Imperial Bio-medics signs pact with Matrix

Imperial Bio-medics, after establishing its mark in Real Time QPCR in the Indian market, is now expanding its activities and product development. Its focus is now to enter liquid handling equipment space. To achieve this, it has entered into a tie-up with Matrix Technologies for electronic pipettors, 2-D barcodes tubes and sophisticated automated pipetting systems.

Matrix offers a wide selection of electronic pipettors that are faster and more efficient than manual products and a fraction of the cost of automation. It also provides any research lab with a one–stop opportunity to fulfil all of its liquid handling equipment and consumables needs.

Matrix's range of products that will be introduced by Imperial include Hydra – II line of micro dispenser, PlateMate Plus, Matrix WellMate, WellMate stacker and CellMate II.

The Hydra – II line of micro dispenser is the next generation liquid handling from Matrix, used as either a bench-top liquid handler or as an integrated microplate dispenser. PlateMate Plus has been designed with modular components - including interchangeable pipetting heads that support and facilitate prompt on-site service and deliver unparalleled flexibility, performance and value for a variety of microplate-based liquid handling applications. Matrix WellMate brings flexibility and cost-efficiency to microplate dispensing. It offers disposable, pre-sterilized tubing cartridges and rapid dispensing in a wide volume range (1µL to 2,000µL) and also accommodates any microplate-from six to 384 wells-or any height 96-position tube rack.

IBM joins hand with leading cancer centers

IBM has joined hands with world's leading names in the cancer research like Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), the Molecular Profiling Institute and the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center - Mother and Child University Hospital Center under separate agreements to help to accelerate cancer research, diagnosis and treatment. Recognizing the critical role that information technology (IT) will play in the 21st century in understanding and treating complex and deadly diseases like cancer, IBM is working with the people, technologies and partnerships needed to battle this deadly disease.

IBM and MSKCC are building a state-of-the-art integrated information management system to improve the ability of clinicians and researchers to study long-term cancer-related illnesses, identify disease trends and determine success rates. Funded by a $3 million grant of technology and services from IBM, MSKCC will include a comprehensive system to integrate its hospital data with text mining and related analytical capabilities into a unified information management environment to facilitate predictive analysis and research. In addition, pathologists at MSKCC are working closely with researchers at IBM to create a searchable database for pathology reports.

IBM Healthcare and Life Sciences brings together IBM resources, including information technology, deep industry insights, and research expertise, to help clients develop and deliver safer, more affordable and more effective diagnostics, drugs and medical care. It is also teaming with the Molecular Profiling Institute and the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center - Mother and Child University Hospital Center under separate agreements to accelerate cancer research, diagnosis and treatment.

IMS Health, SAS establish global partnership

IMS Health, a provider of information solutions for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, and SAS, the leader in business intelligence, announced the launch of IMS Sales Force Effectiveness Precision Suite, a consulting offering that leverages the companies' world-class information, technology, analytics and industry expertise. This new offering helps pharmaceutical marketing and sales executives optimize their sales resources in markets around the world, enabling them to more effectively deliver essential product information to the right prescribers.

IMS Sales Force Effectiveness Precision Suite combines three key capabilities – precision segmentation, promotional response and resource optimization – to help pharmaceutical decision makers develop and implement sales strategies uniquely tailored to their customers, products and markets. These capabilities are enabled through advanced analytics and data integration supported by key elements of the SAS 9 Enterprise Intelligence Platform.

Available immediately, IMS Sales Force Effectiveness Precision Suite considers each client's unique environment and market events and integrates the full breadth of IMS information assets, methodologies and expertise with key client information. The result is a highly tailored and differentiated customer segmentation and sales strategy. Built on SAS' industry-leading enterprise business intelligence (BI) solution, the offering enables clients to work collaboratively to review and change market assumptions and model new outcomes to meet their evolving needs.

World Courier earns ISO certification

World Courier has earned the ISO 9001 certification of five company-owned investigational drug storage/distribution facilities located in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Mexico City (Mexico) and Lima (Peru). Staffed by licensed pharmacists, these facilities provide comprehensive logistical solutions – including storage, management and round-the-clock access to investigational drugs and supplies – for pharmaceutical clients involved in global clinical trials in Latin America. The depots are administered by World Courier's Clinical Trial Supply Chain Services (CTSCS) division that opened in June 2004, making this the only company to operate a network of five GMP-certified pharmaceutical storage facilities in Latin America.

The new World Courier facilities are fully GMP-validated, featuring four different temperature-controlled ranges for storage (15o-25 o C / 2 o-8 o C / -20 o C / -70 o C), with redundant automatic backup and emergency power systems. Inventories are electronically controlled using CTM-STAR, World Courier's own CFR21-11- compliant inventory monitoring system, and are visible by customers on a 24x7 basis via live Internet feed.

Pall Corp presents approach for speeding vaccine production

As avian flu concerns extend across the globe, governments and pharmaceutical manufacturers face potentially huge demand for vaccines. According to public health experts, current production capacity and response times would not suffice in the event of a pandemic. Viral vaccine development is governed by stringent regulatory controls and can take as long as eight to 12 years costing anywhere from $300 to $800 million.

In a presentation at the 10th annual China International Pharmaceutical Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, Ian Sellick of Pall Corporation, described how the use of disposable and scalable technologies to purify large molecule vectors, such as for flu vaccines, can help manufacturers streamline the process and overcome many of the unique challenges associated with vaccine development.

