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Millipore introduces assay kits
NEWS
Pall to restate financial statements
P
all Corporation of East Hills, New York, USA, recently announced that its annual and quarterly financial statements for the fiscal years 1999 to 2006, and for the first three quarters of fiscal 2007 should no longer be relied upon and that a restatement of some or all of those financial statements will be required. This follows an inquiry by the audit committee of Pall’s board of directors into an understatement of US income tax payments and of its provision for income taxes. The amount of the understatement has not yet been determined, but relates to the taxation of certain inter-company payable balances that resulted mainly from sales of products by a foreign subsidiary of the company to a US subsidiary. The company believes that taxes payable with respect to the inter-company payable balances could be in excess of $130 million, exclusive of interest and penalties. It also believes that, as a result of these circumstances, it may have one or more material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting. As previously reported, this matter may also have resulted in the company’s failure to comply with certain terms of its debt and other agreements, and it plans to work with its lenders to seek waivers under those agreements as necessary. Eric Krasnoff, Pall’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘We are working diligently with the audit committee and our auditors to resolve this matter. We are retaining a sharp focus on the operating performance of the business as we serve our global customer base across the Life Sciences and Industrial landscape.’ Contact: Pall Corp, 2200 Northern Boulevard, East Hills, NY 11548, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com
Millipore introduces assay kits
T
he Bioscience Division of USbased Millipore Corporation has announced the availability of the CellCiphr Cytotoxicity Profiling and Neurite Outgrowth Assay kits.
October 2007
The CellCiphr Cytotoxicity Profiling panel uses human hepatocellular liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells in an assay comprising highquality, validated, multiplexed detection reagents and protocols for testing preclinical compounds against well recognized cytotoxicity parameters. It effectively detects drug-induced hepatotoxicity and is expected to be used early in the drug discovery process, says Millipore. The assay was developed in collaboration with Cellumen and what is described as its proprietary Cellular Systems Biology approach to investigating cytotoxicity. Profiling compounds with this assay panel takes advantage of the imaging, sensitivity and multiplexing capability of high content screening instruments (HCS). The ability to recognize potential hepatotoxicity sooner in the drug development pipeline may reduce the cost of identifying toxicity in expensive animal studies. The CellCiphr Panel provides multiplexed HCS analysis of 11 human cytotoxicity parameters over three time points (acute at 30 minutes, early at 24 hours and chronic at 72 hours), generating ten-point dose response curves in duplicate for up to 16 test compounds and four control toxins. In other news, Millipore has introduced its Neurite Outgrowth Assay – the latest assay kit in its drug discovery product line. Using HCS for imaging and analysis of neurite outgrowth and neuronal cell morphology, the kit has been developed for specificity labelling and neuronal cell bodies for high content imaging. The kit uses high-quality, validated, targetspecific detection reagents for profiling in a variety of species, including humans, mice and rats. Large-scale screening is simplified through the assay reagent’s 24-hour stability at room temperature. Its primary antibody is immunofluorescence-based to specifically label neurites and neuronal cell bodies in heterogeneous cell populations. High sensitivity-generating images with high signal-to-background ratios facilitate subsequent high content analysis, making the kit ideal for screening both inducers and inhibitors of neurite outgrowth neurotoxins, says Millipore. Cellumen focuses on the cell as an integrated and interacting network of genes, proteins and metabolites responsible for normal and abnormal (disease) function. The company’s products and services are used in each of the major segments of the pharmaceutical pipeline – drug discovery (‘cellular models of disease’), drug development (‘cytotoxicity profiling’) and clinical trials (‘patient sample profiling’).
