Analytica 2006 accelerates laboratory processes

Aspects such as economy and efficiency will be common themes at Analytica 2006 in Munich.

That also applies to laboratory technology.

And it involves more than just automating process steps and integrating analysis working procedures: Accelerating the analysis process is also important.

That is why Analytica 2006 will focus on the latest innovations in laboratory technology.

Laboratory automation is and shall remain a key trend, especially at Analytica 2006, which is being held at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from April 25-28 2006.

It involves the use of laboratory robots and high-throughput solutions, but it also manifests itself in several small but impressive solutions that manufacturers are presenting at Analytica 2006.

The spectrum is broad, covering everything from 'mix and measure' reagents to high-performance equipment that is ready for immediate use and no longer needs to warm up.

PCR in less that 11 minutes; AAS with a single light source A classic PCR analysis including all the heating and cooling phases takes about 90 minutes, but progress is still being made: for example, Analytik Jena has just introduced a system comprising a high-performance thermal block and special, standard-format micro titer plates that could very well speed up all PCR-based laboratory analyses considerably.

Apparently it needs only 11 minutes for 30 cycles.

The high-performance Peltier element heats at 10 Kelvin and cools at 6 Kelvin per second.

The fast reaction also decreases the error rate (primer mismatching).

Working through a subsidiary, the company recently began offering a PCR test for bird flu that is based on this system.

The quick test was developed together with researchers at the University of Bangkok.

Speed is also a feature of a new atom absorption spectrometer developed by the company that requires only one light source.

In this flame AAS, the usual element-specific hollow cathode lamps are replaced by a single, maximum-intensity light source.

This xenon short-arc lamp emits a continuous spectrum, making it possible to analyse every element and every line between 190 and 900 nanometers.

Thanks to this diverse range of information, there is no longer a gap between AAS and ICP.

The device is ready for immediate use -warm-up times, which were necessary using element-specific lamps, are no longer an issue.

Mix and measure - detection without washing steps.

Laboratory testing should be fast, even in biochemical research.

New mix and measure formats comply with that requirement.

Pre-mixed like a ready-to-eat meal, the reagents are already prepared for the test.

There is no need for separate marking and washing steps, and the procedure is so simple that an experienced laboratory technician is not necessary.

As of 2006, a biotech company in Hawaii is planning to offer nano-biosensors that can be used to detect recombinant proteins that have been marked, eg with the His tag (a common marker), directly in the solution without having to use gel electrophoresis.

Initial testing with nano-biosensors is supposed to include a test to detect the bird-flu virus (H5N1).

Assuming the same sensitivity, experts expect that this method will yield results that are considerably cheaper and faster than the commonly used Elisa tests.

There is also a new luciferase reporter gene assay that various producers are offering in various forms that requires only a single step: Luciferase activity can be measured with as few as four cells, eg, to shed light on things when analyzing gene regulation or for high-throughput screening of gene-expression modulators.

The mix-and-measure assay needs only five minutes before measuring can begin: simply add the optimised reagent system, which initiates cell lysis and detection simultaneously.

Automation promotes development of fully automatic tests.

Thanks to state-of-the-art equipment, more analyses are being conducted now than ever before.

Relevant trade associations complain about declines in medical laboratories due to health reform and ambulant flat-rate payments.

However, these constraints also promote the concentration and automation of testing to be able to offer the same service at a lower price.

Thanks to modern analysis systems and recently developed reagents, laboratory physicians can test blood, urine, tissue and other samples for far more than 2000 parameters that can provide information on the state of a person's health.

It is now possible to identify more than ten difference tumour markers in automated systems using electrochemiluminescence tests - initial results are available less than 20 minutes after these automated systems are started.

This technique can also be used to automatically identify infectious diseases such as rubella or the HIV Aids virus.

Manufacturers offer a wide range of laboratory diagnostics solutions that can be customized, depending on the tasks to be performed and the services offered by the laboratory.

Influenza tests are a good example: rapid diagnosis calls for direct testing for viral antigens using immunofluorescence, Elisa or so-called quick tests (near-patient tests) of nasal, throat and alveolar fluids.

However, this must be done in the first three to four days after the disease is contracted.

As a rule, only highly specialised laboratories use molecular methods for genome identification.

That also applies to the next step of differentiating identified influenza A viruses into subtypes H1n1 and H3n2, which are common in humans.

Viruses can also be cultivated in cell cultures.

This complex method only works during the first few days after the disease is contracted and also calls for specialized laboratories.

Serological antibody testing using a complement fixation test (CFT), Elisa and immunofluorescence generally only works after the fact, which is why it is primarily used for epidemiological studies.

Decoding genes one hundred times faster.

A new, affordable sequencing system allows researchers to decode genomes and long DNA sequences up to one hundred times faster than with commercially available platforms.

Developed by a company in the United States, the system is based on nanotechnology and is being sold internationally by Roche Diagnostics.

The Genome Sequencer 20 system is the first commercially available instrument system that conducts simple DNA sequencing with ultrahigh throughput rates.

After a single step to prepare the entire genome, the compact system can sequence at least 20 million bases in a five-hour run.

This innovative technology eliminates the need for complex robot systems, which are used in a number of common techniques.

A single user can prepare, sequence and provide results on DNA within days instead of months.

The technique is used to conduct a large number of sequencing tasks on a 'pico titer plate' at the same time.

Thanks to state-of-the-art image processing and specific data-analysis techniques, not only are results available quickly, they are also of very high quality.

Before the analysis is after the analysis.

Sensitive detectors can be used to find anything - if you know what you're doing.

Interpreting test results becomes more difficult, the smaller the quantities being tested become.

Was the sample clean when it arrived at the laboratory? How old is the sample? Was it hermetically sealed and kept cool during transport? Is there any evidence of contamination? And finally: is the measured value relevant in any way? For example, it takes just 75 microlitres of blood or cerebrospinal fluid (liquor) to identify metabolites that may be suitable for early diagnosis.

"Innovations in laboratory technology are speeding up the testing process, which in turn saves time and increases efficiency.

"Increasingly smaller samples and increasingly sensitive detectors are placing high demands on laboratory personnel and their interpretation of the results.

"Together with the Analytica Conference, Analytica 2006 is more than just a platform for gathering comprehensive, in-depth information on the latest techniques.

"It is also a forum where people can discuss best practices in industrial and research laboratories with colleagues and industry experts," explains Klaus Dittrich, managing director at Munich International Trade Fairs, describing the diverse programme of events and the range of exhibits at the upcoming European trade fair for analysis, laboratory technology and biotechnology.