The Cadama Grapevine

B-cell ELISpots

2009-02-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

During our recent round of talks on the subject of Mabtech's FluoroSpot ELISpot assays and A.I.D.s iSpot ELISpot reader, we were introduced to Mabtech's new range of B-cell ELISpot assay kits.
Anyone interested in antigen specific B-cell ELISpot work should take a look at Mabtech's website as these kits will make much easier reading on any ELISpot reader

FluoroSpot

2009-02-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

MabTech have made their FluoroSpot dual-colour fluorescence ELISpot kits commercially available with the firstr combination being Human Interferon gamma and Interleukin-2. These kits can be read on the A.I.D. iSpot reader, which can be used to read standard colourimetric ELISpot assays as well as FluoroSpot ELISpot assays.

Contact us for a demonstration of the iSpot ELISpot reader or to discuss the principle of FluoroSpot assays go to Mabtech's website.

In association with Mabtech, we will gladly arrange a presentation for you and your colleagues about the technique and it's applications

HRP - Protector

2008-07-14T02:10:00.000-07:00

If ensuring the stability of your HRP conjugated Ab for EIA testing is important then it may be time to take a look at Candor Bioscience's HRP Protector. This new buffer from Candor compliments their range of immunoassay buffers that includes Low Cross buffer and innovative blocking solutions.

HRP-Protector provides long term storage of EIA plates and Ab in solution. The product can be used as a diluent buffer to provide stability to diluted HRP conjugated Ab at low concentrations or ready to use solutions. This may particularly interesting to both researchers and manufacturers. Candor have data to demonstrate just how well HRP-Protector works.

For more information on this product or any of the products from Candor then please feel free to contact us.

Neutrophil CD64 as Diagnostic Marker

2008-07-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

Trillium Diagnostics' kit "Leuko64" has been cited in a recent paper in the influential journal Paediatrics as having "promise for replacing the subjectively measured band count and immature/total neutrophil ratio" for diagnosis and assesment of Sepsis in Neonates by Bhandari et al. The kits offers a way to provide a more accurate, less subjective diagnosis. The full article can be found in the journal Paediatrics Volume 121 Number 1 January 2008 pgs 129-134.

Trillium Diagnostic products are exclusively marketed worldwide by IQProducts of The Netherlands. We are pleased to be the UK distributor of IQProducts and are pleased to be able to offer the Leuko64 flow cytometry kits to our customers.

For further information about the kit then please contact us on 0845 644 2368 or by email at info@cadama.co.uk

WaxFree is easy with Trimgen

2008-06-30T03:38:00.000-07:00

We've held back a little over the announcement of the arrival of one of our latest products, the Wax Free DNA extraction kit from Trimgen. The reason for this was to give time to a number of our customers to trial the kit and report back to us. We try to do this with new products to ensure that they do what they say on the can! We are pleased to be able to report that the Wax Free DNA extraction kit has come out with flying colours. Customers that tried the kit have been pleased with the yield, ease of use and ability to PCR from the extract. The kit is manufactured by Trimgen Inc of the USA. They also offer Wax Free extraction kits for RNA as well as DNA.

Now that we are confident that the kits perform well, we are now looking to introduce them more fully to potential customers in the UK. If you are reading this and would be interested in finding out more about the kits then please visit the Wax Free extraction page of our website or drop us an email to info@cadama.co.uk.

(We also offer kits to perform DNA extraction from Plasmids, Mouse snips, enviromental sources, buccal cells etc)

For more information on our products and who we are then please visit our website.

Travelling around

2008-01-15T07:51:00.001-08:00

Having spent a few yearson the road, whenever I am away from home, I prefer to try and find private hotels or guest houses to stay in, rather than chains. Personally I find them more personable and more fun.

Just before Christmas I was spending a couple of days in London seeing our LightScanner customer at CRUK and ELISpot reader customers at Imperial College, VMA Weybridge and IAVI.

I ended up staying at the Falcon Inn, Denham Village (hoem to the late great Sir John Mills). If you ae looking for somewhere a bit different then the Falon is highly recommended (www.falconin.biz). Good beer, uncomplicated and reasonably priced menu and a really well appointed room.

If you are looking for somewhere a bit different, drop me a line.In the meantime some of my other favouites around the country are:
Hassop Hall Hotel, Bakewell. Fantastic family run country house - http://www.hassophallhotel.co.uk/
Websters B&B, Salisbury. Wonderful guest house just outside the town centre with a great english breakfast! - http://www.websters-bed-breakfast.com/
The Eagle and Child, Staveley (Nr Kendal). Great traditional pub with beer garden overlooking the beck. Superb food and wide choie of beers if that is your inclination - http://www.eaglechildinn.co.uk/
Middleton Grange Bed & BreakfastLadywood Road, Salwarpe, Droitwich, Worcestershire, WR9 0AHTelephone: 01905 451678. Wonderful old farmhouse, lovely rooms with everything that you could want in them.
Vickers Hotel, Woodstock. Get the attic room if you can. Lots of charm. http://www.vickershotel.co.uk/
The Shaven Crown, Shipton under Wychwood, nr . Former 14th century pilgrims house. Superb atmosphere - http://www.shavencrown.co.uk/index.htm
Hole Int Wall, Bowness-in-Windermere. Great olde worlde pub

Medica Review

2007-11-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

This year’s fair proved to be very interesting from a new product point of view. Although I am still constantly astounded by the number of companies making and marketing haematology and clinical chemistry analysers. I guess somewhere people are buying them. I can't imagine that its in the UK though. We were able to meet with our suppliers from IQP, Cytognos, AID and Euroclone and they all have new products for Flow Cytometry, Elispot and Stem Cell culture coming out in the near future.

