16
LMS Issue 4 | 2014
Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
Celebrating 40 Years in Sterility Testing
I
n 2014, Steritest™ systems celebrate
40 years in sterility testing.
Sterility testing is one of the most
crucial steps in pharmaceutical product
release. False positives, false negatives,
equipment failure and human error can
cost time, money and the product.
The Steritest Equinox pump is a
software-controlled peristaltic pump
used for the safe, uniform transfer of
drug samples from various packaging
formats through the Steritest sterility
testing devices. The Equinox pump and
Steritest devices deliver sterility testing
consistency and reliability. The development of the Equinox pump is the result of
years of customer collaboration and communication as well as testing experience.
The innovative hardware design and
control software offers an easy-to-use,
intelligent system.
From a computer, standard operating
procedures (SOPs) can be developed and
then loaded onto the Equinox Pump. In
automated mode, an analyst simply selects
the appropriate SOP for the sample to
test from the Equinox control panel. The
pump will then walk the analyst through
each step, acting as a training guide,
thereby supporting good manufacturing practices. The various steps in the
procedure, corresponding pump speed
and related information are displayed
on the control panel, improving repeatability and reliability. Analysts can then
select either manual or automated mode.
In manual mode, the pump will prompt
the analyst to enter data at each step of
the procedure.
Designed for use with Steritest EZ
devices, the automatic pump head makes
it easy to load and unload unit tubing
without the risk of damaging the isolator
gloves. The pump is also equipped with
a precision ‘stop control’ for low volume
sampling. A built-in timer enables analysts to preset the time for the transfer of
product into both canisters. This is critical
for product exposed to the environment.
A pressure control system constantly
monitors the pressure inside both Steritest canisters ensuring that the system
is running within acceptable pressure
limits at all times. An alarm informs the
operator of any pressure increase above
specifications. An external foot switch
operates the pump in either ‘continuous’
or ‘two-way’ operation mode.
Ergonomically designed for easy operation and cleanability, the Equinox pump
fits in both glove and half-suit isolators.
Its profile ensures perfect decontamination inside isolators, eliminating the
risk of false-positives. Its unique design
makes it easy to connect to an isolator
table during maintenance. The drain tray
as and the 316l stainless steel surfaces of
the pump, pump head and bottle holder
are easily cleaned using most standard
decontamination agents. ⚛
Merck Millipore
Field Marketing Manager: Melanie May
Tel: 011-372-5027
Email: [email protected]
Cool Off with the F Series
J
ulabo’s F series of Compact Recirculating Coolers are ideal for simple
cooling tasks in laboratory. The smallest
recirculating cooler of this new family,
the F250, was technically upgraded to
provide a wider temperature range from
-10°C to +40°C.
The new F500 and F1000 recirculating coolers feature even higher cooling
capacities and stronger integrated
pumps. The pump of the F500 delivers
24l/min at 0.5bars and the stronger
pump of the F1000 delivers 23l/min
at 1.0bar.
These systems can be used in conjunction with rotary evaporators, bioreactors/fermenters, Soxhlet apparatus,
distillation s \