Articles

Quick, well-managed distillation at Radboud University Purifying ultra dry solvents in a solvent purification system is quicker and safer than distilling them. PhD candidate Hidde Elferink at Radboud University’s faculty of Synthetic Organic Chemistry explains. “We research the chemical bonding of sugars, also known as glycosylation. We need extremely pure, dry solvents for that. When we used to distill those, things sometimes went wrong. Now, purification is fast, safe and flawless.” Distillation is a great old-school method for drying solvents. But it is neither quick, nor easy, says Hidde Elferink. “I hated doing it when I was a student. Setting things up in the lab takes up so much time and space. So much can go wrong. Just take THF [tetrahydrofuran] for instance. If you don’t pay very close attention, it goes dry and then it can combust. I must admit that in my student days, I caused several fires and even a small explosion.”

Using metal beads to heat and cool: efficient, sanitary, sustainable Utrecht Medical Center’s Nuclear Medicine unit uses bead baths as a sanitary solution for thawing radiopharmaceuticals. Heated beads do the job just as quickly as water. The use of water baths for heating and cooling purposes comes with a list of familiar complaints: low water levels, limescale on the edges, and drips and spills when removing materials from the bath. Not to mention the wet mess created when baths are emptied. More importantly, water baths can be a microbiological hazard. Reason enough for UMC’s Nuclear Medicine department to invest in a metal bead bath.

How is the growth and ripening of fruit regulated? That’s what researcher Ruud de Maagd at Wageningen Plant Research focuses on. The CRISPR-Cas system enables him to edit the genome much more precisely. “Basing our research on the tomato as a model fruit, we use CRISPR-Cas to inhibit certain genes, particularly transcription factors, to determine what their function is. In the past, we did this by means of spontaneous mutants or RNA interference. The dra- wback was that it was difficult to inhibit a gene completely or to inhibit one specific gene if there were several similar genes. CRISPR-Cas works much better and allows us to be far more precise,”

Is LiFi about to revolutionize data exchange in clean- rooms? LiFi, or light fidelity technology, is like WiFi without the radio waves. Based on Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), LiFi uses visible UV and Near InfraRed light. The advantage is that light has a much broader spectrum, enabling users to exchange data far more rapidly. This is because LEDs can be switched on and off millions of times per second and this is used to transmit an enormous amount of data. It’s like morse code in a supersonic dimension.

Two key expressions of digitalization in Smart Industry are digital threads and digital twins,” Van Barneveld says. Digital threads are the strings of digital information that accom- pany products on their journey through the production chain. Digital information is added at every step along the way, in the manufacture of parts, components and end products. This data can pertain to the quality and origin of raw materials or to the production condition. “Today’s assertive customers demand demonstrable quality, based in part on complete traceability. On top of that, there’s a demand for personalized products and packaging. You want to order green M&Ms only? No problem!” says Van Barneveld.

Ideally, cultured cells have the same characteristics as cells that develop in the patient’s body. But in practice, there are still many obstacles to be overcome in the development of cellular therapies. To begin with, cultured cells need not only to possess the right weapons to attack a tumor, but they must also move in the right direction. That doesn’t always happen, noticed Carlijn Voermans, head of the Cellular Therapy Department at Sanquin, during her research into mesenchymal stromal cell-based the- rapy. Mesenchymal stromal cells are very young cells that mature in the body to become part of cartilage, bone, adipose tissue and other supportive tissues.

As the use of biodiesel increases, so does the importance of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) analyses. A year ago, Bureau Veritas’ Amterdam lab invested in special equipment to quickly analyze FAME samples from ship cargoes. Bureau Veritas’ laboratory in the Port of Amsterdam specializes in analyzing gasoline, diesel, fuel oil and aviation fuel. Not far from the lab, tankers carrying shipments of these fuels navigate the North Sea Canal. No ship is allowed to load or unload its cargo until the fuel quality has been checked by an independent laboratory. Which is why Bureau Veritas has a team of analysts on standby 24-7. They check samples and deliver their quality control results as fast as possible. Their tests include density measurements, fuel composition and octane or cetane number.

The Southern Ocean is getting warmer, and therefore quickly melting the Antarctic ice cap. It’s unclear whether this process is reversible, and if not, how long it will take for it to melt entirely. Lab research on some of the oldest known seabed sediment may in the next few decades shed light on these ice and ocean dynamics. At Utrecht University, the research is being done by OceaNice, a project that got underway in February 2019 and is led by Peter Bijl, who holds a PhD in the environmental and climatological evolution of the early Paleogene Southern Ocean.

Simplifying laboratory procurement Lab Innovations will return to the NEC, Birmingham, for its 8th successive year on 30 & 31 October 2019. As the UK’s only laboratory industry dedicated trade show, and ‘Best Trade Show’ winner at the 2019 Exhibition News awards, it is growing annually, supported by many of the UK’s leading scientific insti- tutions. This year will be the largest ever show, with over 160 leading scientific suppliers providing more product launches, innovation and discussion than ever before.