In Brief Whatman’s sales decline Whatman Plc’s unaudited, interim results for six months to 30 June 2007 show that group sales in the half year totalled £53.7 million – 8% lower than in the first half of 2006 at constant exchange rates, and a decrease of 13% on the first half of 2006 (£61.8 million) on a reported basis. The continued weakening of the US dollar against pound sterling has had a significant impact on reported results, says the company. At constant exchange rates there were declines in sales in all segments – LabSciences, 2%; BioScience, 18%; and MedTech, 14%. Kieran Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of Whatman, said: ‘We started 2007 with a weak order book and supply chain, and manufacturing issues hampered our ability to fulfil orders. Looking to the second half, there is a recovery in the order book and the steps we have taken to resolve the supply chain problems are now beginning to take effect.’ Podcast explores nano-membranes A podcast ‘Plenty of Clean Water at the NanoFrontier’ by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies explores how an engineering research team in the USA at the University of California, Los Angeles, has developed a nanomembrane that promises to reduce the cost and energy needed to desalinate sea water and clean wastewater. The project, an initiative of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts, is dedicated to helping business, government and the public anticipate and manage possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology. Further information is available from: www.nanotechproject.org Hyflux secures water projects in China Singapore-based Hyflux Ltd, an integrated environmental systems, products and services firm specializing in membrane technology, has announced that its subsidiary Newspring Utility Pte Limited has been awarded water treatment projects worth around RMB237 million in China. Portable fuel cell market analyzed The Infoshop, maintained by US Internet development business Global Information Incorporated, has added Frost and Sullivan’s product ‘North American Portable Fuel Cell Markets’ to its on-line catalogue. This study provides an insight into the major market drivers, restraints and challenges of the sector and offers strategic recommendations, along with a complete analysis of the top industry participants and competitive factors. It examines a range of technologies, including proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems. Further information is available from: www.the-infoshop.com/ee/55120
Membrane Technology
5
NEWS Millipore’s Bioscience Division provides tools, services and biological reagents that drive developments in biomedical and academic research, as well as support the discovery and development of new pharmaceuticals. Contacts: Millipore Corp, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, www.millipore.com Cellumen Incorporated, 3180 William Pitt Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15238, USA. Tel: +1 412 481 5690, www.cellumen.com
Christ Water Technology subsidiary awarded UAE contract
A
qua Engineering GmbH, a subsidiary company of Christ Water Technology AG of Mondsee, Austria, has been awarded an engineering and construction contract from United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA) for a large sea-water desalination plant. The company will lead a consortium together with local construction partner Tecton Engineering Llc. The total value of the order amounts to $121 million, of which $84 million is Aqua Engineering’s share of the project, which involves delivering, assembling and commissioning the entire sea-water reverse osmosis (SWRO) membrane plant. Following three years of construction, the plant will produce 91 000 m³ (over 24 million gallons) of drinking water per day from sea water for the local population, according to the strict rules set by the World Health Organization. This project is the first of a total of five plants (of a similar size) that have been planned, which will potentially result in follow-up orders for the company. For more than 25 years, Aqua Engineering GmbH has developed and supplied systems for treating drinking-water and wastewater, and for the desalination of sea water. Aqua Engineering has subsidiaries and branches in the Middle East, Fast East and in South and North Africa.
Contact: Christ Water Technology AG, Walter-Simmer-Strasse 4, A-5310 Mondsee, Austria. Tel: +43 6232 9011 0, www.christwater.com
6
Membrane Technology
EPA publishes water quality trading guide
I
n the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering a publication which, it claims, will help the regulated community design and implement voluntary water quality trading programmes consistent with its ‘2003 National Water Quality Trading Policy’. It says this new guide will provide stakeholders with detailed guidance on the fundamental concepts of trading which can accelerate water quality improvement and reduce compliance costs. ‘EPA’s Trading Toolkit is the first-ever howto manual on water quality trading,’ said Benjamin Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water at the EPA. ‘This Toolkit will be useful not only for permit writers but for anyone interested in designing a trading programme to improve water quality. It is part of the EPA’s efforts to support and encourage innovation for water quality progress.’ Water quality trading is a voluntary option that regulated point sources can use to meet requirements under the Clean Water Act. The ‘Water Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers’ provides authorities with the tools they need to incorporate trading provisions into required permits. The guide focuses on trading nitrogen and phosphorus, but other pollutants may be considered for trading on a case-by-case basis, says the EPA. The toolkit discusses the fundamental concepts of designing and implementing trading programmes, including the relevant geographic scope, effluent limitations and other factors involved in defining a credit. The document also includes a set of appendices that feature detailed case studies based on actual trading programmes. The toolkit, a Web-based document, is available on the EPA’s Water Quality Trading Web-site at the address given below. A limited number of hard copies are also available through the EPA’s National Service Center for Environmental Publications.
