Transcription of video voice over…

Introduction and getting there

“Getting to Biotechnica 2011 was very simple. Just take a taxi from the airport for around 40 euros or you can take the S5 train into the main station or hauptbahnhof and then board the S8 tram to the main entrance. You can then jump on the courtesy bus and you’ll be at the exhibiton and conference area in a couple of minutes.

Biotechnica is the leading trade fair and congress in Europe for the area of biotechnology and life sciences and attendance figures were around 11,000 -- up by 15% on 2010.

The exhibitors

Molecular Devices -- My first visit was to the Molecular Devices stand where I had the chance to see a demo of the SpectraMax® Paradigm® Multi-mode Detection Platform. It is the first reader with TUNE technology, which allows users to select the excitation and emission wavelengths that best fit their assay and boasts up to 10x higher fluorescence sensitivity compared to traditional monochromator technologies.

Mettler-Toledo and Anachem -- Next up was the Mettler Toledo stand where I spotted the Rainin E4 XLS Adjustable Spacer multichannel pipette.

This high speed and flexible pipette is designed For high throughput work involving multiple formats and seems very simple to use. It is loaded with features and allows users to quickly transfer liquid between different formats, like plates and tubes.  Its speed, simple operation and accuracy make it ideal for genomic, proteomic and cell culture applications.

Merck Millipore -- I then went over to take a look at the Q-Pod from Merck Millipore which is the remote dispenser of the Milli-Q Advantage by Milli-Q Integral and forms part of the sophisticated advantage water purification system. The last step of water purification is actually carried out at the outlet of the Q-POD unit by a specific POD Pack, which can be customised to meet the users requirements. This removes contaminants critical for specific experiments before the water leaves the system.

Sartorius -- Following a quick break and catch up with a few familiar faces I decided to pay Sartorius a visit. They were showing their BIOSTAT® RM -- A New Generation of bioreactor which utilises a rocking motion for low shear stress cell cultivation. Its many applications includes Cell culture and the growth of animal, insect and plant cells and there is also no requirement for sterilization or cleaning in place.

Staying with Sartorius, I also spotted the The SARTOFLOW® Advanced modular benchtop Crossflow system. A product which has been developed and optimized for ultrafiltration, microfiltration and diafiltration applications. The system is used in a many downstream processes and is suitable for many laboratory environments for process development and clinical trials as well as for small-scale production batches.

Eppendorf -- My next stop was the Eppendorf stand where I met with the Yener Selcuk, the winner of the Eppendorf pipette stand of the future! His design shown here as a prototype included a secure slot and housing for pipettes, multi coloured lighting to indicate status and a series of other clever design characteristics.

And staying with the liquid handling theme I also came across the popular epmotion pipetting system from eppendorf. You can find the current campaign for this product by going to the web address shown here. If you are an innovative lab using epMotion, you can Tell them about your great background story.

Finally from Eppendorf, I came across their Kinetic BioSpectrometer -- a small and compact UV VIS instrument Used for a variety of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemical procedures. The Kinetic version shown here offers an additional temperature-controlled cuvette shaft which allows you to determine enzyme and substrate kinetics directly within the device.

The Conference/congress

Of course, Biotechnica is not just about the product and services exhibition. The Conferences, forums and workshops featured over 500 international speakers and provided the ideal complement to the exhibition program. One of the key objectives of BIOTECHNICA is to encourage networking and the transfer of knowledge among the scientific and business communities and this was an ideal platform to do just that.

Back inside the exhibition hall I went onto the Grant Instruments stand to see a range of their products including the compact and very quiet PCV 3000 variable speed centrifuge. Also on show here was the GLS Aqua 12 Plus linear shaking water bath. This 12 litre version features a robust high quality magnetically coupled shaking mechanism which provides maximum reliability and consistent results. Then we came across the PTR 35 rotator which is Suitable for 360° vertical mixing applications including immuno precipitations and other affinity matrix applications, as well as the prevention of blood coagulation and latex diagnostics.

Our final visit of the day was to the labtech international stand where we saw the G-Storm GS2 Thermal cycler. The well proportioned and sleek design will look great in the lab and its simple to operate colour touch-screen is the heart of G-Storm’s control. Programming, cycler control and file management is easy and the system has the added feature of two independent 96 or 384 well thermal blocks.

This years biotechnica was a great experience and I look forward to seeing our customers again in 2013. So, vielen dank unt auf wiedersehen.”

Footage filmed, narrated and edited by Andrew Long