With a new laboratory especially for processing seaweed, ECN / TNO has expanded its capacity to research technologies that convert biomass into sustainable biofuels and renewable raw materials. The lab, located in Petten, the Netherlands, will be used to explore seaweed’s great potential as a renewable energy source. With a daily processing capacity of 50 kilos of wet seaweed, the lab is the largest of its kind worldwide. It boasts flexibly deployable test facilities for the development of methods to turn seaweed into biofuel and biobased materials. In the lab, the seaweed is divided into sugars, proteins and minerals for processing into semi- finished products.

The payback period can be surprisingly short “We are known for our process analysis sensors, which measure parameters like temperature, pressure, pH, oxygen content and conductivity. These sensors are used in pharmaceutical bio processes. They are validated for that environment and can support head-to-tail processes. However, they’re also suitable for research purposes and can be used at lab or pilot scale. We’re talking 3 to 100 liter bioreactors then. Our industrial probes work just as well in a lab. Obviously, this makes scaling up all the easier: you’re working with FDA-compliant equipment right from the start and the same sensor can be used at any scale, even in a one thousand-liter tank. And all the data are collected in a LIMS. Thanks to our takeover of Kaiser Optical Systems about five years ago, we also sell Raman spectroscopes. Raman is a multi-parameter technology that allows you to do multiple checks simultaneously.

OMT Solutions: specialized in optical measurements and testing He was working as a researcher at TNO [Netherlands Orga- nisation for Applied Scientific Research] when he founded the Optical Measurements and Testing working group, in 1995. Van Nijnatten’s group grew quickly and soon employed five people. In 2008, he decided to take the leap and continue his business under the name OMT Solutions at the Dutch High Tech Campus Eindhoven. With its modern office space and high-qua- lity electrotechnical labs, the campus attracts many young high- tech companies active in R&D. And it wasn’t just its facilities that attracted OMT. It was “the whole campus climate. It’s got a great reputation and that rubs off on the companies that are housed here. The infrastructure is great, too. Suppose you need liquid nitrogen or specific gases. It’s just a phone call away. Our activities fall under the environmental permit for the whole High Tech Campus, so we never have to apply for separate permits. There are so many facilities here that companies can use. It’s a well-oiled machine, which makes it very pleasant to work here.”

Metagenomics benefits forensic science through microbial profiling By comparing the microbial profiles taken from a suspect’s hand and from an object found at a crime scene, it is pos- sible to assess the probability that the suspect was present there when the crime was committed. Humans, on average, have 150 types of microbes on their hands. This population is unique enough to be used as a means of identification. Moreover, microbial profiles show the origins of the tissue found in a trace. Peter de Knijff, professor of population and evolution genetics at Leiden University Medical Center’s department of Human Genetics, explains why this is such an exciting breakthrough. “The main problem in forensics is usually the lack of DNA. A human body cell contains just 6 picograms of DNA. The success of DNA testing depends largely on the amount of cell material on the surface and the time that has elapsed since it was last touched.” As De Knijff, who also heads the forensic lab for DNA testing (FLDO), points out, “microbial profiling is a totally different kettle of fish, because there’s usually plenty of bacteria available at the crime scene.”

MVRDV designs Matrix 1 for Amsterdam Science Park Located in the heart of Amsterdam Science Park is MVRDV’s design for Matrix 1, an office and laboratory complex that combines standard laboratories with playful and spacious social areas. The University of Amsterdam (UvA) has reached an agreement to occupy around a quarter of the 13,000m2 building to host the SustainaLab, a specialist facility for research into sustainability that aims to stimulate creative cooperation between education, research, government, and entrepreneurship.

This shows the complete history of the sampling cycle Today’s clinical genomics and bio-pharmaceutical research laboratories and contract research organizations are increasingly challenged by enormous amounts of data, they need to manage, process and interpret, often in a highly regulated environment. Advanced scientific data management solutions optimize workflows, increase output and enable instrument and data connectivity within and between lab organizations in a compliant way, says Nicole Rose, responsible for Product Applications, Digital Science at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Particularly industry companies in their growth stage - let’s say the clinical genomics start-ups - produce huge amounts of data, when using for example next generation sequence techniques and likewise and also face strict regulatory compliance requirements.

On Friday March 22, 2019, the Matrix VII building in Amsterdam Science Park was officially opened. This vibration free office-cum-lab houses various companies, including the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL), a ‘triple helix’ cooperative between NWO, UvA, VU and ASML.* The building was designed by a team consisting of Deerns, Ector Hoogstad Architects and IMd engineering consultancy. The hybrid office-lab building has more than 9,000 square meters of office space that is easily convertible into labs should the need arise.

I’ve actually written this column a little early, because the real Taco Day is celebrated on October 4. But hey, I can’t help the fact that there’s no LABinsights edition planned for that day. Besides, my topic today is bigger than just me. I’d like to call your attention to the importance of standardization in the widest sense of the word. As you may know, I am the 2019 Chairman of the Board of Directors of ASTM International. I consider it a great honor to represent more than 32,000 international volunteers.