Contact: Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460, USA. Tel: +1 202 272 0167, www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/trading/ WQTToolkit.html
Ultra-high-purity steam improves solar cell efficiency
T
echnology developed by steam purification company RASIRC is being used to improve the efficiency and performance of solar cells. The company’s system generates ultra-highpurity (UHP) steam from deionized water, which is inexpensive, widely available, and does not burn oxygen and hydrogen. A non-porous hydrophilic membrane selectively allows water vapour and steam to pass through its structure. Contaminants in water, such as dissolved gases, ions, total organic carbons, particles, viruses, bacteria, pyrogens and metals are removed from the purified steam. UHP steam is needed to form transparent conductive oxide to improve solar energy capture, says RASIRC. Steam is being used to grow thermal oxides on structures for current isolation when used with back-side contacts, and to form isolation layers between films and annealing of films to reduce defects and improve cell efficiencies. RASIRC’s steam purification system replaces pyrolytic torches in the production of water vapour from hydrogen and oxygen. According to the firm, torches provide good process control, but do have limitations. For example, they require an excess of O2 or H2 to ensure complete combustion of one constituent, they generate particulate under long-term use, require start-up and shut-down periods and have a high purchase price. RASIRC’s technology is used on a 300-mm Tempress furnace at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. The ‘steamer’ is used in an oxidation process to improve electrical isolation between contacts, and ultimately improve efficiency. RASIRC products purify and deliver ultra-pure liquids and gases. The company claims that its technology is the first to generate UHP steam from deionized water. It reduces costs, improves product yield and dramatically improves safety. The UHP steam can be used in many applications in the semiconductor, pharmaceuticals, medical, biological, fuel cell and power industries. The company exhibited its low-cost, safe, highly effective system at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Exhibition, which was held in Milan, Italy, during September 2007. Contact: RASIRC, 11760 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite E, San Diego, CA 92121, USA. Tel: +1 858 259 1220, www.rasirc.com
October 2007
Pall to restate financial statements
P
all Corporation of East Hills, New York, USA, recently announced that its annual and quarterly financial statements for the fiscal years 1999 to 2006, and for the first three quarters of fiscal 2007 should no longer be relied upon and that a restatement of some or all of those financial statements will be required. This follows an inquiry by the audit committee of Pall’s board of directors into an understatement of US income tax payments and of its provision for income taxes. The amount of the understatement has not yet been determined, but relates to the taxation of certain inter-company payable balances that resulted mainly from sales of products by a foreign subsidiary of the company to a US subsidiary. The company believes that taxes payable with respect to the inter-company payable balances could be in excess of $130 million, exclusive of interest and penalties. It also believes that, as a result of these circumstances, it may have one or more material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting. As previously reported, this matter may also have resulted in the company’s failure to comply with certain terms of its debt and other agreements, and it plans to work with its lenders to seek waivers under those agreements as necessary. Eric Krasnoff, Pall’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘We are working diligently with the audit committee and our auditors to resolve this matter. We are retaining a sharp focus on the operating performance of the business as we serve our global customer base across the Life Sciences and Industrial landscape.’ Contact: Pall Corp, 2200 Northern Boulevard, East Hills, NY 11548, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com
Millipore introduces assay kits
T
he Bioscience Division of USbased Millipore Corporation has announced the availability of the CellCiphr Cytotoxicity Profiling and Neurite Outgrowth Assay kits.
