WHITE CITY, Ore., July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BioMed Diagnostics, Inc., an innovative manufacturer of microbiology devices that facilitate and enhance infectious disease diagnosis, today announced its patented InTray and InPouch product lines will now be available worldwide through a new agreement with VWR International, LLC, a global laboratory supply and distribution company with 2011 worldwide sales in excess of $4.1 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, VWR will distribute BioMed's products for the diagnosis of infectious disease.

InTray and InPouch devices uniquely combine sample collection, transport, and culture in a single read-out ready platform, thereby reducing handling, increasing productivity, improving throughput and reducing the risk of sample exposure and contamination.

"The productivity and accuracy advantages of InTray and InPouch have won these tests a growing customer base over the past few years. We are delighted that distribution leader VWR will now extend our reach to its extensive customer base so more healthcare providers around the globe will have access to these unique products," said Jim Self, Chief Executive Officer of BioMed Diagnostics.

"BioMed's one-step collection, transport, incubation and observation devices are a simple yet elegant solution for point-of-care infectious disease diagnosis," noted Steve Goodman, Senior Vice President of Category Management for VWR. "The initial response to these products has been excellent and we look forward to making them available globally to the many labs and facilities that can benefit from their use."

BioMed's InPouch product is an easy-to-use, fully enclosed oxygen-resistant plastic pouch for microbiology sample collection, transport, culture and observation. Once the sample has been inoculated, the InPouch is sealed against contamination. The optically clear InPouch can be directly viewed under the microscope without the need to prepare a wet mount slide. InPouch offers a variety of proprietary media that deliver high specificity and selectivity and has a long shelf life of up to one year. InPouch is also compatible for use with PCR.

BioMed's InTray product is a fully enclosed cassette for microbiology sample collection, transport and culture. This stackable device can be observed under a microscope through optically clear plastic, eliminating the need to prepare a wet mount slide. The fully enclosed system features controlled air exchange to protect against exposure or contamination, and is ideal for field use or austere environments. InTray products featuring proprietary Colorex technology produce easy-to-interpret results that can be read visually via color changes in the sample.

For more information, visit http://www.biomeddiagnostics.com/clinical.

About BioMed Diagnostics BioMed Diagnostics, Inc. is a manufacturer of in vitro clinical diagnostic, veterinary, environmental and research-only microbiology testing devices that save time and money, improve workflow and throughput, and reduce sample exposure and contamination. By combining sample collection, transport and culture in a single read-out ready platform, BioMed's InPouch and InTray devices help medical professionals, veterinarians, researchers and environmental and industry scientists accurately detect and enumerate a variety of bacterial and fungal pathogens. The devices' unique sealed design reduces the risk of pathogen exposure, and they have a long shelf life. InTray products featuring Colorex technology enable easy-to-interpret visual results from a simple color change. To learn more about BioMed Diagnostics products and services, visit:www.biomeddiagnostics.com.

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BioMed Diagnostics' Microbiology Diagnostic Devices Now Available Worldwide Through Distribution Agreement With VWR ...

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8cv4vq/poland_in_vitro_di) has announced the addition of Global Markets Direct's new report "Poland In Vitro Diagnostics Investment Opportunities, Analysis and Forecasts to 2017" to their offering.

This report provides value (USD million) data for each segment and sub-segment within seven market categories - Clinical Chemistry, Genetic Testing, Haematology, Histology And Cytology, Immuno Chemistry, Infectious Immunology and Microbiology Culture. The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for each of the aforementioned market categories. The report is supplemented with global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants with information on key recent developments.

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by Global Markets Direct's team of industry experts.

Scope

- Market size and company share data for In Vitro Diagnostics market categories - Clinical Chemistry, Genetic Testing, Haematology, Histology And Cytology, Immuno Chemistry, Infectious Immunology and Microbiology Culture.

- Annualized market revenues (USD million) data for each of the segments and sub-segments within seven market categories. Data from 2003 to 2010, forecast forward for 7 years to 2017.

- 2010 company shares and distribution shares data for each of the seven market categories.

- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Poland In Vitro Diagnostics market.

Key players covered include: F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Abbott Laboratories, Siemens Healthcare, Beckman Coulter, Inc., bioMerieux S.A., Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics Inc. and others.

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Research and Markets: Poland In Vitro Diagnostics Investment Opportunities, Analysis and Forecasts to 2017

NEW YORK, July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) - Emerging Countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) Opportunity Assessment, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecasts to 2018http://www.reportlinker.com/p0862093/In-Vitro-Diagnostics-IVD---Emerging-Countries-Brazil-Russia-India-China-Opportunity-Assessment-Competitive-Landscape-and-Market-Forecasts-to-2018.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=In_Vitro_Diagnostic

In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) - Emerging Countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) Opportunity Assessment, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecasts to 2018

Summary

GlobalData's new report, "In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) - Emerging Countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) Opportunity Assessment, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecasts to 2018" provides key data, information and analysis on the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) market in emerging countries. The report provides market landscape, competitive landscape and market trends information on the IVD market in emerging countries. The report provides comprehensive information on the key trends affecting the market, and key analytical content on the market dynamics. The report also reviews the competitive landscape and technology offerings.

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by GlobalData's team of industry experts.

Scope

-Key geographies covered include the China, India, Brazil and Russia. - Key segments covered include Immuno Chemistry, Infectious Immunology, Clinical Chemistry, Haematology, Histology and Cytology, Genetic Testing and Microbiology Culture. - Annualized market revenues data from 2004 to 2011, forecast forward for seven years to 2018. Company shares data for 2011. - Qualitative analysis of key market trends, market drivers, and restraints within IVD market in emerging countries. - The report also covers information on the leading market players and the competitive landscape. - Key players covered include Siemens Healthcare, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Abbott Laboratories, Sysmex Corporation, Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd. and Beckman Coulter.

