A scientific instrument is a device or tool used for scientific purposes, including the study of both natural phenomena and theoretical research.
A laboratory information management system (LIMS), sometimes referred to as a laboratory information system (LIS) or laboratory management system (LMS), is a software-based solution with features that support a modern laboratory's operations. Key features include—but are not limited to—workflow and data tracking support, flexible architecture, and data exchange interfaces, which fully "support its use in regulated environments". The features and uses of a LIMS have evolved over the years from simple sample tracking to an enterprise resource planning tool that manages multiple aspects of laboratory informatics.
Fisher Scientific International, Inc. was a laboratory supply and biotechnology company that provided products and services to the global scientific research and clinical laboratory markets until its merger with Thermo Electron in 2006, after which it became Thermo Fisher Scientific. The company offered products and services to over 350,000 customers located in approximately 150 countries including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, secondary and higher education institutions, hospitals and medical research institutions, and quality control, process control and research and development laboratories.
Scoopula is a brand name of a spatula-like scoop utensil used primarily in experimental laboratories to transfer solids: to a weighing paper for weighing, to a cover slip to measure melting point, or a graduated cylinder, or to a watch glass from a flask or beaker through scraping. "Scoopula" is a registered trademark owned by Thermo Fisher Scientific. They are very often made of metal.
The bicinchoninic acid assay, also known as the Smith assay, after its inventor, Paul K. Smith at the Pierce Chemical Company, now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, is a biochemical assay for determining the total concentration of protein in a solution, similar to Lowry protein assay, Bradford protein assay or biuret reagent. The total protein concentration is exhibited by a color change of the sample solution from blue to purple in proportion to protein concentration, which can then be measured using colorimetric techniques. The BCA assay was patented by Pierce Chemical Company in 1989 & the patent expired in 2006.
The Spectronic 20 is a brand of single-beam spectrophotometer, designed to operate in the visible spectrum across a wavelength range of 340 nm to 950 nm, with a spectral bandpass of 20 nm. It is designed for quantitative absorption measurement at single wavelengths. Because it measures the transmittance or absorption of visible light through a solution, it is sometimes referred to as a colorimeter. The name of the instrument is a trademark of the manufacturer.
Laboratory informatics is the specialized application of information technology aimed at optimizing and extending laboratory operations. It encompasses data acquisition, instrument interfacing, laboratory networking, data processing, specialized data management systems, a laboratory information management system, scientific data management, and knowledge management. It has become more prevalent with the rise of other "informatics" disciplines such as bioinformatics, cheminformatics and health informatics. Several graduate programs are focused on some form of laboratory informatics, often with a clinical emphasis. A closely related - some consider subsuming - field is laboratory automation.
Lancaster Laboratories Inc., is one of the largest contract laboratories in the United States. They specialize in pharmaceutical and environmental analytical services.
Endress+Hauser is a Swiss-based globally operating process and laboratory instrumentation and automation supplier. The family company achieved net sales of approximately 2.9 billion euros in 2021 with a total workforce of more than 15,000.
Biolab is a single-rack multi-user science payload designed for use in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station. Biolab support biological research on small plants, small invertebrates, microorganisms, animal cells, and tissue cultures. It includes an incubator equipped with centrifuges in which the preceding experimental subjects can be subjected to controlled levels of accelerations.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is an American-headquartered life science and clinical research company. It is a global supplier of analytical instruments, clinical development solutions, specialty diagnostics, laboratory, pharmaceutical and biotechnology services. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Thermo Fisher was formed through the merger of Thermo Electron and Fisher Scientific in 2006. Thermo Fisher Scientific has acquired other reagent, consumable, instrumentation, and service providers, including Life Technologies Corporation (2013), Alfa Aesar (2015), Affymetrix (2016), FEI Company (2016), BD Advanced Bioprocessing (2018), and PPD (2021).
The Neutron Science Laboratory (NSL) is situated within the North Campus of the University of Michigan and houses various neutron and gamma-ray sources and a range of nuclear radiation detection equipment. The laboratory is an integral part of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS) department at the University of Michigan (U-M) and is managed by the Applied Nuclear Science Group. The laboratory was renovated in 2017 with a specific goal to accommodate the use of a new DT neutron generator in various open-beam configurations. NSL provides convenient access to high-fidelity monoenergetic and broad-energy neutron sources for basic research, nuclear security and nonproliferation, and other experimental needs.
Pathatrix is a high volume recirculating immuno magnetic-capture system developed by Thermo Fisher Scientific for the detection of pathogens in food and environmental samples.
Analytik Jena AG, based in Jena, is a provider of analytical, bioanalytical and optical systems for industrial and scientific applications. Analytik Jena was founded in 1990 as a sales and service company for analytical technology. The company has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange from July 3, 2000 until March 27, 2015. Analytik Jena and its subsidiaries employ about 1,000 people in more than 90 countries. The international Group earns two-thirds of sales abroad and maintains business relationships in more than 120 countries around the globe.
Hach Company manufactures and distributes analytical instruments and reagents used to test the quality of water and other liquid solutions. Manufactured and distributed worldwide, Hach systems are designed to simplify analysis by offering on-line instrumentation, portable laboratory equipment, prepared reagents, easy-to-follow methods, and technical support.
LabLynx, Inc. is a privately owned, funded, and managed American corporation that develops, supports, and markets laboratory information management system (LIMS) solutions. Its primary offerings over the years have included webLIMS and ELab. The company’s primary clients include laboratories in the agriculture, clinical, environmental, forensics, health care, and manufacturing industries, including government agencies. The company is known for introducing one of the first browser-based LIMS products in 1997 and being in the laboratory informatics industry for decades.
Rapid DNA describes the fully automated process of developing a CODIS Core STR profile or other STR profile from a reference sample buccal swab. The “swab in – profile out” process consists of automated extraction, amplification, separation, detection and allele calling without human intervention. An instrument designed to perform such rapid DNA analysis is called a DNA "magic box" by enforcement authorities.
LabWare, Inc. is an American developer of laboratory informatics software, such as laboratory information management systems, electronic laboratory notebooks and laboratory data analytics. It is a Delaware corporation, with offices in Wilmington, Delaware.
The Pittcon Heritage Award recognizes "outstanding individuals whose entrepreneurial careers shaped the instrumentation and laboratory supplies community." The award is jointly sponsored by the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon) and the Science History Institute. The award is presented annually at a special ceremony during Pittcon.
Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), also known as pressurized solvent extraction (PSE), is a method for extracting various chemicals from a complex solid or semisolid sample matrix. The process uses high temperature and pressure, which results in the extraction taking less time and requiring less solvent, and possibly also giving better analyte recovery, than traditional methods that use less extreme conditions. The elevated temperature is employed to increase extraction efficiency of the analyte of interest and the elevated pressure is used to keep the solvent in a liquid state as the temperature is increased above its boiling point. An automated system for the process was developed by Dionex, a company owned by Thermo Fisher Scientific.