Product Focus

The United States government—nearly 14 years after September 11, 2001— continues to invest heavily in homeland security. In fact, the president’s 2015 budget calls for US$38.2 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, and that equals more than 20 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

In biopharmaceutical research and manufacturing, many processes involve sophisticated separations. One of the most advanced separation technologies is ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). “There are two reasons to use UHPLC,” says Ken Cook, sales support expert, bioseparations and bio market Europe for Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, MA). “The first is speed, and the second is resolution.”

To most lab workers, even those who spend much of their days at or near fume hoods, these safety enclosures are part of the furniture or infrastructure. A hood is a hood is a hood—except when processes require special services or utilities. While many hoods are indeed production-level, off-the-shelf products, almost any productivity- or safety-enhancing feature may be added to standard models.

Cell-based assays have become the go-to technology for pharmaceutical, environmental, and toxicology labs. Cells are far less costly to maintain than test animals and don’t involve the ethical considerations. But the complexity of cell-based assays compared with chemical or biochemical assays presents distinct challenges to laboratory managers.