Reasons to buy

- Develop business strategies by understanding the trends and developments that are driving the IVD market in emerging countries. - Design and develop your product development, marketing and sales strategies. - Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies. - Identify key players best positioned to take advantage of the emerging market opportunities. - Exploit in-licensing and out-licensing opportunities by identifying products that are most likely to ensure a robust return. - What's the next big thing in the IVD market in emerging countries? Identify, understand and capitalize. - Make more informed business decisions from the insightful and in-depth analysis of the IVD market in emerging countries and the factors shaping it.

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In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) - Emerging Countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) Opportunity Assessment, Competitive ...

Research from the Medical University of South Carolina suggests that adding copper to hospital surfaces which are commonly touched by medical personnel and patients could help reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections. The findings appear in the July 2012 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

Hospital-acquired infections kill around 100,000 people annually in the United Statesequivalent to a wide-body jet crash every day of the year. About five percent of patients admitted to US hospitalsnearly 5,500 daily, or two million annuallyget sick from the hospital, adding $45 billion ($45,000,000,000) to the annual cost of healthcare.

In this study, the microbial burden on commonly touched surfaces in the medical intensive care units of three hospitals was determined, first to assess the risk from those surfaces, and second, to determine whether or not copper surfacing would lower that burden, and those risks. The study was divided into two phases, pre- and post-copper, and lasted for 43 months.

During the pre-copper phase, "We learned that the average microbial burden found on six commonly touched objects was 28 times higher than levels considered benign, and thus represented a risk to the patient," says Michael Schmidt, a researcher on the study. Installing copper surfaces, he says, resulted in an 83 percent reduction of that microbial burden, leading the team to conclude that copper surfaces on commonly touched objects could provide a substantially safer environment.

"Given that the average hospital acquired infection in the United States conservatively adds an additional 19 days of hospitalization and $43,000 in costs the use of antimicrobial copper surfaces warrants further study and optimization," says Schmidt, adding that this is the fourth leading cause of death, after cancer, heart disease, and strokes. He notes that "Copper has been used by humans for millennia, first as tools and then as a tool to fight the spread of infectious agents."

More information: M.G. Schmidt, H.H. Attaway, P.A. Sharpe, J. John, Jr., K.A. Sepkowitz, A. Morgan, S.E. Fairey, S. Singh, L.L. Steed, J.R. Cantey, K.D. Freeman, H.T. Michels, and C.D. Salgado, 2012. Sustained reduction of microbial burden on common hospital surfaces through induction of copper. J. Clin. Microbiol. 50:2217-2223.

Journal reference: Journal of Clinical Microbiology

Provided by American Society for Microbiology

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Copper surfaces could reduce hospital acquired infections

In the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, researchers at University Hospital Heidelberg in Germany evaluate how well the new BD Max MRSA assay can detect low-prevalence methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as compared to BD's GeneOhm MRSA achromopeptidase assay. The Max MRSA assay had a 93.9 percent sensitivity and a 99.2 percent specificity while the GeneOhm MRSA ACP assay 93.8 percent sensitivity and 98.3 specificity, though the researchers note that the differences were not statistically significant. Upon retesting, the Max MRSA test could resolve all samples while the GeneOhm MRSA ACP tests could not. In addition, the researchers point out that GeneOhm MRSA ACP assay took less time to deliver results, though it needed more hands-on time than the Max MRSA test did.

"This study shows that within a routine clinical setting in a population with low MRSA prevalence the fully automated BD Max MRSA assay and the established BD GeneOhm MRSA ACP assay have similar sensitivity and specificity characteristics," the researchers conclude. "The BD Max MRSA assay produced less unresolved results, had fewer false positive results and showed reduced handling requirements thereby facilitating use of this molecular assay."

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Finding MRSA

19-07-2012 08:48 Chris Reuter, Ph.D. Vice President of Science Osprey Biotechnics Inc, Florida

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Christopher Reuter Talk on Industrial Microbiology Part 2 - Video

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/wsdqpt/israel_in_vitro_di) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Israel In Vitro Diagnostics Market Outlook to 2017 - Clinical Chemistry Genetic Testing, Haematology, Histology and Cytology, Immuno Chemistry, Infectious Immunology and Microbiology Culture" to their offering.

This new report provides key market data on the Israel In Vitro Diagnostics market. The report provides value (USD million) data for each segment and sub-segment within seven market categories - Clinical Chemistry, Genetic Testing, Haematology, Histology And Cytology, Immuno Chemistry, Infectious Immunology and Microbiology Culture. The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for each of the aforementioned market categories. The report is supplemented with global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants with information on company financials and pipeline products, wherever available.

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by GlobalData's team of industry experts.

Scope

- Market size and company share data for In Vitro Diagnostics market categories - Clinical Chemistry, Genetic Testing, Haematology, Histology And Cytology, Immuno Chemistry, Infectious Immunology and Microbiology Culture.

- Annualized market revenues (USD million) data for each of the segments and sub-segments within seven market categories. Data from 2003 to 2010, forecast forward for 7 years to 2017.

- 2010 company shares and distribution shares data for each of the seven market categories.

- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Israel In Vitro Diagnosticsmarket.

- Key players covered include Siemens Healthcare, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Abbott Laboratories, Beckman Coulter, Inc., bioMerieux S.A., Becton, Dickinson and Company and others.