We also made new potential contacts with a few companies that we are now in talks with for UK representation. This includes a very interesting and exciting new pipette company called Viaflo of the USA. Viaflo have made some very novel changes to both the single and multi channel electronic pipette. As well as the pipettes then Viaflo are launching a novel robotic pipetting station for sub microlitre applications. For more information then take a look at their website www.viaflo.com.

The weather as anticipated was rather cool but it did stay dry. A few beers were consumed as is customary and the only decent thing to do when meeting old colleagues and suppliers.

We hope to be able to post more information and details about new products that we are offering in the very new future.

Medica Trade Fair

2007-11-12T04:47:00.000-08:00

The time of year has quickly come upon us again for our annual trip to Dusseldorf in November for the Medical Trade Fair known as Medica. The weather is usually pretty grey, wet and cold. Last year was an exception but it looks likely to revert to the norm for this trip. Medica is probably the largest collection of medical diagnostic, medical devices and life science equipment and or reagent in any one place at any one time during the calender year. It houses the exhibitors in over 24 halls at the massive Dusseldorf Conference and Exhibition centre. The site easily dwarfs the NEC in Birmingham.

We're going to be meeting most of our suppliers with the hope of finding out what's new and interesting. This is will include our Elispot equipment from AID, immunoassay buffers from Candor BioSciences and our flow cytometry reagents and software from IQProducts and Cytognos.

The fair is also a good source of new products and companies that have entered the market place. Thus, if there is a product that you're particularly looking for and would like Cadama to be able to supply, then drop Mark or me and email at info@cadama.co.uk and we'll keep an eye open for it.

We'll update on how we got on next week.

ELISpot assays - dual colour now a reality

2007-11-01T04:11:00.000-07:00

Over the 5 years that we have been working with A.I.D's ELISpot readers and ELISpot kits, lots have people have talked about the possibility of doing dual colour assays (being able to assess two proteins in one well). This was always difficult using standard chromogenic ELISpots and in our opinion the best way that this would move forward was by using fluorescently labelled antibodies. Great! Let's try it! Ahh, how are we going to read it?

And therein lay the problem, no assays and no way of reading them even if they could be made.

Now A.I.D. have made the iSpot, an ELISpot reader capable of reading and analysing immunofluorescent ELISpot assays as well as normal chrmogenic ELISpots.

Commercial availability of fluorescent ELISpot kits is still a little patchy, but at least thee technology is now available to deal with them

Cytognos Catalogue:

2007-10-31T08:19:00.003-07:00

Cytognos catalogue, outlining all of their flow cytometry reagents and software, is now available to be downloaded from our pdf download page. The catlaogue lists both their diagnostic kits such as Lymphoclonal, DNA content and cell cycle and Monoclonal Gammaopathies and their individual antibodies for flow cytometry. One can also read about Cytognos' new software Infinicyt.

Soluble CD163 EIA kit:

2007-10-31T08:19:00.001-07:00

IQProducts have recently launched a new kit for the measurement of soluble CD163. The kit measures macrophage and monocyte activation. The kit is in an EIA format, can be completed within 3 hours with less than 1 hour hands on time. Excellent method for those looking into markers for Sepsis, inflammatory response, auto immunity, atherosclerosis and other areas too. For more information contact us.

LYMPHOCLONAL: The "All in one bottle" answer to lymphocyte subset testing

2007-10-31T08:18:00.001-07:00

Cadama is delighted to announce that it's collaboration with Cytognos has been extended to an agreement to market Cytognos' range of very useful kits for flow-cytometry. Principle amongst these kits is the Lymphoclonal kit. Lymphoconal contains a combination of Lambda-FITC + CD8-FITC/ Kappa-PE + CD56-PE/ CD19-PerCPCy5.5 + CD4-PerCPCy5.5/ CD3-APC. This combination is perfect for the differential diagnosis between reactive lymphocytosis and monoclonal disease in any peripheral blood lymphocytosis. A small number of sample kits are available upon request. Please contact us for details

Candor BioScience: Increase range of buffers:

2007-10-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

SmartBlock: BSA Free, effective, easy to use and competively priced.

Liquid Plate Sealer: Seals ELISA plates, stablises imobilised antibodies and is free of BSA

For more information and to recieve the latest catalogue, email info@cadama.co.uk