October 2007
The CellCiphr Cytotoxicity Profiling panel uses human hepatocellular liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells in an assay comprising highquality, validated, multiplexed detection reagents and protocols for testing preclinical compounds against well recognized cytotoxicity parameters. It effectively detects drug-induced hepatotoxicity and is expected to be used early in the drug discovery process, says Millipore. The assay was developed in collaboration with Cellumen and what is described as its proprietary Cellular Systems Biology approach to investigating cytotoxicity. Profiling compounds with this assay panel takes advantage of the imaging, sensitivity and multiplexing capability of high content screening instruments (HCS). The ability to recognize potential hepatotoxicity sooner in the drug development pipeline may reduce the cost of identifying toxicity in expensive animal studies. The CellCiphr Panel provides multiplexed HCS analysis of 11 human cytotoxicity parameters over three time points (acute at 30 minutes, early at 24 hours and chronic at 72 hours), generating ten-point dose response curves in duplicate for up to 16 test compounds and four control toxins. In other news, Millipore has introduced its Neurite Outgrowth Assay – the latest assay kit in its drug discovery product line. Using HCS for imaging and analysis of neurite outgrowth and neuronal cell morphology, the kit has been developed for specificity labelling and neuronal cell bodies for high content imaging. The kit uses high-quality, validated, targetspecific detection reagents for profiling in a variety of species, including humans, mice and rats. Large-scale screening is simplified through the assay reagent’s 24-hour stability at room temperature. Its primary antibody is immunofluorescence-based to specifically label neurites and neuronal cell bodies in heterogeneous cell populations. High sensitivity-generating images with high signal-to-background ratios facilitate subsequent high content analysis, making the kit ideal for screening both inducers and inhibitors of neurite outgrowth neurotoxins, says Millipore. Cellumen focuses on the cell as an integrated and interacting network of genes, proteins and metabolites responsible for normal and abnormal (disease) function. The company’s products and services are used in each of the major segments of the pharmaceutical pipeline – drug discovery (‘cellular models of disease’), drug development (‘cytotoxicity profiling’) and clinical trials (‘patient sample profiling’).
In Brief Whatman’s sales decline Whatman Plc’s unaudited, interim results for six months to 30 June 2007 show that group sales in the half year totalled £53.7 million – 8% lower than in the first half of 2006 at constant exchange rates, and a decrease of 13% on the first half of 2006 (£61.8 million) on a reported basis. The continued weakening of the US dollar against pound sterling has had a significant impact on reported results, says the company. At constant exchange rates there were declines in sales in all segments – LabSciences, 2%; BioScience, 18%; and MedTech, 14%. Kieran Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of Whatman, said: ‘We started 2007 with a weak order book and supply chain, and manufacturing issues hampered our ability to fulfil orders. Looking to the second half, there is a recovery in the order book and the steps we have taken to resolve the supply chain problems are now beginning to take effect.’ Podcast explores nano-membranes A podcast ‘Plenty of Clean Water at the NanoFrontier’ by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies explores how an engineering research team in the USA at the University of California, Los Angeles, has developed a nanomembrane that promises to reduce the cost and energy needed to desalinate sea water and clean wastewater. The project, an initiative of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts, is dedicated to helping business, government and the public anticipate and manage possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology. Further information is available from: www.nanotechproject.org Hyflux secures water projects in China Singapore-based Hyflux Ltd, an integrated environmental systems, products and services firm specializing in membrane technology, has announced that its subsidiary Newspring Utility Pte Limited has been awarded water treatment projects worth around RMB237 million in China. Portable fuel cell market analyzed The Infoshop, maintained by US Internet development business Global Information Incorporated, has added Frost and Sullivan’s product ‘North American Portable Fuel Cell Markets’ to its on-line catalogue. This study provides an insight into the major market drivers, restraints and challenges of the sector and offers strategic recommendations, along with a complete analysis of the top industry participants and competitive factors. It examines a range of technologies, including proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems. Further information is available from: www.the-infoshop.com/ee/55120
Membrane Technology
5
NEWS Millipore’s Bioscience Division provides tools, services and biological reagents that drive developments in biomedical and academic research, as well as support the discovery and development of new pharmaceuticals. Contacts: Millipore Corp, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, www.millipore.com Cellumen Incorporated, 3180 William Pitt Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15238, USA. Tel: +1 412 481 5690, www.cellumen.com
Christ Water Technology subsidiary awarded UAE contract
A
qua Engineering GmbH, a subsidiary company of Christ Water Technology AG of Mondsee, Austria, has been awarded an engineering and construction contract from United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA) for a large sea-water desalination plant. The company will lead a consortium together with local construction partner Tecton Engineering Llc. The total value of the order amounts to $121 million, of which $84 million is Aqua Engineering’s share of the project, which involves delivering, assembling and commissioning the entire sea-water reverse osmosis (SWRO) membrane plant. Following three years of construction, the plant will produce 91 000 m³ (over 24 million gallons) of drinking water per day from sea water for the local population, according to the strict rules set by the World Health Organization. This project is the first of a total of five plants (of a similar size) that have been planned, which will potentially result in follow-up orders for the company. For more than 25 years, Aqua Engineering GmbH has developed and supplied systems for treating drinking-water and wastewater, and for the desalination of sea water. Aqua Engineering has subsidiaries and branches in the Middle East, Fast East and in South and North Africa.