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Research and Markets: Israel In Vitro Diagnostics Market Outlook to 2017 - Clinical Chemistry Genetic Testing ...

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jbbwjz/microbiology_of_th) has announced the addition of the "Microbiology of Thermally Preserved Foods: Canning and Novel Physical Methods" book to their offering.

While introducing the principles and processes of industrial-level food canning, the volume clarifies the effects of microorganisms, their ecology, fate, and prevention in canning operations, as well as in other thermal processing techniques, such as aseptic packaging. It covers microbial spoilage and detection for vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and seafood from the raw food materials through individual unit operations, facility sanitation, and packaging. It thus offers a practical introduction to understanding, preventing and destroying microbe-based hazards in food plants that use thermal processes to preserve and package foods. The text surveys major spoilage and pathogenic microbes of interest, explaining their toxicity, product and safety effects, and the conditions of their destruction by heat treatment.

Key Features

- Explains microbiological hazards in food canning, aseptic packaging, MAP

- Covers microbial hazards from raw foods through unit operations and packaging

From the Foreword

""Not only does this volume contain up-to-date information regarding the types of microbes of interest in heat-treated foods, but it also provides, as a complete resource, details of many aspects of the food chain and processing environment that influences the microflora of thermally-processed foods. This is what I find separates this book from (other) treatises on heat-processed foods.""

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

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Research and Markets: Microbiology of Thermally Preserved Foods: Canning and Novel Physical Methods

Public release date: 9-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

Less than two years after publishing its first issue, the online open-access journal mBio is now ranked among the top 20 highest-impact microbiology journals according to Thomson Reuters, which has just released its Journal Citation Reports for 2011. Thomson Reuters tracks the number of times scholarly articles are cited by other authors and compiles the information into "impact factors", rough measures of the quality or standing of a journal within its field. Since the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) launched mBio in April 2010, it already boasts an impact factor of 5.311 and ranks 16th among all microbiology-centered journals.

mBio is ASM's first broad-scope open-access journal and is published solely online. Among the journal's other distinguishing features is its streamlined decision policy, a response to what many in science perceive to be overly onerous revision requirements by many study reviewers. Using a rigorous peer-review process with an eye to importance and impact, mBio offers authors an up or down decision on manuscripts and will request only minor revisions. The average time to first decision for all mBio manuscripts (excluding those editorially rejected) is 23 days.

In its short history, mBio has published a number of studies and opinion pieces that have garnered national and international attention, in such media outlets as the New York Times, MSNBC, and CNN. An article published in February 2011 by scientists at Northwestern University was the first to reveal the presence of human DNA in a bacterium, the pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a genetic entanglement that many thought was not possible and contributes to our understanding of how pathogens and hosts can evolve together. The news about gonorrhea was picked up by bloggers and writers for the national press.

mBio published another high-profile article in February 2012 which revealed that one type of MRSA, a bacterium that causes invasive skin infections, most likely acquired its resistance to antibiotics while it lived in livestock. The findings illustrated the best evidence to date linking antibiotic use on the farm and antibiotic resistance in an organism that can cause lethal infections in humans. The article added fuel to an already fiery debate about the wisdom and ethics of using antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock.

Editor-in-Chief, Arturo Casadevall, says that the goal for the next year is a continued focus on identifying highly important papers.

While the journal rankings by Thomson Reuters are not the final word on journal quality, they do offer authors guidance on which journals are more likely to garner attention from other scientists in their particular field. ASM expects that mBio's streamlined editorial process, rigorous review process, and high caliber research studies will continue to provide readers with a quality publication and will propel the journal even further up the impact factor rankings in 2012.

###

mBio can be found online at http://mbio.asm.org.

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American Society for Microbiology's newest journal earns a high impact factor in latest rankings

This week UQ is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of a Department of Microbiology, with an alumni dinner to be addressed by an eminent scientist working on polio a remerging disease.

Lectures in bacteriology were introduced to the UQ medical course in the late 1930s, the time of a polio epidemic in Australia.

The post-war years saw the evolution of teaching and research from clinical bacteriology to the wider discipline of microbiology.

Victor Skerman was appointed in 1950 and became the foundation professor of microbiology in 1962, heading the new Department of Microbiology.

The Department prospered over succeeding years, eventually moving from the University's Herston campus to a purpose-built building at St Lucia in 1972.

The building was renamed the Skerman Building in 1988, in honour of the man who led the departments of bacteriology and microbiology for 32 years.

Today, microbiology at UQ continues to prosper as part of the School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences.

Professor Ralph Tripp of the University of Georgia, USA, will present the annual Skerman Lecture on 5 July at Hillstone St Lucia.

He will speak on the development of enhanced vaccine cell lines for the eradication of poliovirus and other vaccine preventable diseases.

Despite a cessation of poliomyelitis in most areas of the world, outbreaks continue in nations where polio is endemic and in countries previously free of polio.

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UQ celebrates 50 years of microbiology

MURRIETA, Calif. - While attending the 112th American Society for Microbiology General Meeting, COPAN is announcing strategic partnership with INPECO for the connection of its track system FlexLab 3.6 for continuous feeding of standardized tube specimens to COPAN's WASP: Walk-Away Specimen Processor.

