A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is a software-based solution that can help labs effectively manage laboratory data, thereby increasing the efficiency of various lab operations. A LIMS acts as an interface between the laboratory staff and the database where all the information is stored. With the right LIMS, organizations can automate workflows, integrate instruments, …

The cover story of this month titled: “Everything You Need to Know About Liquid Handling”. This process is obviously standardized by replicate assays, multiple operators, multiple runs, and using different instruments. To this end, the first line of defense is a handheld pipette or a liquid dispenser. You might think about the presence of liquid-handling …

Aspirin is a salicylate (sa-LIS-il-ate). It works by reducing substances in the body that cause pain, fever, and inflammation. Aspirin is used to treat pain, and reduce fever or inflammation. It is sometimes used to treat or prevent heart attacks, strokes, and chest pain (angina). There is evidence that has shown that aspirin as a …

In gas chromatography, the components of a sample are dissolved in a solvent and vaporized in order to separate the analytes by distributing the sample between two phases: a stationary phase and a mobile phase. The mobile phase is a chemically inert gas that serves to carry the molecules of the analyte through the heated …

Preventing contamination in pipetting is paramount to achieving reliable results. It requires identification of the potential contamination mechanisms in order that they can all be addressed. Aerosols, suspensions of solid or liquid particles in a gas, are formed in many laboratory activities such as pipetting with air displacement pipettes, and aerosols are the major contamination …

Flow cytometry is a technology that provides rapid multi-parametric analysis of single cells in solution. Flow cytometers utilize lasers as light sources to produce both scattered and fluorescent light signals that are read by detectors such as photodiodes or photomultiplier tubes. Cell populations can be analyzed and/or purified based on their fluorescent or light scattering …

Mycelial cultures were obtained from fragments of F. officinalis fruiting bodies. The taxonomic position of the mushroom mycelium was confirmed using the PCR method. The presence of organic compounds was determined by HPLC–DAD analysis. The cover story of this month titled: “Pharmaceutical Mycelia: A story of statins” contributed by LGC Mikromol. As the story suggests …

Quality control is an essential operation of the pharmaceutical industry. Drugs must be marketed as safe and therapeutically active formulations whose performance is consistent and predictable. New and better medicinal agents are being produced at an accelerated rate. At the same time more exacting and sophisticated analytical methods are being developed for their evaluation. The …

Water is one of the major utilities used by the pharmaceutical industry. It may be present as an excipient or used for reconstitution of products, during synthesis, during production of the finished product or as a cleaning agent for rinsing vessels, equipment, primary packaging materials, etc. The cover story of this month titled: “Everything You …

Laboratory automation is a multi-disciplinary strategy to research, develop, optimize and capitalize on technologies in the laboratory that enable new and improved processes. Laboratory automation professionals are academic, commercial and government researchers, scientists and engineers who conduct research and develop new technologies to increase productivity, elevate experimental data quality, reduce lab process cycle times, or …

Pipette tips are used with pipettes and pipettors to speed processing and reduce cross-contamination. They are available in a variety of materials and styles. Popular pipette styles used are: Universal pipette tips, Filter pipette tips and Low retention pipette tips. Dispensing the exact volume is one of the major concerns amongst lab workers handling patient …

Raman Spectroscopy is a non-destructive chemical analysis technique which provides detailed information about chemical structure, phase and polymorphy, crystallinity and molecular interactions. It is based upon the interaction of light with the chemical bonds within a material. Raman is a light scattering technique, whereby a molecule scatters incident light from a high intensity laser light …