July 4, 2018July 4, 2018 by Amy Fenton

Atypical Myopathy Testing Now Available (In Conjunction With the Royal Veterinary College)

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the Bio-Analysis Centre are now conducting testing for atypical myopathy as part of the RVC’s work towards improved treatments and management of this disorder, and to enhance the welfare of affected horses. Atypical myopathy of horses is a severe and life threatening equine muscle disorder that is caused by the ingestion of Sycamore tree seeds, leaves or seedlings by horses that are kept at pasture. Risk factors for horses remain unclear. It is, for example, not currently known whether some trees are more toxic than others or whether the amount of toxin varies at certain times of the year or with certain climatic conditions. The RVC is working to help horse owners to gain a better understanding of the condition.

Following research that was supported by The Horse Trust and the RVC’s Animal Care Trust (ACT), the Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Laboratory at the RVC is now offering testing of seeds, seedlings and leaves for the hypoglycin A toxin known to cause this disorder. To find out if plant samples from your property contain the toxin known to cause atypical myopathy, you can now send samples directly to the lab where they will be tested at a subsidised cost of £50. In addition, the Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Laboratory is also offering testing of horse blood and urine samples, submitted by your vet, if they suspect atypical myopathy or in field companions. This should help to establish a much more rapid and accurate diagnosis, and subsequent treatment, than with previous tests.

Professor Richard Piercy, Professor of Comparative Neuromuscular Disease, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to launch our testing service for owners who may be concerned about their horses. With the support of the Horse Trust and ACT, and through working with owners in this way, we hope to be able to improve the understanding of atypical myopathy and improve the welfare of horses with this severe condition.”

Full details, including prices and packaging instructions are available here.

2018 Update: The work carried out by Carolyn and Imogen in developing this assay has recently been published in Plos One, along with two others from the Neuromuscular Research Group at the RVC. You can read it here.

February 7, 2018February 9, 2018 by Amy Fenton

deltaDOT’s High Performance Capillary Electrophoresis

The Bio-Analysis Centre offers High Performance (label free) Capillary Electrophoresis (HPCE) system from deltaDOT to its clients.

Whilst electrophoresis is the process during which ions undergo movement in a fluid or gel under the influence of an electric field, capillary electrophoresis is a technique that separates these ions based on their electrophoretic mobility with the use of an applied voltage. This mobility is dependent on the atom’s radius, the charge of the molecule, and the molecule’s viscosity. The rate at which the charged particle moves is directly proportional to the applied electric field – as the field strength increases the mobility increases also.

Chromatographic analysis – An Intern’s Perspective

Chromatographic analysis is often an indispensable technique for a life scientist.

The gadgetry and the skills required, for the successful application of such techniques, are less so common. Having spent the summer months of 2017, working for the Bio Analysis Centre, I have been a very keen observer of the company’s modus operandi. I have been most impressed by the assembly of systems, developed and maintained by the laboratory manager, Dr. Hyde. This framework for the BAC ensures the smooth running of the services it provides.

Bio-Analysis Centre Now Open for Business

Welcome to the Bio-Analysis Centre based in the London Bioscience Innovation Centre (LBIC).

Our Bio-Analysis Centre has over 20 years experience in LC-MS and HPLC analysis.

HPLC

We use the Shimadzu Nexera XR HPLC system. These instruments have cooled autosamplers (for sample integrity) and Photo-Diode Array detectors, which can be used for compound analysis from small drug-like molecules to proteins. This instrument provides the optimal solution for a diverse range of applications. Due to the modular design of these systems, other detectors can be added as required, for example Evaporative Light Scattering (ELS), Refractive Index (RI) or Fluorescence. More pump modules could also be added if required.

Mass Spectrometry

We use a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (Shimadzu LCMS-8040) with highly sensitivity, reliable and fast results. We have extensive experience and knowledge in method development for new compounds along with excellent expertise in interpretation of results – providing a complete service to your analytical requirements. If required, another detection mode can be added, for example UV, Fluorescence or Refractive Index (RI) to complement the mass data.

HPCE

We use one of deltaDOT’s latest instruments (HPCE-512) which separates and analyses a wide range of samples - from small molecules and amino acids, through to proteins and virus-like particles. It uses an advanced form of label free Capillary Electrophoresis which produces faster, higher quality results at a fraction of the cost of many other approaches.

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