The FBI and CSI need the product supplied by Norton Scientific.

Norton Scientific is a provider of laboratory equipment. Various government agencies have expressed interest interest in purchasing products supplied by Norton Scientific Inc. (NT3)

You may have watched the television series crime Scene Investigation (CSI). The series follows investigators as they analyse crime scenes looking for clues and evidence that will lead them to the capture and successful prosecution of the particular perpetrator who committed the crime.

The use of DNA testing has been widely held as a breakthrough in many cases. DNA testing of course requires the use of a sample of DNA being left behind at a crime scene. This sample can be in limited supply; of course this then becomes a very valuable commodity for the detectives involved in the case.

The DNA profiling technique was first reported in 1984 by Sir Alec Jeffrey’s at the University of Leicester in England. Dr Jeffrey’s genetic fingerprinting was made commercially available in 1987, when a chemical company, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), started a blood-testing centre in England. (Wikipedia)

DNA and protein testing has until recently used up some of the sample in the procedures. Norton Scientific Inc. hold the exclusive North American distribution rights for a product named AstraGene and produced by UK based AstraNet Systems.

The AstraGene Spectrophotometer has been developed for the routine laboratory analysis of nucleic acids and proteins. With its specially developed through-the-tip measurement technology, precious samples will never leave the pipette tip – speeding up analysis and protecting samples. This breakthrough then allows many more tests to be permitted on the same sample than was previously possible and gives significant benefits to the users of the equipment. Of course these benefits are not just limited to law enforcement agencies, anybody who needs to do these kinds of tests will benefit from this low cost, low maintenance piece of equipment.

The Pittcon 2011 show was held on March 20th, in Atlanta. The AstraGene UV spectrophotometer from UK-based AstraNet Systems got the bronze award for its non-destructive way of analysing DNA, RNA and protein samples. Astra Gene’s patented sample holder enables measurements to be taken straight through the pipette tip on sample volumes as small as 2 µl. Complex sampling routines are avoided while sample integrity and user safety are maintained; samples can be recovered after measurement for further analysis or processing.
About Norton Scientific Inc.

Based in the Niagara Region of Canada, Norton was established in 2010 to take the knowledge and experience of the founders dating back 20+ years in the analysis of complex macromolecular and nano-particulate materials, and design innovative measurement tools for use by bench scientists working in modern research facilities.