessment and increased downstream DNA profile recovery. They feature the use of retrotransposable elements, which are noncoding genomic DNA repeat sequences.

In fall 2016, DiaCarta released the QFusion RT-qPCR assay for the detection of ALK fusion gene variants. The single tube, multiplexed reactions require 50 ng of RNA from FFPE samples and take around one-and-a-half hours. According to the company, it is the only commercial qPCR kit that detects both EML4-ALK and KIF5B-ALK fusion gene variants.

Bibby Scientific’s (now Cole-Parmer) PCRmax business launched in fall 2016 the Alpha Cycler 2, a compact, dual block system, featuring a remote monitoring system.

In fall 2016, SYGNIS released the end-point PCR–based, 96-well–format CovCheck kit for the QC of whole-genome amplification coverage. It enables the evaluation of the genomic coverage of four independent single-cell whole-genome–amplification experiments simultaneously.

In January, LGC introduced the Hydrocycler² next generation water bath thermal cycler, which allows labs to process more than 145,000 samples in an eight-hour day. Compared to the previous system, it features a smaller footprint, reduced setup costs and easier service.

Thermo Fisher Scientific launched in fall 2016 the Applied Biosystems NGM Detect PCR Amplification Kit, powered by six-dye chemistry, for maximizing information recovery from degraded samples.

In November 2016, Integrated DNA Technologies introduced PrimeTime Gene Expression Master Mix for probe-based qPCR assays. It is stable for ambient shipping.

Promega released in November 2016 the Promega PCR Optimization Kit, which allows customers to rapidly define their own unique PCR master mix manufactured under cGMP for research or clinical use. The Kit includes magnesium chloride, GoTaq MDx Hot Start Polymerase and eight PCR buffers. It ships within 10 business days.

In November 2016, RainDance Technologies (now Bio-Rad Laboratories) launched the RainDrop Plus Digital PCR System, featuring faster droplet detection, higher throughput and new automated analysis capabilities.

3M released in November 2016 the 3M Molecular Detection Assay 2—Cronobacter, a bacterium that has been associated with contaminated powdered infant formula.

In December 2016, New England Biolabs introduced the Luna Universal qPCR & RT qPCR kits, optimized for DNA and RNA quantitation from diverse sample sources and target types. Its reference dye universally supports real-time instruments and a blue visible dye assists in tracking the reagents when pipetted.