Biotechnology & Biomedical

Recent developments CMOS technology allow widefield lifetime imaging, with the ability to measure FLIM in real time, to be employed to investigate mobile samples and kinetics, as well as remote imaging.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful plasmonics-based analytical technique for biosensing. SERS effect relies on nanostructures that need to be designed to maximize enhancement factors and molecular specificity. In addition to numerical modeling, an analytical tool capable of imaging localized enhancement would be an added value.

The XGT-9500 Series can be used for identification of trace evidences such as collected gunshot residues, glass fragments, and fibers with sizes even down to tens of micron.

Calcium micro-nodules are identified within mulberry leaves, and XRF mapped imaging provides a correlation between nodule concentration and leaf age. In a seperate study, the uptake of heavy element pollutants by plants is investigated, with high resolution images quickly acquired to show the distribution of lead through the leaf.

The effect of zinc on gastric ulcer healing has been investigated - mapped imaging of tissue samples shows evidence of zinc accumulation within the ulcerated tissue. In a separate study a fish otolith ('ear bone') has been analysed to reveal its heterogeneous elemental composition and physical structure.

Phospholipid bilayers, major constituents of membranes act as a barrier of selective permeability for the nanoparticles now largely into our environment. Studying the interactions between nanoparticles and cellular membranes requires a molecular chemical probe with nanometer resolution capability.

Duetta is an analytical instrument capable of recording both the fluorescence and the absorbance of a sample. Absorbance data provides concentration-dependant information on non-fluorescent compounds. Through its user-friendly software, Duetta allows different measurements related to biomolecules like DNA, RNA and proteins including protein concentration, DNA/RNA purity, finding the concentration of an unknown sample based on a standard-based calibration curve, Pass/Fail testing and all standard fluorescence and absorbance related measurements. All these functionalities are possible through dedicated applications in EzSpec™ software for Duetta.

The study of singlet oxygen (1O2) is of interest, principally, as it is a highly reactive species. It can be produced by photosensitisation, usually of a molecule such as a dye or porphyrin. Thus, by the appropriate selection of sensitiser, the presence of oxygen and light, 1O2 can be selectively generated. From a biological aspect it has the ability to damage and destroy cells, which has lead to interest in its use as an anticancer agent in photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Can we accurately and quickly measure the amount of carbon contained in the material?

The prevalence of allergies in the world is between 30 and 40%. Even though it exists medical treatments such as antihistaminic and desensitization this number is constantly increasing. Thus, in this application note, the identification and chemical characterization of aeroallergens by Raman microscopy will allow to prevent people who are affected by respiratory allergies of the presence of this type of allergens in indoor and outdoor air.

In this study, we demonstrate the ViewSizer 3000’s capabilities as a next generation NTA based analysis instrument in order to accurately and efficiently measure and characterize extracellular vesicles (EV) via particle size and concentration.

The new HORIBA Duetta fluorescence and absorbance spectrometer offers many unique benefits for molecular spectroscopy. It is primarily thought of as a spectrofluorometer that combines absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy to correct the fluorescence fingerprint for concentration-related effects. Duetta can also be used as a precise absorbance spectrometer. This application note explores the use of Duetta for a common absorbance application, the Protein A280 application.

The use of low molecular weight molecules in the industries of drug discovery and agri-food has become increasingly important over the course of a century of drug research and science development in agriculture and in pharmaceutical field.

Silica is currently one of the most important industrial materials, whose nanoparticles are formed via a sol-gel process.

The brightly-colored coral reefs that make scuba-diving and snorkeling so enjoyable are essential to the survival of much underwater life. Not only do reefs offer a haven for smaller fish to hide from larger predators, but also some fish actually survive by eating the reefs themselves. Reefs offer protection to plants and animals from the ravages of waves and ocean currents. Thus, when the reefs die, so do many other living creatures.

Liposomes are bilayer vesicles made of phospholipids derived from natural or man-made materials. They are mainly used in the pharmaceutical field for treatment of cancers as carriers of chemotherapeutic drugs to the tumor area.

This application note describes two experiments where laser diffraction proved capable of determining both the base biopolymer nanoparticles and also larger particles outside of the range of DLS.