With over 500 systems placed worldwide, INPECO's track has been successfully implemented in the main specialties of the clinical laboratory everywhere. INPECO's vision of total lab automation fits perfectly with COPAN's vision for WASPLab, and with this partnership INPECO is looking forward to expanding its track system to the Microbiology lab to achieve full lab automation. Lab automation reduces human manipulation wherever possible to manage workload, avoid safety issues, as well as the risk of mistakes, assuring a full traceability of the biological sample. With this in mind, the ideal solution for the laboratory is to load all the tube specimens in specimen reception or accessioning area, and then use the specimen's barcode to determine which instrument the tubes are carried. In the case of WASP, the INPECO track will automatically manage tube specimens, from loading to storing and disposing. Specimens can be loaded onto the track system in two ways: specimens loaded in a hopper and automatically placed into buckets or specimens manually placed into the bucket holders prior to sending them to WASP.

"Standardization of microbiology specimens to tubes and automatic loading of such tube specimens via a conveyor track system sent from the point of reception limits the number of visits to the WASP to just loading and unloading plates. When used with WASPLab, the only visit to the WASP is to load fresh culture plates," says Norman Sharples, COPAN Diagnostics' Executive VP. "The addition of a track is particularly appealing to large laboratories, as it allows them to greatly improve efficiencies by streamlining specimen handling with less human manipulations and interventions," says Sharples. "The unique open platform of WASP allows this type of modularity, highlighting again that WASP is forward compatible and can converge with other technologies easily," concludes Sharples.

About COPAN Group

With a reputation for innovation in preanalytics, COPAN is the leading manufacturer of collection and transport systems in the world. COPAN offers a complete line of automation and a range of microbial sampling products used for traditional culture analysis and molecular diagnostic assays. For more information, visit http://www.copanusa.com

SOURCE COPAN Group

CONTACT: Gabriela Powers, Global Marketing Manager, 1-800-216-4016, Gabriela.powers@copanusa.net

Web Site: http://www.copanusa.com

Alloys used where metal must form hermetic seal with glass or ceramic (vacuum/power tubes, lamps); or where specific expansion must be met over a certain temperature range (hermetic sealing, optoelectronics, optical/laser benches, composite tooling).

Visit Ed Fagan Inc.

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COPAN Partners with INPECO to Offer Track System for Continuous Feeding of Specimens into ...

Some of the interesting stories researchers were discussing at this years American Society of Microbiology meeting in San Francisco.

Are air microbes alive?

Air contains a multitude of bacteria, up to 10,000 per cubic meter, which researchers have assumed exist in spore or dormant forms. To test this assumption, investigators from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, collected air from several locations from around the state and tried to increase the numbers of microbes using a spare liquid culture containing water and small amounts of salts, acids, and alcoholsconditions that mimic the compounds typically found in the air. The researchers then aerosolized successfully growing bacterial cultures using a reactor that they designed and built in-house, and recorded the amount of the carbon isotope 13 that was incorporated into the bacterial DNA a proxy for growth. Although the results showing some bacterial growth in aerosolized cultures are tentative, according to a press release, the investigators are hopeful that further research will provide another example of bacteria thriving in inhospitable conditions.

Bacterial virus fights coral disease

Coral reefs are plagued not only by bleaching events in which they dump their photosynthetic symbionts in response to stress, but also by bacterial disease that can spread rapidly through a colony. Researchers cant immunize coral against the bacteria because their immune systems are too rudimentary, and antibiotics cant be applied effectively in open water. Instead, researchers have investigated using a virus that specifically infects and kills the coral bacteria responsible for white-plague-like coral disease in the laboratory with success. A group from Tel Aviv University recently tried the approach in the Gulf of Aqaba, bordered by Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, and found that the virus successfully slowed disease progression and transmission to new corals. For untreated corals, on the other hand, the disease continued to spread throughout the coral tissue and to neighboring corals, killing 65 percent of tissue in 28 days. An added advantage of the approach, the researchers found, was that the virus would replicate as it killed disease-bacteria and spread to other bacterially-infected corals, but would diminish when the bacterial disease was under control, mitigating the possible spread of an introduced virus.

Cigarette smoke makes bacteria more virulent

Researchers from Columbia University in New York have found that cigarette smoke changes the properties of commensal bacteria, putting smokers at greater risk of their microbiome becoming dangerous. Staphylococcus aureus is part of our normal flora, but it can also cause disease. Exposure to smoke altered Staph physiology, increasing its ability to stick to human cells as well as inanimate objects; increasing its genetic mutations, which could lead to antibiotic-resistant strains; and enhancing its ability to grow as a biofilm. Chronic infections are often caused by bacteria that grow as biofilms, and researchers found that their observations were consistent with the increased incidence of difficult-to-treat infections with smoke exposure.

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Roundup from Microbiology Meeting

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Great Basin Corporation, a privately-held molecular diagnostics company developing sample-to-result solutions, today presented initial data of its Candida assay during the Clinical MycologyDiagnosis, Treatment and Epidemiology (Division F) session at the American Society of Microbiology General Meeting in San Francisco. Currently under development, the assay can detect the most medically relevant Candida species within an hour from blood cultures taken from patients with fungal bloodstream infections (BSI), speeding diagnosis and appropriate treatment for better patient outcomes.

Candidemia constitutes the fourth leading cause of hospital acquired BSI in the United States. Immuno-compromised patients, including transplant, HIV-infected, and chemotherapy patients, are at particularly high risk of fungal infections.

We are very pleased about the growing body of data that demonstrates the efficacy of Great Basins technology, said Ryan Ashton, president and CEO, Great Basin Corporation. Great Basin is focused on developing cost-effective tests that markedly change the way clinicians diagnose the most virulent hospital acquired infections, such as Candida. We look forward to expanding our menu of available assays to support the continued adoption of our platform.

