Pittcon Hits Chicago

From March 5 – 9, the BioInformatics/SDi team was out in force visiting with clients and staying abreast of the analytical instrument industry’s latest developments. Pittcon is the world’s leading annual conference on laboratory science. Pittcon was attended by almost 13,000 people from industry, academia and government from around the world and featured more than 800 exhibitors. According to the organizers, the conference has grown beyond its roots in analytical chemistry and spectroscopy, and has evolved into an event that now also serves a diverse constituency encompassing life sciences, pharmaceutical discovery and QA, food safety, environmental, bioterrorism and other emerging markets.

The Pittcon website stresses that the target audience is not just “’analytical chemists,’ but all laboratory scientists — anyone who identifies, quantifies, analyzes or tests the chemical or biological properties of compounds or molecules, or who manages these laboratory scientists.”

Major product launches included Waters Empower Cloud, a cloud-deployable chromatography data system, for which the company is also offering professional services. Thermo Fisher Scientific entered the triple quadrupole ICP-MS market, debuting the Thermo Scientific iCAP TQ ICP-MS, which emphasizes ease of use. MilliporeSigma launched a new premium laboratory water system, the Milli-Q IQ 7000, with a new precise dispensing wheel. Application-targeted system introductions included Shimadzu‘s Cannabis Analyzer for Potency Testing and Bruker’s MALDI PharmaPulse 2.O system.

News announcements made in conjunction with the show included Thermo Fisher Science’s announcement of the purchase of Core Informatics, an ELN, LIMS and SDMS provider, which adds expanded cloud computing capabilities to the company. Also, the formerly separate labware brands WHEATON Industries, Kimble Chase and DURAN debuted a new unified brand, DWK Life Sciences. The company supplies glass and plastic labware and packaging.

Full conference coverage, including new product introductions, are featured in the March 15, 2017 issue of Instrument Business Outlook, the analytical and life science instrument industry’s premier publication for industry news, data and analysis. For a free trial subscription, visit: IBO Trial Subscription.