Raman Spectroscopy was evaluated as a non-invasive method of analysis of sperm DNA and the influence of UV irradiation on the sperm. The results show that Raman Spectroscopy, combined with multivariate analysis provide the reproducible and accurate information on DNA of sperm and the effect and location of damage.

Fast and non-invasive methods for clinical and non clinical investigations for biological tissue are more and more required. Raman imaging at micro scale can answer to crucial questions about the monkey brain tissue morphology and structural evolution.

The fluorescence spectra of intrinsic protein fluorophores have been studied extensively and used in investigating biological events.

The TRIAX and iHR series spectrometers used in Raman system configurations provide superior imaging performance with no re-diffracted light and maximized optical throughput.

Samples can be valuable. Either you don’t want to waste them, or you may not have very much starting material. Biological proteins and enzymes, for example, are often obtained in small volumes and may be expensive.

The choice of protecting group is of crucial importance in the success of many steps in organic synthesis and the manipulation of polyfunctional molecules, since they can prevent the formation of undesired side products and reactions.

Tryptophan phosphorescence within protein molecules is gaining attention as a probe of protein dynamics and structure. The tryptophan phosphorescence lifetime, τ, varies with the protein molecule’s local environment and conformation.

Monitoring culture media conditions is highly important for industries in order to improve cell proliferation for applications such as regenerative medicines and protein synthesis.

Confocal Raman spectroscopy is beginning to be recognized as a high potential technique for the non invasive study of biological tissues and human skin under in vivo conditions. Raman spectroscopy can be applied to obtain information regarding the molecular composition of the skin down to several hundred micrometers below the skin surface.

Traditionally, Raman has been a technique of the material scientist, physicist or chemist, but as instrumentation continues to evolve, the power of Raman in biological and medical applications is fast being realized, not least because of the high information content provided and an excellent tolerance for water.

Fluorescence measurements with HORIBA Scientific spectrofluorometers are a sensitive tool for probing biochemical interactions such as molecular beacons and DNA.

The majority of proteins are glycosylated: they possess oligosaccharide chains and are hence termed glycoproteins. Oligosaccharides, also called carbohydrate or sugar, are often quite large (as large as some protein domains for example) and they have many functions in molecular interactions.

Description of the advantages of combining the use of peptide chips with direct label-free detection as achieved by SPR imaging (SPRi).

This application note shows that the HORIBA Scientific SPRi platform is suitable for the analysis of aptamer-based molecular interactions. For this purpose, the interaction between human IgE protein, an antibody involved in allergic reactions, and a human IgE specific aptamer4 is presented as proof-of-concept.

Among the possible fluorescence biosensors for medical and biochemical monitoring and imaging are the flavonoids, compounds that occur in many plants and their products, such as tea, chocolate, and red wine.

Our SPRi technology (Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging), is able to measure multiplexed label-free biolo-gical interactions in a complex media such as serum.We will demonstrate the ability to monitor specific interactions between immobilized peptides and proteins issued from non purified immune sera, using a cystamine/glutaraldehyde SAM surface chemistry on the bio-chip surface. We chose to illustrate this ability by monitoring the interaction between an ovalbumin peptide fragment and an ovalbumin immunized serum.

The purpose of this proof of concept is to show that Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging (SPRi) is a suitable technique to detect allergens. Compared with other techniques, such as ELISA or Luminex, which are based on colorimetric or fluorescence detection, this technology does not require the labeling of antibodies.

HORIBA provides the pharmaceutical industry, biotech companies and academic research laboratories with high performance instrumentation based on SPRi technology (Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging). To demonstrate the power of this technology, we carried out an experiment based on an antibody-antigen interaction. Original surface chemistry combined with an electrochemical process allows the rapid coupling of biomolecules to the gold layer (polypyrrole co-polymerisation) on the top of a glass prism.

Rapid mixing accessories to perform stopped flow measurements have found application in characterizing interactions and reactions occurring in solution. Reactants are expelled from syringes, mixed and injected into a flowcell.

The potential health benefits stemming from the antioxidant activity of curcumin, commonly found in turmeric (Curcuma longa L), has attracted the interest of several research groups.

Polarized light striking a fluorescent molecule results in polarized fluorescence. This polarized emission gradually returns to unpolarized fluorescence depending on rotational diffusion and other factors. Anisotropy is directly related to the polarization, and is the ratio of the polarized light component to the total light intensity.