Three additional posters featuring Great Basins technology were presented today during the Detection of C. difficile (Division C) session, including:

In May, Great Basin received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first molecular diagnostic test, which detects Clostridium difficile (C. diff), one of the most common and deadly hospital-acquired infections. The company also released this assay as a European CE-IVD product under the European Directive 98/79/EC on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices. The test is being marketed in both the U.S. and the EU.

The companys easy-to-use integrated cartridge system allows for more accurate and information-rich detection of infectious diseases, allowing providers to diagnose and define a clear treatment path sooner for improved patient outcomes, shorter hospital stays and significant cost savings. The companys goal is to deliver assays that can be performed in a CLIA-rated waived or moderately complex laboratory at a lower cost than other molecular diagnostic solutions.

Great Basins technology entails an integrated disposable cartridge containing all necessary reagents and an inexpensive bench-top analyzer that executes the assay, interprets the results and provides electronic output to the clinician. The platform has several key advantages over other molecular solutions:

About Great Basin Corporation

Great Basin Corporation is a privately-held molecular diagnostics company that commercializes breakthrough, chip-based technologies. The company is dedicated to the development of simple, yet powerful, sample-to-result technology and products that provide fast, multiple-pathogen diagnoses of infectious diseases. By providing more diagnostic data per sample, healthcare providers are able to treat patients with the right medication sooner, improving outcomes and reducing costs. The companys vision is to make molecular diagnostic testing so simple and cost-effective that every patient will be tested for every serious infection, reducing misdiagnoses and significantly limiting the spread of infectious disease. More information can be found on the companys website at http://www.gbscience.com.

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Data Presented at the American Society for Microbiology General Meeting Demonstrates Specificity of Great Basin ...

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

At the 112th General Meeting of the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) in San Francisco, Bruker announces a new collaboration with JMI Laboratories in the field of fungal identification by proteomics fingerprinting. JMI Laboratories is applying the Bruker MALDI Biotyper to a wide variety of international antimicrobial resistance surveillance studies utilizing the SENTRY Program platform (>300 sites in more than 40 countries and six continents). Among these programs, comprehensive sampling of invasive fungal infections involves nearly 2,000 samples of yeast and moulds, each requiring the highest quality of identifications, and currently requiring gene amplification and sequencing. The Bruker MALDI Biotyper will streamline reference-quality identifications via its rapidly evolving library of clinically important fungi.

Invasive fungal infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality while prompt diagnosis can result in more optimized therapy reducing both mortality and costs of treatment. Current methods for identification of fungi include biochemical, phenotypic, microscopic and molecular methods. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have examined the capabilities of the MALDI Biotyper for fungal identification and Bruker recently launched a separate RUO library of filamentous fungi at ECCMID 2012. MALDI Biotyper testing can be completed in hours and therefore has the potential to produce more rapid results than traditional microbiological testing methods.

The goals of this collaboration include the validation and expansion of the MALDI Biotyper database of protein fingerprint profiles for identification of unusual filamentous fungi, and the expansion of protein fingerprint profiles for identification of unusual yeast species. It therefore will enhance the MALDI Biotyper database as well as determine if the Bruker MALDI Biotyper platform can partially or fully replace the laborious traditional biochemical testing currently used by JMI Laboratories.

Dr. Mariana Castanheira, research scientist at JMI Laboratories and speaking for Professors M.A. Pfaller and R.N. Jones stated: "Contemporary understanding of emerging resistances among antifungal agents requires companion use of reference susceptibility test methods such as CLSI and EUCAST and molecular-level reference-quality organism identifications. The Bruker MALDI Biotyper provides us with an evolving degree of species identification certainty and processing value."

George Goedesky, Executive Director of Microbiology Business Development at Bruker Daltonics commented: We are very excited to establish the collaboration with JMI Laboratories in the field of fungal identification. Compared to classical identification methods, the MALDI Biotyper has been demonstrated to have a superior performance for common yeast representing roughly 95% of the isolates in most clinical microbiology laboratories. With JMIs acknowledged expertise in the field and large collection of sequenced fungal isolates, especially rare and unusual yeast and moulds, we will even further improve the coverage of the MALDI Biotyper reference library for this very challenging organism group.

About the Bruker MALDI Biotyper

Bruker's dedicated MALDI Biotyper solution enables molecular identification, taxonomical classification or dereplication of microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Classification and identification of microorganisms is achieved reliably and fast using proteomic fingerprinting with high-throughput MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Applications include clinical routine microbial identification, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research, food and consumer product processing and quality control, as well as in marine microbiology. Bruker's robust MALDI Biotyper method requires minimal sample preparation efforts and offers low cost per sample. The MALDI Biotyper is available in a research-use-only version, as well as in an IVD version according to the EU directive EC/98/79 in various EU countries. For more information, please visit http://www.bruker.com/MALDIBiotyper

About Bruker Corporation

Bruker Corporation (BRKR) is a leading provider of high performance scientific instruments and solutions for molecular and materials research, as well as industrial and applied analysis. For more information: http://www.bruker.com.

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Bruker and JMI Laboratories Announce a Collaboration for Mass Spectrometry-based Microbial Identification of Fungi

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

At the 112th General Meeting of the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) in San Francisco, Bruker announces a new collaboration with the Special Bacteriology Reference Laboratory (SBRL) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The SBRL receives approximately 800 isolates of rare and unusual bacteria from U.S. public health laboratories (PHLs) each year for identification. SBRL maintains a culture collection of over 90,000 isolates that have been received over the past 60 years. Currently, SBRL uses a polyphasic approach to identify unusual bacteria, including both traditional microbiological and molecular testing. Traditional biochemical tests may take weeks to complete. Molecular methods, i.e. 16S rRNA gene sequencing, are more rapid, but the public sequence databases may be incomplete and contain erroneous sequences.