Stringent dioxin regulations are causing quite a buzz in the European reference lab network Some of the world's leading research into dioxin analysis is happening at the University of Liège Faculty of Sciences, where Chemistry department head Jean-François Focant and his team are spearheading studies on dioxin testing using triple quad GC-MS. This method will enable labs to meet the stricter analytical standards the EU is set to impose. Triple quad GC-MS is used more and more to replace magnetic sector-mass spectrometry, which was the only authorized method for dioxin determinations until about five years ago. Even Focant's lab still uses these enormous machines. Their performance is excellent, but analysts need specialist knowledge to use them and they have a huge footprint. By contrast, a triple quad-mass spectrometer fits on a lab bench, costs half, is more user-friendly, and works just as well as magnetic sector MS. Focant’s research group has been working on triple quad analytical methods for years.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals outsources central management of 17,000 lab instruments Janssen Pharmaceuticals Beerse, a J&J subsidiary, has outsourced the maintenance of all its lab equipment. The decision has big advantages; the equipment’s maintenance status is clear, maintenance is more efficient, up-time is increased and costs are lower thanks to economies of scale with existing suppliers. But above all, outsourcing reduces the administrative workload for lab managers and analysts. Not only has Beerse maintenance been outsourced, but also equipment from the Janssen-labs in Geel (raw materials production) and Merksem (clinical facility). After eighteen months and proven success, J&J is rolling this approach out to other European sites.

Rainer Schramm, owner and managing director of Fluxana GmbH, talking about XRF supplies In just 15 years, Fluxana has established a strong global presence. This German contract laboratory and manufacturer of lab supplies, calibration supplies and XRF sample preparation equipment now has a strong, worldwide position in an expanding niche market. Fluxana is based in Bedburg-Hau, near Kleve on Germany’s border with the Netherlands. Its brand-new headquarters house labs, an R&D department, of ces and a spacious lab supply storehouse. Everything is geared toward X-ray fuorescent spectrometry, known in Germany as RFA, abbreviated from Röntgenfuoreszenzanalytik.

Protection level determines choice of gloves How safe are gloves that protect the wearer’s hands for less than a second upon contact with a solvent? And how safe are gloves made of a material that migrates to the skin and harms the wearer’s health? SHE officers are starting to realize that not all gloves are created equal. At the Laborama safety seminar in Spring 2017, Ann Van den Borre, Senior Technical Manager and Guardian Chemical at Ansell HealthCare Europe, pointed out that many analysts do not know enough about the responsible use of safety gloves. The protection gloves offer against chemicals depends on their thickness and the type of material they are made of. Lab technicians usually wear disposable latex or vinyl gloves because these offer touch sensitivity. What few technicians know is that these gloves only provide splash protection. Once fouled, a vinyl or latex glove should be replaced immediately.

University of Münster’s new plant research chambers provide prime research conditions The University of Münster (WWU) in Westphalia, Germany recently commissioned six special plant research chambers to facilitate its molecular genetic and cell biology re- search. These state-of-the-art facilities put the Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen at the forefront of Germany’s plant research community. With the new plant research chambers, the biology institute’s research facilities have effectively tripled in size to six 12 m2 rooms. The old facilities, some of which dated back to the 1960s, were badly in need of replacement. They were cramped, and the environmental controls were outdated and unsuited to the precision standards required for today’s plant genetics re- search. Stefan Weinl, a researcher at the WWU’s Plant Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology research group, praises the new chambers. “These new research facilities will allow us to make strides in our studies of Arabidopsis, our main research project. We’re trying to take what we learn from this model plant and transfer it to commercial crops. This is fundamental research.

Franz Walt, President of Laboratory Diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers User-friendliness: every major lab equipment supplier knows it is the number one priority in product development. Franz Walt, President of Laboratory Diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers, explains how his company puts customers first. Siemens Healthineers developed ‘Atellica Solution’ after asking hundreds of clinical laboratory specialists and end users what they expected from a new generation of automated immunoassay and chemical analyzers. This study, conducted by an independent market research firm, was the basis of a multi-year R&D project. Siemens created a dedicated advisory board composed of lab specialists and asked them to evaluate the company’s technological innovations. The board’s feedback determined the project’s direction. “We flew in these professionals from all over the globe. My roots are in the pharmaceutical industry, so my thinking wasn’t sales-oriented, but based on needs, which is how you have to think when you’re developing drugs.

Integrating platforms accelerates QbD continual improvement initiatives It is time to put more emphasis on the preventing facet and re-order the sequence of the CAPA abbreviation into PACA. We now can turn our potential data graveyards into valuable resources to facilitate the QbD promise across the pharmaceutical Quality System model. It is proven that his theory to adopt continuous improvement strategies to decrease variability resulted in significantly better products and financial performance.

A modern, largely robotized laboratory that connects departments and processes sample material quickly, safely and accurately according to standardized procedures. Too good to be true? It is already operational at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). The current generation of robots is compliant and made to help people. With that in mind, the LUMC has been working for years on a core lab that is sophisticated, well equipped and, moreover, future-proof. This was not an easy task because several laboratories had to be merged. And, on top of that, it was also necessary to redesign the diagnostic process and the laboratory information system (LIS), standardize the method and develop a new quality system.