Sellick's presentation reviewed advanced approaches to purification as part of a total process management scheme to help vaccine manufacturers address issues of scalability, validation and process development. Disposable processing systems can be installed in practically every part of the vaccine development cycle from cell fermentation and harvesting to downstream processing steps. Disposables offer lower installation costs compared to stainless steel systems and eliminate cleaning and cleaning validation. These factors significantly lower labor and maintenance costs and reduce the time required for scale-up procedures. Disposables also reduce the risk of cross-batch contamination and of worker exposure to the biohazards inherent in vaccine development.

Sellick also demonstrated the higher binding capacity of single-use Mustang membrane capsules for large molecule applications compared to conventional resin- or gel-based column chromatography. The process also incorporates the use of disposable prefilters, sterilizing grade capsules and final filters to provide exponential time, cost and labor savings.

LabVantage to increase its head count in India

Considering the opportunity in India for Laboratory Information Management Solutions (LIMS) from biotechnology, life sciences and pharmaceutical industries, LabVantage Solutions is all set to expand its operations in India in terms of head count and looking at doubling its revenue.

Speaking to mediapersons in Mumbai, James Aurelio, CEO world wide, LabVantage Solutions said, "India has been the main hub for our software development, solution implementation, client support and sales throughout the Asia Pacific region including India. With increasing requirements, we are augmenting our operations by reinforcing our team by hiring additional projects managers, business analysts and configuration experts. "

He further said, "We want to become a center of excellence in India which combines our knowledge of global business and create opportunities to leverage the technical and domain knowledge resources in the life sciences area of the country. To achieve this we are strengthening our contribution in collaborating and offering specific solutions for diverse R&D institutions and companies in India."

On asked about the revenue generated from the India operations, James Aurelio said, " It has doubled in the last two years. Asia Pacific region that includes India besides China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea Thailand contributed about 9-10 percent of the total revenue. The major revenue comes from North America with 60 percent and remaining from Europe."

At present LabVantage Solutions India has staff strength of 85 people offering solutions to variety of industries including process, pharmaceuticals and high-throughput informatics/ bioinformatics.

TNT India acquires IIP Accreditation

TNT India, a wholly owned subsidiary of TNT NV and which offers clinical express services, has been accredited with the Investors in People (IIP) standards, an internationally recognized accreditation for companies which can demonstrate that they have met and continue to meet a set of demanding standards in people's learning, development and management. IIP has been developed by the UK Government in partnership with representatives of UK employers organizations, employee bodies and professional institutions.

Investors in People is an energizing business tool that stimulates and challenges organizations to make the best of their people by recognizing their contribution to the business. It provides performance improvement and ensures that skills and capabilities are maximized by offering a unique link between individual and organizational growth. An IIP Accreditation evaluates a company's HR process on its delivery success every two years. During the last audit, TNT India has been rated second in the Asian market.

Headquartered in Bangalore, TNT India has 26 depots in 16 Indian cities and has over 600 employees and offers services that suit to different segments like life sciences, students and exporters. TNT is the only express distribution company to be awarded an ISO 9001:2000 certification for all its functions and branches across the country.

Rockwell Automation to establish center in Singapore

Rockwell Automation, a global provider of industrial automation power, control and information systems and services has said that it will establish an Asia-Pacific Business Center ("The Center") in Singapore, consisting of select business management, engineering, and manufacturing operations. The center will be fully operational by 2008.

"This move reflects the next logical step in Rockwell Automation's growth strategy to invest in serving customers worldwide," said Keith D Nosbusch, chairman and CEO, Rockwell Automation. "It will also advance the company's goal to achieve an international revenue target of 50 percent by 2009," he added.

The center will initially house several business segments that are in demand in Asia, and highly strategic to the company's global growth. They include: Small PLC Platforms, Distributed Input/Output, Component Operator Displays and Component Drives.

Baxter confers award on Sartorius

Sartorius AG, a global laboratory and process equipment provider, has received an award for its outstanding performance in optimizing a bioproduction process from the US pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer Baxter. Sartorius, which provides Baxter with equipment and services in sterile filtration, won the "Outstanding Performance Award for Total Cost Management." Before that, Sartorius had designed, validated and implemented technologically and economically superior solutions for two Baxter process steps.

"A tremendous success," commented Reinhard Vogt, senior vice president of sales and marketing of the biotechnology division at Sartorius. "Together with the customer, we developed the optimal solution for two processes while providing expert advice to Baxter concerning all aspects relevant to regulatory compliance and approval. This shows that our team offers not only strong individual technologies and products to biopharmaceutical customers, but also has the expertise to evaluate entire production lines and make them much more efficient."

Seminar on environmental monitoring

Easy Solutions, a Chennai-based company organized a seminar on "Environmental monitoring"- a fundamental process within the pharmaceutical/ biotechnology industry. It helps to indicate the levels of viable and non-viable contamination that can affect product quality.

Morgan Polen, vice-president, Application Technology, Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, USA, Tim Russell, director, Facility Monitoring Systems, the UK and Dr Volker-J. Friemert, director, Microbial Monitoring Systems, Biotest AG, Germany shared their views on different issues such as Particle Counting, Regulatory Monitoring Expectations, selection of monitoring locations and frequencies, continuous monitoring, selection of the right software for Facility Monitoring System, developing a user requirement specification, setting alert and action limits, Viable Microbial Sampling, ISO 14698 and Microbial sampling and compressed Gas Sampling.

Ravi Murthy, president, Easy Solutions said "Through this program we wish to address the environmental monitoring for both sterile and non-sterile manufacturing and bring in awareness about the latest developments in the systems to the quality assurance and quality control professionals as well as production and engineering staff who require an understanding of these concepts."