MALDI-TOF testing can be completed in hours and therefore has the potential to produce more rapid results than traditional microbiological testing methods. The goals of this announced collaboration include: validation and expansion of the Bruker MALDI Biotyper database of protein fingerprint profiles for identification of unusual bacterial pathogens; evaluation of the use of the Bruker MALDI Biotyper as a replacement for or in conjunction with traditional biochemical testing in order to decrease the time needed for accurate identification of bacteria.

During the collaboration period of one year, each bacterial isolate received by SBRL will be tested using the MALDI Biotyper, traditional phenotypic and 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing to validate the results. In addition, type strains of known bacteria will be tested by the three methods. MALDI-TOF will be evaluated for accuracy, reproducibility, and ease of use. Data will be analyzed to determine the value of adding MALDI-TOF to the SBRL testing algorithm.

This research collaboration will enhance the MALDI Biotyper database as well as determine if the MALDI-TOF platform can complement the other testing methods currently used by SBRL and the US PHLs for bacterial identification.

Dr. Gongyi Shi, Director of Scientific Affairs in the Microbiology business of Bruker Daltonics, commented: We are very excited to establish this collaboration with CDCs Special Bacteriology Reference Laboratory. The MALDI Biotyper has been demonstrated to have superior performance, compared to classical identification methods, for common bacteria representing roughly 95% of the isolates in most clinical microbiology laboratories. With SBRLs worldwide acknowledged expertise in the field and large collection of bacteria, especially those rare and unusual bacteria, we will further improve the coverage of the MALDI Biotyper reference library. Over time, this will allow us to provide an even better solution to our customers.

About the Bruker MALDI Biotyper

Bruker's dedicated MALDI Biotyper solution enables molecular identification, taxonomical classification or dereplication of microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Classification and identification of microorganisms is achieved reliably and fast using proteomic fingerprinting with high-throughput MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Applications include clinical routine microbial identification, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research, food and consumer product processing and quality control, as well as in marine microbiology. Bruker's robust MALDI Biotyper method requires minimal sample preparation efforts and offers low cost per sample. The MALDI Biotyper is available in a research-use-only version, as well as in an IVD version according to the EU directive EC/98/79 in various EU countries. For more information, please visit http://www.bruker.com/MALDIBiotyper

About Bruker Corporation

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Bruker and the CDC Special Bacteriology Reference Laboratory Announce a Collaboration for Mass Spectrometry-based ...

MURRIETA, Calif., June 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- While attending the 112th American Society for Microbiology General Meeting, COPAN is announcing strategic partnership with INPECO for the connection of its track system FlexLab 3.6 for continuous feeding of standardized tube specimens to COPAN's WASP: Walk-Away Specimen Processor.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120611/LA22322)

With over 500 systems placed worldwide, INPECO's track has been successfully implemented in the main specialties of the clinical laboratory everywhere. INPECO's vision of total lab automation fits perfectly with COPAN's vision for WASPLab, and with this partnership INPECO is looking forward to expanding its track system to the Microbiology lab to achieve full lab automation. Lab automation reduces human manipulation wherever possible to manage workload, avoid safety issues, as well as the risk of mistakes, assuring a full traceability of the biological sample. With this in mind, the ideal solution for the laboratory is to load all the tube specimens in specimen reception or accessioning area, and then use the specimen's barcode to determine which instrument the tubes are carried. In the case of WASP, the INPECO track will automatically manage tube specimens, from loading to storing and disposing. Specimens can be loaded onto the track system in two ways: specimens loaded in a hopper and automatically placed into buckets or specimens manually placed into the bucket holders prior to sending them to WASP.

"Standardization of microbiology specimens to tubes and automatic loading of such tube specimens via a conveyor track system sent from the point of reception limits the number of visits to the WASP to just loading and unloading plates. When used with WASPLab, the only visit to the WASP is to load fresh culture plates," says Norman Sharples, COPAN Diagnostics' Executive VP. "The addition of a track is particularly appealing to large laboratories, as it allows them to greatly improve efficiencies by streamlining specimen handling with less human manipulations and interventions," says Sharples. "The unique open platform of WASP allows this type of modularity, highlighting again that WASP is forward compatible and can converge with other technologies easily," concludes Sharples.

About COPAN Group

With a reputation for innovation in preanalytics, COPAN is the leading manufacturer of collection and transport systems in the world. COPAN offers a complete line of automation and a range of microbial sampling products used for traditional culture analysis and molecular diagnostic assays. For more information, visit http://www.copanusa.com

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COPAN Partners with INPECO to Offer Track System for Continuous Feeding of Specimens into WASP: Walk-Away Specimen ...

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Glori Energy, a leader in sustainable, enhanced oil recovery and provider of the AEROTM (Activated Environment for Recovery of Oil) System, today announced the signing of a strategic research collaboration with the Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The collaboration will focus on the microbiology of carbonate oil reservoirs. Shared knowledge and research will be used to develop effective enhanced oil recovery methods to be used in carbonate reservoirs and complement Gloris AERO System.

The collaboration builds on Gloris strategy of identifying leaders in the field of enhanced oil recovery research around the world and engaging in collaborative ventures to advance Gloris product offerings. Glori has already successfully employed this strategy with Norways Statoil and Indias TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi). The Winogradsky Institute collaboration represents another important step in advancing Gloris mission of sustainably and efficiently recovering billions of barrels of unrecovered oil.

