Abstract: A method for detecting viable cells such as bacterial cells, within a sample, said method comprising (i) incubating said sample with a virus which is able to infect said cells under conditions which allow said virus to infect and replicate within any such cells which are viable; and (ii) detecting any nucleic acid obtained by replication of the virus in said cell.

Abstract: A method for detecting viable cells such as bacterial cells, within a sample, said method comprising (i) incubating said sample with a virus which is able to infect said cells under conditions which allow said virus to infect and replicate within any such cells which are viable; (ii) detecting any nucleic acid obtained by replication of the virus in said cell.

Abstract: The use of raffinose as a glass-forming agent for freeze-dried compositions intended for use in conducting chemical or biochemical reactions such as the PCR. Thus, for instance, there is provided a composition for carrying out a chemical or biochemical reaction, said composition being in a freeze-dried form and comprising (i) a set of reagents comprising at least some of the chemical or biochemical reagents necessary for conducting said chemical or biochemical reaction, and (ii) raffinose. Kits comprising these compositions and methods of using them form a further aspect of the invention.

Abstract: The application relates to a method of performing a multi-step reaction vessel (68) having at least two compartments (685, 680). The reagents are placed in the first compartment (685) and moved to second one (680) by centrifugation, after which another set of reagents may be placed in the first compartment (685) while the reaction in the lower chamber takes place. Once the reaction is complete, the reagents that were in the first compartment (685) may be moved to the lower one (680) by centrifugation. The application also claims a container having a pierceable lower surface and an upper surface with either a pierceable component or a lid. A wand capable of being electrostatically charged, an apparatus comprising such a wand and a method of transferring solid reagents using such a wand is also claimed.

Abstract: A method for detecting the presence or absence of a polymorphism at a particular position within a nucleic acid sequence in a sample, said method comprising i) annealing a pair of probes to said nucleic acid sequence, said probes being designed such that they anneal adjacent each other, and only completely anneal to one form of the sequence, in a reaction mixture which is substantially free of ATP; ii) ligating together any completely annealed pairs of probes in the presence of NAD and a nucleic acid ligase which uses NAD as a substrate/ iii) phosphorylating any AMP released by a ligation event to ATP, and iv) detecting ATP, in particular using a bioluminescent reaction, in the resultant reaction mixture. Kits for conducting this method are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A method for detecting viable cells such as bacterial cells, within a sample, said method comprising (i) incubating said sample with a virus which is able to infect said cells under conditions which allow said virus to infect and replicate within any such cells which are viable; (ii) detecting any nucleic acid obtained by replication of the virus in said cell.

Abstract: A method for adding a first and a second functional nucleic acid sequence to a reaction mixture, in particular an amplification reaction mixture in a predetermined stoichiometry and/or at a predetermined point in time, said method comprising adding to the reaction mixture an oligonucleotide comprising a first and a second functional nucleic acid sequence separated by a spacer sequence, said spacer sequence comprising a region which, when double stranded, comprises a cleavable region, forming a cleavable double stranded region within the spacer region of said oligonucleotide, and cleaving the double stranded region within said oligonucleotide. Oligonucleotides for use in the method, and comprising a first and a second functional nucleic acid sequence, such as primers or probes used in an amplification reaction, separated by a spacer sequence, is also provided.