Agilent Technologies Offers FT-IR Solutions for Biomedical and Biological Analysis

FT-IR spectroscopy is an emerging tool in life sciences. Applications range from new drug development to the study of diseased tissues. The new solutions feature Varian's superior performing 600-IR Series spectrometers and microscopes, software and accessories.

Traditional techniques for studying biological samples, such as cell staining, are often time consuming and limited in the types and amount of information that can be gathered. Varian's FT-IR systems offer the highest energy throughput and deliver the most detailed chemical information. Varian's 620-IR microscope provides the most sensitive and fastest chemical imaging solution in the industry. The 620-IR is ideal for users that need to quickly investigate large tissues samples and have very little time to prepare those samples. The 620-IR makes visible what other systems cannot detect, and does it in a fraction of the time.

The accuracy, high spatial resolution and reproducibility of the Varian FT-IR system provides an excellent tool for analyzing large tissue samples, said Dr. Peter Gardner, senior lecturer, The University of Manchester, U.K. The Varian 620-IR has enabled my group to collect data on prostate tissue samples in minutes instead of hours, enabling us to rapidly progress our research within the past six months.

FT-IR analysis can complement or replace other techniques allowing investigators to:

* study drug uptake through membranes using attenuated total reflectance chemical imaging;
* characterize biological changes on a nanosecond time scale;
* identify and characterize unknown protein samples in seconds;
* investigate the chemical makeup of live cells and probe their response in aqueous environments; and
* monitor and optimize microbial fermentation processes to increase production efficiency.

Varian FT-IR spectrometers and microscopes help life-science researchers gather high-resolution chemical information about biological samples and processes in a minimal amount of time, said Phil Binns, general manager, Spectroscopy Products, Agilent Technologies. Our software and accessories extend the utility of FT-IR to analyses that would be impossible or impractical with other methods.