The Winogradsky Institute is pleased to be working in collaboration with Glori Energy to study the microbiology of carbonate oil reservoirs, said Academician Mikhail V. Ivanov of Moscows Winogradsky Institute. Scientists at the Institute have a long history of studying microbes for use in enhanced oil recovery and then applying this knowledge to field programs throughout the world. We are confident that the collaboration with Glori will lead to further successes in extracting more oil from carbonate reservoirs around the world.

Glori Energy is excited to be working in collaboration with the Winogradsky Institute, said Thomas Ishoey, Chief Technology Officer of Glori Energy. We identified their groundbreaking work in enhanced oil recovery from carbonate reservoirs several years ago as they completed numerous successful field deployments in Russia and China. We expect to drive their success to the next level to complement our AERO System, broadening its applicability to encompass nearly 90% of the worlds reservoirs.

About Glori Energy

Glori Energys mission is to sustainably and efficiently recover billions of barrels of oil trapped in reservoirs using existing oil wells. Glori partners with oil producers to significantly increase their oil production through the deployment of its AERO (Activated Environment for Recovery of Oil) System. The system makes use of existing non-potable water sources, optimizing the water quality to activate and sustain the indigenous reservoir microbial life with the desired metabolic activities. The AERO System provides a new, viable option to recover previously trapped oil with minimal new footprint or investment. For more information visit: http://www.GloriEnergy.com.

About the Winogradsky Institute

Since itsfoundation,theInstitute of Microbiologyof the Russian Academy of Scienceshas been the leading scientificinstitution in Russia in the field of general and petroleum microbiology, microbial ecology, and biotechnology of microorganisms. The Institutes researchers are internationally known for their work on microbiological methods for leaching metals from base ores, enhancement of oil recovery, purification of solid waste and sewage, reduction of methane concentrations in coal mines, and production medical products from fungi. The Institute has nearly 120 scientists on staff.

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Glori Energy Announces Collaboration with the Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Geoffrey L. Smith, Ph.D., Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow and Head, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, has been bestowed the 2012 GlaxoSmithKline International Member of the Year Award, recognizing exemplary leadership in the international microbiological community. His nominator, Molly Hughes of the University of Virginia, says Smith is "internationally recognized as an outstanding scientist due to his numerous original contributions to the field of virology and the role he plays as a leader in a number of scientific institutions."

Smith received his B.Sc. in Microbiology and Biochemistry from the University of Leeds, and his Ph.D. from the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, while working with influenza virus in the laboratory of Alan Hay. He then held a Wellcome Trust Fellowship at the National Institute for Medical Research, before becoming a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the laboratory of Bernard Moss. There, together with Michael Mackett, he developed vaccinia virus as an expression vector and established the use of genetically engineered viruses as live vaccines, a principle applied subsequently to other viruses and microorganisms.

After returning to the United Kingdom, Smith continued working with poxviruses at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and the Imperial College London. He is now Head of the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge, where he studies the interactions of poxviruses (particularly vaccinia virus) with the host cell and immune system. His research group has contributed to the current understanding of how these poxviruses replicate and spread and how they interfere with innate immunity, findings that provide an "important contribution to not only the field of poxviruses, but have also had widespread implications, particularly in the field of immunology," says Hughes.

"Smith has played an important role in promoting microbiology and advising on science policy both nationally and internationally," says Michael Oldstone of Scripps Research Institute. His sweeping service record demonstrates his commitment to the international community. Smith is currently President of the International Union of Microbiological Societies, Chairman of the WHO Advisory Committee for Variola Virus (smallpox) Research, Chairman of the Royal Society Committee for Scientific Aspects of International Security, a member of the Royal Society Science Policy Advisory Group and the UK Defence Scientific Advisory Council, and a Governor of the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine. He is a Corresponding Member of the Gesellschaft fr Virologie, and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Institute of Biology, the European Academy of Microbiology, the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina), and the Royal Society. In 2003 he became Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of General Virology. He was awarded the Feldberg Foundation Prize in Medical and Biological Science to promote Anglo-German Friendship.

"Smith has been a tireless contributor to the science of microbiology in general and virology in particular throughout his career. His ability to maintain an enormous and global variety of research, teaching, and service activities and do each expertly is awe-inspiring," says Richard Condit, University of Florida.

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To view Dr. Smith's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-glaxosmithkline-international-member-of-the-year-award-laureate.html

The GlaxoSmithKline International Member of the Year Award will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental wellbeing.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Geoffrey L. Smith

Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 The 2012 Moselio Schaechter Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Jayaraman Gowrishankar, Ph.D., Director, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), and leader of the Laboratory of Bacterial Genetics, CDFD, Hyderabad, India. This award, named in honor of Professor Moselio Schaechter, former ASM President, honors an ASM member who has shown exemplary leadership and commitment towards the substantial furthering of the profession of microbiology in research, education or technology in the developing world. Gowrishankar is honored for "his dual responsibilities as the Director of the DNA diagnostics facility as well as the leader of a team of scientists, and also for his direct contributions to basic microbiology," states his nominator, Laszlo Csonka, Purdue University.

Gowrishankar received his undergraduate degree in medicine at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, South India. In 1979, he took a step back from a future career as a physician and followed a love of basic research. He pursued graduate studies in bacterial genetics under Jim Pittard at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He received his Ph.D in 1983, and returned to India to begin his independent research career as a Scientist and Group Leader at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad. In 2000, Gowrishankar moved to the CDFD, where he has been Director for the last six years and head of the Laboratory of Bacterial Genetics.

