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Flow Cytometry assists in new Discovery at the University of Florida |
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Friday, 26 August 2011 |
Separating the neural wheat from the chaff
University of Florida scientists have discovered a way to separate the neural wheat from the chaff during the process of generating brain cells for potential patient therapies.
The technique, recently detailed in the online journal PLoS ONE, could be applied to long-awaited stem cell treatments for Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries and other brain disorders. It would allow doctors to deliver neurons to patients, without including vast amounts of other types of unnecessary brain cells.
"We need to be able to deliver precise doses of our therapeutic drug, which in this case is neurons that are needed to restore function lost as a result of disease or injury," said Brent A. Reynolds, Ph.D., a professor of neurosurgery with UF's Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute. "Prior to the development of our technology, it was not possible to deliver highly pure populations of neurons, or to control the number of neurons that were delivered."
For more than a decade, scientists and policymakers have pursued the idea of using stem cells to restore vitality in patients with brain diseases or injuries. The therapeutic stem cells can come from a variety of sources, including controversial embryonic and fetal tissue or, in this application, noncontroversial adult brain tissue.
Youthful or immature cells, neural stem cells have the ability to survive and integrate into the nervous system, but they haven't fully settled on their roles yet. Most of them will become glial cells, not the more highly valued neurons.
Experimenting with neural stem cells from rodents, UF researchers and colleagues from the Queensland Brain Institute in Australia were able to generate hearty, immature cells fully committed to becoming neurons. The accomplishment suggests it will be possible to provide unlimited quantities of neurons from a safe, renewable source of cells for replacement therapies in the central nervous system.
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Stratedigm Launches the "Ex" 14 Color Upgrade Kit for its S1000 Flow Cytometers |
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Friday, 18 March 2011 |
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Stratedigm has announced the release of its 4 laser/14 color flow cytometry analyzer. This platform complements the company's other 2 flow cytometers the SE500 and S1000. The "Ex" upgrade uses the company's patent pending Smart DetectTM architecture to enable the simultaneous detection of up to 14 colors. The Ex upgrade is compatible with any of Stratedigm's S1000 analyzers. Stratedigm's Smart DetectTM technology enables the use of a single integrated PMT/electronics module for the detection of multiple flours with similar emissions wave lengths, but different excitation lasers. This new paradigm in optical detection will provide the cytometry market with multi-color analyzers capable of enhanced performance at lower prices than conventional products. With the release of the S1000Ex, "Stratedigm will focus its product development efforts on completing its line of automation platforms scheduled to hit the market later this year" noted Shervin Javadi, Stratedigm's CEO. Stratedigm offers its customers ultra-reliable, easy to use, state-of-the-art flow cytometers based on several decades of experience in flow cytometry and high technology product development. The company offers 3 flow cytometry platforms, SE500 - a 2 laser/4 color analyzer, S1000 - a configurable 4 laser/8 color analyzer and S1000Ex - a configurable 4 laser/14 color analyzer. All platforms have a footprint of 21"x21".
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New Diagnostic Tool to Detect Patients with Active TB |
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Tuesday, 22 February 2011 |
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most pressing public health priorities for the 21st century, with over one third of the world population infected. Active TB disease is a major issue both for the patients who require specific treatment and at a population level, since these patients are contagious. Diagnosis of active TB disease (from latent asymptomatic infection) requires several clinical, radiological, histo-pathological, bacteriological and molecular parameters. The new diagnostic tool developed by Pr. G. Pantaleo and Dr. A. Harari allows sensitive and highly specific identification of patients with active TB disease. The study, initially designed to identify parameters of the immune response correlated to protection against TB, led to the observation that functional signatures of immune responses, i.e. the cytokines involved such as TNF-α, IL-2 and IFN-γ, were indeed correlated to the different stages of tuberculosis disease. |
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BD Announces New Cytometry System for Rapid Microbial Enumeration, Detection |
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Friday, 18 February 2011 |
Industrial microbiologists now have a new tool that was designed specifically to help quality control laboratories rapidly screen raw materials, as well as in-process and finished goods, for the presence of microorganisms that can threaten product quality. BD Biosciences and BD Diagnostics, two business segments of BD, a leading global medical technology company, announced today the addition of the new BD FACSMicroCount flow cytometry system to the Company's industrial microbiology portfolio. BD obtained worldwide rights from Advanced Analytical Technologies to market the instrument, which was previously known as the Micro PRO Microbial Detection System. "Acquiring this new platform allows us to draw upon expertise from across the Company," said James Glasscock, President of Cell Analysis, BD Biosciences. "It will allow us to leverage our collective expertise in industrial microbiology quality control and flow cytometry to benefit our customers." |
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