Contact: Christ Water Technology AG, Walter-Simmer-Strasse 4, A-5310 Mondsee, Austria. Tel: +43 6232 9011 0, www.christwater.com
6
Membrane Technology
EPA publishes water quality trading guide
I
n the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering a publication which, it claims, will help the regulated community design and implement voluntary water quality trading programmes consistent with its ‘2003 National Water Quality Trading Policy’. It says this new guide will provide stakeholders with detailed guidance on the fundamental concepts of trading which can accelerate water quality improvement and reduce compliance costs. ‘EPA’s Trading Toolkit is the first-ever howto manual on water quality trading,’ said Benjamin Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water at the EPA. ‘This Toolkit will be useful not only for permit writers but for anyone interested in designing a trading programme to improve water quality. It is part of the EPA’s efforts to support and encourage innovation for water quality progress.’ Water quality trading is a voluntary option that regulated point sources can use to meet requirements under the Clean Water Act. The ‘Water Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers’ provides authorities with the tools they need to incorporate trading provisions into required permits. The guide focuses on trading nitrogen and phosphorus, but other pollutants may be considered for trading on a case-by-case basis, says the EPA. The toolkit discusses the fundamental concepts of designing and implementing trading programmes, including the relevant geographic scope, effluent limitations and other factors involved in defining a credit. The document also includes a set of appendices that feature detailed case studies based on actual trading programmes. The toolkit, a Web-based document, is available on the EPA’s Water Quality Trading Web-site at the address given below. A limited number of hard copies are also available through the EPA’s National Service Center for Environmental Publications.
Contact: Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460, USA. Tel: +1 202 272 0167, www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/trading/ WQTToolkit.html
Ultra-high-purity steam improves solar cell efficiency
T
echnology developed by steam purification company RASIRC is being used to improve the efficiency and performance of solar cells. The company’s system generates ultra-highpurity (UHP) steam from deionized water, which is inexpensive, widely available, and does not burn oxygen and hydrogen. A non-porous hydrophilic membrane selectively allows water vapour and steam to pass through its structure. Contaminants in water, such as dissolved gases, ions, total organic carbons, particles, viruses, bacteria, pyrogens and metals are removed from the purified steam. UHP steam is needed to form transparent conductive oxide to improve solar energy capture, says RASIRC. Steam is being used to grow thermal oxides on structures for current isolation when used with back-side contacts, and to form isolation layers between films and annealing of films to reduce defects and improve cell efficiencies. RASIRC’s steam purification system replaces pyrolytic torches in the production of water vapour from hydrogen and oxygen. According to the firm, torches provide good process control, but do have limitations. For example, they require an excess of O2 or H2 to ensure complete combustion of one constituent, they generate particulate under long-term use, require start-up and shut-down periods and have a high purchase price. RASIRC’s technology is used on a 300-mm Tempress furnace at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. The ‘steamer’ is used in an oxidation process to improve electrical isolation between contacts, and ultimately improve efficiency. RASIRC products purify and deliver ultra-pure liquids and gases. The company claims that its technology is the first to generate UHP steam from deionized water. It reduces costs, improves product yield and dramatically improves safety. The UHP steam can be used in many applications in the semiconductor, pharmaceuticals, medical, biological, fuel cell and power industries. The company exhibited its low-cost, safe, highly effective system at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Exhibition, which was held in Milan, Italy, during September 2007. Contact: RASIRC, 11760 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite E, San Diego, CA 92121, USA. Tel: +1 858 259 1220, www.rasirc.com
October 2007