Research in Gowrishankar's laboratory has covered different aspects of the physiology and genetics of Escherichia coli, including osmoregulation, the occurrence of spontaneous mutations in non-dividing cells, arginine export, replication fork progression, and factor-dependent transcription termination. With about fifty papers published in the peer-reviewed journals (most with no more than two co-authors), his has been one of the most successful E. coli labs outside of the developed world. In addition, several of his students have gone on subsequently to establish their own independent research programs in microbiology. His group was also the first in India to patent and earn royalties from a genetically modified organism, in the form of an engineered E. coli strain for salt-induced overproduction of recombinant proteins.

Gowrishankar is also known for his many contributions outside of the laboratory. "While continuing his research at CDFD, he also plays a key role as Institute Director to set up the diagnostic systems for DNA tests of heritable genetic disorders, and moreover to provide young scientists with the chance to train in bacterial molecular genetics," explains Akira Ishihama, Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan. Csonka elaborates, "CDFD houses approximately twenty scientists conducting basic research in diverse areas ranging from bacterial physiology to bioinformatics and structural biology, whose research is overseen and guided by Gowrishankar."

Over the years, Gowrishankar has been engaged in science-related public activities in India and beyond, including participating in training programs on intellectual property protection and exploitation, contributing to the Indo-Japan Collaborative Program on Modern Biology, and publishing a variety of articles on matters of science policy. In a letter in ASM News in 1994, he spoke of the inequity inherent in the imposition of page charges for papers published by groups from the developing world, and appealed for their waiver. He is an elected Fellow of the major Science Academies in India as also of the International Molecular Biology Network for Asia and the Pacific Rim, and has received several major national awards and honors in recognition of his achievements in science.

Max Gottesman, Columbia University Medical Center, summarizes: "I have been struck by his quick intelligence and his encyclopedic knowledge of scientific literature. For me, he has been a source of many useful suggestions. He is open and interactiveI have the utmost admiration for Gowrishankar, and support him without hesitation."

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To view Dr. Gowrishankar's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-moselio-schaechter-distinguished-service-award-laureate.html

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Jayaraman Gowrishankar

Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Stephen J. Giovannoni, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, has been honored with the 2012 USFCC/J. Roger Porter Award. This award recognizes outstanding efforts by a scientist who has demonstrated the importance of microbial biodiversity through sustained curatorial or stewardship activities for a major resource used by the scientific community. It honors the memory of J. Roger Porter and his remarkable contributions to science. Giovannoni is honored for "more than a decade of leading the field of marine microbiology in successfully bridging the divide between culture-based and culture-independent studies, with a foot solidly in both camps," says nominator Norman Pace, University of Colorado.

Giovannoni received his B.A. in biology from the University of California, San Diego, where his first experience with bacteria was raising cells and isolating photosynthetic reaction center proteins for physicist George Feher. He then earned his M.A. in biology from Boston University, where he studied under Lynn Margulis, and continued on to the University of Oregon to receive his Ph.D. in biology. Here he worked with Richard Castenholz to isolate and describe novel thermophilic bacteria from Yellowstone National Park. After graduating, he joined Pace's research team (then at Indiana University) to develop molecular techniques for studying microbial ecology, where Pace says Giovannoni participated in "the earliest culture-independent forays into the natural microbial world of the oceans."

Giovannoni next accepted a faculty position at Oregon State University, where he remains today. His research focuses on microbial diversity, genomics, and ecology in oceanic ecosystems. "As he established his own lab, he was the first to use PCR with universal sequencing primers to conveniently access environmental rRNA genes," explains Pace. Giovannoni developed PCR methods to clone rRNA genes from microbial communities and identified many cosmopolitan, uncultivated bacterioplankton clades. Following up on this work, his research team focused on the Sargasso Sea. They described in rich detail the seasonal patterns and stratification of planktonic microbial communities, including a group of proteobacteria that became known as SAR11. "His work on the SAR11 cladethe most abundant group of bacteria in the global oceanhas served as a model for marine bacterial physiology, ecology, and evolution, including novel growth strategies such as genome reduction," describes David Karl, University of Hawaii. Kenneth Nealson further explains, "the cultivation and characterization of the Pelagibacter group [a member of the SAR11 clade], has had a huge impact on our understanding of marine microbiology. His approach was to use comparative genomic approaches to characterize these organisms, probing the nature of their ability to thrive in the nutrient-limited ocean. His papers on genome streamlining are classics in the fieldonly someone with Giovannoni's background and insight could accomplish this."

In 2000, Giovannoni founded the High Throughput Culturing Laboratory (HTCL) at Oregon State University with the aim of culturing globally important marine bacterioplankton. New technologies developed by the HTCL led to the successful cultivation of many oligotrophic strains of bacteria and more than 27 genome sequences. In 2011, his research team reported that SAR11 likely share a common ancestor with mitochondria. Their current research is focused on understanding SAR11 metabolism, and how these cells interact with marine dissolved organic carbon.

In addition to his teaching duties, Giovannoni serves as a Founding Editor for Annual Reviews of Marine Science and Associate Editor for The ISME Journal and Environmental Microbiology. His outstanding contributions have been honored with many awards, including the Gilfillan Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Science, the Milton Harris Award for Exceptional Achievement in Microbiology and Sugihara Young Faculty Research Award from Oregon State University, and the Emerging Scholar Award from Phi Kappa Phi. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

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To view Dr. Giovannoni's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-usfccj-roger-porter-award-laureate.html

The USFCC/J. Roger Porter Award will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental wellbeing.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Stephen J. Giovannoni