Wetzlar, Germany–based Leica Microsystems has introduced a new line of upright microscopes known as Visoria B, Visoria M, and Visoria P built for labs where a “quick look” often turns into an hour at the bench. By electronically capturing every objective change and reducing the force needed to move the stage or adjust focus, the…
ZEISS and Alpenglow ink light-sheet microscopy platform deal
ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions and Alpenglow Biosciences have announced a multi-phase partnership to build an inverted light-sheet microscope and accompanying bioinformatics pipeline aimed at clinical pathology. The companies say the joint system will digitize entire tissue samples without a microtome, generate 3D images and feed them into a GPU-accelerated analytics engine. In press materials, ZEISS…
Chromatography data wants to tell you something, but it needs a common language
Chromatography data often remains locked in proprietary, vendor‑specific formats that sprawl across instruments, labs, and redundant backups. The resulting fragmentation can force scientists to spend hours copying files, reconciling retention‑time mismatches, and manually checking assay performance from site to site. Anthony Edge, Ph.D., a veteran chromatographer and scientific business analyst at scientific data and AI…
Thermo Fisher swaps HFCs for natural refrigerants in new large‑capacity and superspeed centrifuges
Thermo Fisher Scientific has rolled out three floor‑model centrifuge families—Cryofuge, BIOS and LYNX—that use a natural refrigerant with a global‑warming potential (GWP) of 1, roughly 1,400 times lower than the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blends found in the company’s previous Sorvall line. The change brings the instruments in line with the European Union’s 2024 F‑gas Regulation, which begins quota cuts…
Tariff shock: Auto R&D projected down 30%+ at one year, semi faces double-digit drop
[Updated on April 10 with new facts and a more robust model with essentially identical results to the prior version.] After the trade conflict dramatically escalated on April 9, new U.S. tariffs pushed cumulative rates on many Chinese goods toward 104%. Separate “reciprocal” tariffs targeting the EU and other trading partners were set to follow.…
New Krios 5 Cryo-TEM from Thermo Fisher delivers up to 25% throughput gain for atomic-resolution analysis
Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced its next-generation Krios 5 Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscope (Cryo-TEM). The firm boasts that the microscope delivers up to a 25% increase in throughput for atomic-resolution analysis compared to previous models. This performance leap stems from enhanced optical precision combined with new AI-assisted automation features, including the the company’s Smart EPU Software,…
Thermo Fisher’s ‘land and expand’ strategy to break down lab data barriers and do smarter research
If navigating your organization’s lab software landscape feels like untangling chaos, you’re not alone. While data and software maturity levels can vary significantly, it’s not unheard of for many research-focused organizations to have walled gardens throughout their organization, sometimes with distinct labs operating as technological islands. Sometimes, there are miniature islands within a single lab …
DNA microscope offers new 3D view of organisms from the inside out
Scientists at the University of Chicago have introduced “volumetric DNA microscopy,” which has the potential to transform our understanding of biology by producing detailed, three-dimensional images of organisms at the molecular level. For the first time, this technology can provide a spatial map of gene expression for an entire organism. Traditional genetic sequencing provides valuable…
PittCon 2027: Why the world’s largest lab science conference is returning to its Pittsburgh roots after 60 years
Pittcon is coming home. In 2027, the event will be held at The David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC) in Pittsburgh, PA on April 24-28, 2027. “When the possibility to hold Pittcon 2027 in Pittsburgh suddenly arose, the decision to come back to Pittsburgh was an easy choice,” said Brian Strohmeier, Ph.D., president of Pittcon…
Thermo Fisher’s Elescan XRF-100 speeds up mineral processing with real-time data
Time is money in mineral processing, and every minute spent waiting for lab results can mean lost opportunity—or lost revenue. And the faster you can understand what’s going on with your flotation or leaching circuit, the quicker you can make adjustments to maximize recovery and efficiency. Enter Thermo Fisher Scientific’s newly launched Thermo Scientific Elescan…
Thermo Fisher launches Vulcan Automated Lab to accelerate semiconductor analysis with AI-powered TEM metrology workflow
Thermo Fisher Scientific has unveiled the Vulcan Automated Lab, a fully integrated system designed to streamline transmission electron microscopy (TEM) workflows and enhance semiconductor process control. The industry is under increasing pressure to deliver atomic-scale precision at high volumes amid global demand for advanced chips. The Vulcan system integrates robotic sample handling, artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced…
Lab automation, LEGO style: Ginkgo’s modular approach reimagines scientific infrastructure
Scientific data isn’t exactly scarce. But considerable obstacles stand in the way of tapping it. A 2023 iScience article concluded that, in academia alone, there was an estimated $6.2 billion in unused laboratory resources, including unpublished data and unused research samples. The sum represents an estimated 7% of the annual U.S. academic R&D budget. But…
A tale of two industries: How manufacturing and medical imaging experts can learn from each other
