Antibodies

Cancer antigens

Zymed offers eight monoclonal antibodies against cancer antigens CA 15-3 for breast cancer, CA 19-9 for colorectal and pancreatic cancer, CA 125 for non-mucinous ovarian cancer, and CA 72.4 for a variety of human adenocarcinomas. The Mabs are relatively tumor-specific for these markers, which are secreted glycoproteins of solid tissue tumors. http://www.zymed.com

Apoptosis marker

Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is synthesized by a range of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP) in response to DNA damage, and correlates with other apoptosis markers. A Mab to PAR, clone 10H, is available from Alexis Biochemicals. It is ideal for detecting apoptotic cells using immunocytochemistry. Alexis also offers a full line of PARP-related products, including enzymes, standards, and inhibitors. http://www.alexis-corp.com

S-100 protein

From Biodesign International, human S-100 protein monoclonal and polyclonal antibody specificities include both alpha-beta and beta-beta isoforms. Suitable applications include immunoassay, Western blot, immunoaffinity purification, and immunohistochemistry. Antibody pair recommendations for use in ELISA are available. http://www.biodesign.com

Lab automation

Nucleic acid purification

Qiagen's BioRobot 8000 molecular biology workstation allows for high-throughput, walk-away nucleic acid purification. An 8-channel pipetting system rapidly performs routine liquid-handling tasks with the precision required for 384-well formats, and an automated vacuum system provides efficient removal of contaminants from purification modules using a combination of heating and vacuum steps. The vacuum manifold is assembled and disassembled by the robotic handling system for walk-away sample preparation. Nucleic acids purified with this system can be used directly in subsequent analytical techniques, such as sequencing and quantitative PCR. http://www.qiagen.com

Nucleic acid extractor

The AutoGenprep 960 is a completely automated robotic system for DNA extraction. The latest addition to the AutoGenprep family of nucleic acid extractors, it combines high-throughput automation at the lowest cost per prep, maintaining high yield and high quality, with the added feature of 96 deep well capability. Nucleic acids can be purified from up to four 96 deep well plates per run in just 4 h. http://www.autogen.com

Microarrayer

MicroGrid II Compact is a new microarray robot from BioRobotics. Based on the successful MicroGrid II, it offers the same high-density microarraying ability, but is intended for users with a lower throughput requirement. MicroGrid II Compact handles up to 4 microplates, which can be 96, 384, or 1,536 well format. PCR plates can also be used. Up to 48 slides can be printed in a single run. Microarray spotting is carried out with a positional accuracy of around 3 μm, with distance between spot centers adjustable in 10-μm increments. http://www.biorobotics.com