ICP–OES or ICP is a common atomic- spectroscopy technique for environmental analysis of water and other samples. To get the atoms in a sample to emit their characteristic frequencies of light, the sample is ionized by plasma generated by the instrument via electromagnetic induction. The plasma torch consists of a radio frequency (RF) coil wrapped […]

In September, Avacta Life Sciences began shipping Affimers from its online catalog, following shipment of its custom line over the summer. Affimers are small proteins engineered as alternatives to antibodies. Priced comparably to antibodies, 40 are currently available through Avacta’s website. Alastair Smith, PhD, chief executive of Avacta, told IBO, “Affimers are not restricted in […]

Company Announcements In June, John Wiley & Sons acquired SimBioSys, a provider of scientific-software tools that facilitate the drug-discovery process and a pioneer in the field of computer-aided retrosynthetic analysis. Cresset appointed CloudScientific as a Chinese distributor in July. Syapse raised $10 million in Series B financing, led by Safeguard Scientifics. Simulations Plus agreed in […]

Company Announcements Trinean named Chris van Ingen, a director at Bruker, Promega and ProteinSimple, to its Board in May. Sigma-Aldrich SAFC Commercial’s solid-state R&D business, Pharmorphix, entered into a collaborative technology agreement with BioTools. Rabo Capital acquired Kipp & Zonen, a provider of instruments for measuring solar radiation and atmospheric properties, in May. CEO Ben […]

Company Announcements Repligen agreed to acquire in June the business of Refine Technology, including the Alternating Tangential Flow system, for $24.5 million in cash, stock and contingent milestone payments. The purchase is expected to add $3.5–$4 million in revenue for the remainder of 2014. In June, Repligen appointed Nicolas M. Barthelemy to its Board. Most […]

Company Announcements Digital Surf acquired Image Metrology in July. Bitplane, an Oxford Instruments company, named Carl Zeiss Microscopy as a US distributor for the Imaris image-processing software. FEI’s second quarter sales grew 6.5% to $237.0 million (see IBO 7/31/14), including 1.4% growth from acquisitions. Currency decreased sales by 0.2%. Adjusted operating profit rose 14.1% to […]

Company Announcements Avacta appointed Cosmo Bio as a Japanese distributor of custom Affimer services and catalog-reagent sales. In July, Phenomenex announced the spin-off of Neoteryx, which will provide Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling technology for the collection, handling and analysis of biological fluids. The first product, the Mitra Microsampling Device, collects 10 µL of fluid in seconds […]

The South Korean National Science and Technology Council’s 2015 budget has raised R&D funding by 2.3% to $12.3 billion as part of an initiative for more public-private partnerships. The nation’s R&D budget accounted for 1.14% of GDP in 2013. A major investment area for the increased R&D funds, basic research, will gain 4.2% to reach […]

To boost the country’s manufacturing industry, the Chinese government is providing tax breaks to companies for upgrading their equipment and scaling up R&D. The tax breaks are especially aimed at small- and medium-sized enterprises. Tax reductions will be based on the value of new R&D equipment and facilities purchased after January 1 of this year […]

A World Bank and Elsevier report shows the development of research in sub-Sahran Africa (SSA) from 2003 to 2012 by three regions: West and Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa (excluding South Africa). All regions more than doubled their peer-reviewed publications, with their combined share of worldwide output growing from 0.44% to 0.72%. The […]