Acid observations of the daffier side of the mobile communications business. We take no prisoners.

The development of, and the need for, faster drug discovery techniques in a highly competitive pharmaceutical industry has resulted in ever increasing numbers of pre-clinical biological samples to be analysed. By Dr Denise Wailwroth.

Today, the modern life science laboratory is equipped with more sophisticated instrumentation, increasingly automated to enable higher sample throughput. However, no matter what analytical techniques are being used, accuracy of results is largely dependent on the quality of sample preparation; and the correct choice remains fundamental to successful analyses. Dr Barbara Gledhill reports.

In addition to laboratory disposable products, Treff develops and manufactures customised injection-moulded components and assemblies as OEM-partner for many leading diagnostic equipment manufacturers. Manufacture is carried out by entirely automated processes and the company is ISO9001:2000 certified.

In recent years, the molecular biology aboom' has generated much development and diversity in gel documentation technology. Dr Paul N Goulding reports.

Outsourcing research and development is nothing new to pharmaceutical companies. However, the range of services being offered by contract research organisations continues to grow and the differences between client and customer are becoming even more blurred. Sean Ottewell outlines recent developments in this burgeoning sector.

Pipettes from Hamilton SoftGrip feature 50per cent less actuation force, less user fatigue, less discomfort and therefore increased user satisfaction.

Andrew Gay, of Huntingdon Life Sciences, explains how the company operates within development research.

A quick walk around any electronics shop will show you that bigger is no longer better. Mobile phones are shrinking alarmingly, and advances in computing power has seen palmtop computers go from glorified battery-powered filofaxes to sophisticated devices capable of guiding you to the nearest bar selling obscure spirits. Stuart Nathan reports.

The battery of different pieces of high-tech equipment found in modern laboratories measure a dizzying array of parameters. Every factor is probed in an attempt to help researchers understand what, exactly, they have got in their sample tube. Zeta potential is one of the more obscure measurements, but it is assuming increasing importance. Stuart Nathan reports.

With more than 15000 products in the current 1999-2000 Catalogue, Alfa Aesar is a source for chemicals, metals and laboratory materials from sizes for research to semi-bulk and bulk quantities. The catalogue carries high purity inorganics, pure metals, alloys, elements, precious metal compounds and catalysts, rare earths, analytical fluxes, ceramics, labware, AA/ICP standards and more.

Herbert Hofmann looks at a range of laboratory furniture and technology systems structured in a multi-modular way to include logistical systems, services supply and disposal systems. they also incorporate ventilation systems and facilities management systems.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is an analytical tool that is used in many different fields, and many applications have already been described in the areas of agriculture, foodstuffs, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Here, Angela Schmidt, Brian P Davies, Dr Grit Schulzki, and Dr Andrea Giehl describe how NIRS used to monitor caffeine levels in tea.

The ProSpecT 24 hour stool diagnostic algorithm provides the first practical, rapid system to expedite diagnosis of enteric disease. The comprehensive menu of ELISA assays, each utilising the same common format for simple, accurate and sensitive diagnostic information makes this possible.

The fundamental advantages of vapour pressure osmometry are now embodied what is claimed to be the most intelligent osmometer ever produced. Wescor's Vapro offers an intuitive approach that afrees users from intensively managing an instrument'.

Since 1995 there has been explosive growth in the use of the Internet by the general public. The penetration of the Internet into society is also fundamentally changing the face of scientific, chemical and spectroscopic research. By James Duckworth and Chris Draves.

The Nicolet Almega dispersive Raman spectrometer is a Class I laser safe package. The system features multiple laser wavelength option for high resolution confocal Raman microscopy and a fully integrated, full sized Raman sample compartment.

The development of both highly sensitive, flexible and fast instrumentation for effective and robust assay technologies has evolved quite dramatically in response to the needs of the pharmaceutical industry as it applies to drug discovery and development. Here, Silke Angersbach gives an overview of novel assay technologies used in drug discovery and high throughput screening.

Eric Trompier explains why a low standard deviation or relative standard deviation does not necessarily correspond to a high level of accuracy nor the result obtained correspond to the true value of your sample.

Jennifer R Harrington looks at a line of kits which have been designed to detect individual cells secreting specific human and mouse cytokines.