At first glance, medical and manufacturing professionals might seem worlds apart. Doctors focus on healing individuals, while manufacturers emphasize efficiency and mass production. Clinicians work with unique, ever-changing patient conditions, whereas manufacturers aim for controlled, repeatable processes to ensure product uniformity. Yet, when it comes to imaging technology, these fields have more in common than…
Thermo Fisher Scientific debuts Transcend VTLX-1 UHPLC system for automated sample preparation
Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced the release of the Transcend VTLX-1, a new ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system designed to automate sample cleanup and preparation for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) workflows. The system addresses a common bottleneck in laboratories: the time-consuming and often manual process of preparing samples for LC-MS analysis. Manual sample preparation,…
How HORIBA Scientific aims to bring automotive-style automation to pharma labs
Standalone instruments are out; automated workflows are in. That was a take from an interview with Andrew Whitley, VP and field officer for the HORIBA Life Science Business unit, in an interview at PittCon 2025. The company, which just announced a trio of products at the show, is applying lessons learned from its automotive testing…
HORIBA debuts trio of high-speed analytical instruments at PittCon
Scientists seeking advances in drug discovery and bioprocess monitoring might soon have extra time to dedicate to more strategic research. The Kyoto-headquartered scientific instruments firm HORIBA has just introduced a trio of tools designed to reduce analysis time. PoliSpectra Rapid Raman plate reader Consider, for instance, the possibility of analyzing a full plate of pharmaceutical…
Honeywell unveils digital holographic microscopy that can boost patient diagnosis and environmental monitoring
Honeywell has rolled out a new technology called Digital Holographic Microscopy (DHM) that uses AI/ML to rapidly count and classify cells or microscopic particles. The company says this technology can be incorporated into portable devices. Digital Holographic Microscopy can yield “high-resolution images without the need for expensive and complex lenses and opto-mechanical systems found in…
5 trends rewriting the rules of R&D labs
In 2025, R&D labs are being shaped by five interlinked trends. First, self-improving labs can dramatically shorten timelines. Second, cross-disciplinary science merges fields like biology, physics, and computing (as seen with DeepMind’s AlphaFold) to address complex questions faster. Third, virtual lab assistants reduce manual tasks. Fourth, lab robotics integrate robotic arms and liquid handlers, boosting…
Thermo Fisher Scientific launches new spatial imaging system for tissue proteomics research
Thermo Fisher Scientific introduced the Invitrogen EVOS S1000 Spatial Imaging System, designed to help researchers generate more efficient, high-quality, multiplexed images of tissue samples. The system uses advanced spectral technology to capture images of up to nine targets simultaneously, reducing the need for multiple imaging rounds and preserving tissue integrity. “Understanding tissue structure and function…
Q&A: How BD-Biosero robotics alliance can bridge automation gaps in complex flow cytometry workflows
As therapeutic pipelines grow more complex — with multispecific antibodies, cell therapies, and genomic medicines demanding rigorous immunological characterization — flow cytometry is a core enabler of advanced immunophenotyping and functional analysis. Yet while experiments require unprecedented precision (high parameters are commonplace with sometimes 18+ color panels), manual workflows can struggle to meet throughput demands…
AI takes center stage at ORNL, where potential meets risk
In the early 1990s, the internet seemed poised to improve our lives by democratizing knowledge, publishing, and communication. While it did achieve many of these goals, it also introduced security risks ranging from malware to phishing. The online world of 2024 feels more like a war zone than a digital playground, “If you connect a…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Visualize live cell function at scale with Pixel
The Pixel Primo is an advanced device for multiplexed measurements at single-cell resolution. It combines unique measurements, using varying electrical field geometries and frequencies, with the highest electrode density on the market. This allows it to provide unparalleled information on cellular morphology and function, surpassing other live cell impedance devices. The Pixel Primo is the…
R&D 100 winner of the day: LiteScope 2.5. the next generation of AFM-in-SEM technology
Nenovision’s LiteScope 2.5 represents an inventive AFM-in-SEM technology, especially for nanoscale analysis. Its unique integration of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Force Microscopy (SEM) capabilities allows site-specific, multimodal correlative analysis, making advanced research accessible to various industries. Key features include self-sensing probe technology, seamless SEM integration without modifications, and AI-driven image correlation, enhancing precision,…
How the startup ALAFIA Supercomputers is deploying on-prem AI for medical research and clinical care
Imagine a hospital spending millions on advanced imaging equipment yet relying on decades-old computers to run the software. That paradox propelled robotics and computer vision veteran Camilo Buscaron—a former systems engineer at NVIDIA and Chief Technologist for AWS Robotics—into action. In 2023, he set out to commercialize an open-source computer vision library known as Kornia,…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer transforms proteomics by enabling rapid and detailed analysis of biological samples. It can identify over 8,000 protein groups from a human cell line digest in just eight minutes, significantly enhancing experimental scale and statistical power. The instrument integrates three advanced technologies: a high-resolution quadrupole mass filter, the Thermo…