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PCRmax Alpha
With both single and four block instruments, throughput and scale are never a concern. The Alpha Cycler 1 and 4 run an HD Quad Core Android tablet interface with features aimed to enhance the user experience and build quality to become the workhorse of any lab. The PCRmax Alpha cyclers are developed to deliver not only the best quality data you can expect from PCRmax but also to innovate and exceed the high standards expected by the community.
SCODA Nucleic Acid Purification
The Aurora from Boreal Genomics is a revolutionary new addition to the molecular biologist’s toolkit. For anyone working with challenging or heavily contaminated samples the Aurora is able to provide an unrivalled level of nucleic acid purification.
The Aurora is an automated nucleic acid extraction instrument based on a novel, proprietary electrophoresis technology called SCODA (synchronous coefficient of drag alteration). This technology selectively concentrates nucleic acids from large initial sample volumes down to a small final volume, with unparalleled removal of contaminants and PCR inhibitors during this concentration process.
The SCODA technology used in the Aurora is fundamentally different from existing purification technologies which rely on columns, beads or chemicals, and provides the following benefits:
- Unparalleled nucleic acid purity from even the most challenging samples
- High recovery yield from dilute or trace samples (even highly inhibited) where all other methods have failed
- Unrivalled removal of all PCR inhibitors including humic substances, independent of species
- Concentration and purification of very high MW DNA between 50kb - 1Mb
- Low ongoing costs with reusable cassettes
- Minimal sample handling for a simplified workflow
Novel Mechanism of Biofilm Formation
Researchers at The University of Oxford have uncovered a novel competitive mechanism for biofilm formation. Their research found that when competing strains of bacteria attempt to kill each other off, biofilms are formed as a defense mechanism and the stronger strain crowds out the other. While it has been known that antibiotic mechanisms of pyocins from Pseudomonas aeruginosa cause DNA damage and depolarize the cytoplasmic membrane, Oliveria et. al. postulated that these antibiotic mechanisms mimic the attack caused by competing bacteria strains and trigger biofilm formation. This was in contrast to previous theories that suggested antibiotics provide cooperative signals and that two strains of bacteria cooperate to form a biofilm.
The BioFlux System’s microfluidic plates have a dual-flow format that allows two separate media to run in parallel, laminar flow with minimal mixing (see figure below). This paper takes advantage of the dual-flow properties to show how the biofilm forms differently over the same seeded culture with exposure to a control medium and a treated medium.
Biofilm Formation As a Response to Ecological Competition
The BioFlux Library
For an extensive list of Application videos, recorded webinars and publications listings, visit the BioFlux Library in the Fluxion Biosciences support Center