“I am pleased to report that Hamilton Thorne performed well in 2011, achieving 19% growth and record sales of over $2 million in Q4, which marks our eighth consecutive quarter of year-over-year revenue growth, and a 15.5% sales increase for the full year, despite a challenging global economy,” said David Wolf, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hamilton Thorne Ltd.

Mr. Wolf continued, “In 2012, we expect to continue to invest in both R&D and sales and marketing activities, in order to continue our steady growth trajectory while managing overhead, and moving Hamilton Thorne towards profitability and positive cash flow.”

Read the full Q4 and Year-End earnings press release by clicking here.

The Transgenic Technology Webinar, “Optimize Quality Assurance for Mouse Sperm Freezing and Rederivation using Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA), and Sneak Preview of Upcoming Webinar: Facilitate Fertilization through Laser-assisted IVF”  is now available to view at your convenience.

Click here to listen to the Webinar today, and stay tuned for more exciting Webinar topics in our “Transgenic Technologies” series!

• When: March 29, 2012, 9:00 a.m. EDT
• Guest Speaker:  Ian Rosewell, Cancer Research UK
• Hamilton Thorne Panelists: Kate Craig and Lily Reed

Discussion Topics:

How MouseTraxx standardizes procedures across all technicians.

How MouseTraxx provides objective and repeatable assessment of sperm pre- or post- recovery.

How built-in “checks and balances” ensure analysis accuracy.

Real world use of the MouseTraxx analyzer in the transgenic laboratory.

Plus, Sneak Preview of Upcoming Webinar: Facilitate Fertilization through Laser-assisted IVF.

Click here to view the formal invitation .

It is great to see that stem cell research has made tremendous strides in 2011. Hamilton Thorne applauds our customer, the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), for being named Time Magazine’s #1 Medical Breakthrough for 2011.

Here is an excerpt from the NYSCF’s press release, ” TIME magazine has designated research conducted in the laboratory of the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) as the #1 Medical Breakthrough of the year.

TIME cited research led by NYSCF scientists Dieter Egli and Scott Noggle in which adult skin cells from patients with Type 1 diabetes were reprogrammed to the pluripotent state by combining the cells with unfertilized donor oocytes. The scientists then succeeded in differentiating the pluripotent cells into other cell types in the body, including insulin-producing beta cells that are lacking in persons with Type 1 diabetes.

The discovery has implications for treatments of many other diseases besides diabetes, since the cells Egli and Noggle created  contain the patient’s own DNA and would resist rejection by the patient’s immune system if transplanted as part of cell replacement therapy. NYSCF scientists are currently conducting further research needed to overcome a remaining obstacle before the cells can be considered for treatment purposes.

In the magazine’s online article, TIME health and medical writer Alice Park writes: “The process is promising because it can potentially yield stem cells – which may one day treat diseases such as spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s – that not only match their donor, but also obviate the need for an embryo.”

To read the full press release, click here

With 2011 being such an exicting year, we look forward to seeing what our prestigious customers have in store for the research world in 2012.

Registration Page: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/882322638

• Date and Time:

Thursday, September 29^th at 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT

• Featured speakers:

Lily Reed, Senior Director Research Market, Business & Applications Development
Hamilton Thorne Inc. Title: Learn How Lasers, like the new Stiletto™, Can Save Researchers Valuable Time and Money for Stem Cell Colony Maintenance and Passaging. 

Dr. Jeffery Jones, PhD, HCLD (ABB), Director of the Derivation Laboratory, WiCell Research Institute. Title: Learn How Lasers, like the new Stiletto™, Can Save Researchers Valuable Time and Money for Stem Cell Colony Maintenance and Passaging.

• Topics Include:
  • How automation can save hours of time and money from manually separating and removing unwanted cells  
  • How laser technologies can integrate into your current workflow
  • Technical features of XYClone™ with Staccato™ software, and the new Stiletto™ laser
    • Auto-scoring for colony passaging, uniform pattern or user-defined sections of size and shape
    • Non-Xenogentic inner cell mass definition of embryonic stem cells
    • Automated ablation of differentiated cells
    • Best practices and real examples of how to use this laser technology to meet the high-degree of quality necessary when treating and manipulating stem cell colonies.

The chat archive is available and may be viewed at http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/08/live-chat-the-future-of-stem-cel.html .

Here are three reasons to consider a digital/interactive annual report:

1. Put a face on the management team and employees

• When it comes down to investing in a company, you certainly look at their product lines and financials, but you are also investing in the people. Showcasing personalities and passion for the work will go a long way.  

2. Leverage multi-media

•  Do you have a corporate video, broll, photos, employee testimonials, podcasts…why not use them for your annual report? Seeing employees in action is a great opportunity for outside stakeholders to understand how employees collaborate and interact with each other in the work environment.
• If you do not have multi-media in-house, you should consider making room for it in your budget for 2011. There are cost-effective ways to commission quality multi-media projects that will have a high impact.

3. Make it interesting, and dare I say, Fun?

• Pictures and video are great, but it can also come off as “talking heads” or static. Consider putting in something fun such as an interactive photo gallery where the user selects what and how they would like to view.
• You can also consider something that viewers can manipulate and engage with that could make their viewing experience fun. Our report had a user propelled 360 degree rotating view of one of our flagship products.

Come see how we did it; view Hamilton Thorne’s Interactive 2010 Annual Report! 

Despite many advances in scientific research for iPS cells, Nature published an article on May 13, 2011 citing that reprogrammed cells had triggered an immune reaction in mice. These findings were later reported in a New York Times article by Andy Pollack.

This latest set back for use of iPS cells in mice emphasizes once again the extreme urgency to create sensible regulations for use of embryonic stem cells in regenerative medicine. The removal of politics from medical research has never been more pressing. Not only have embryonic stem cells been used to create various exciting treatments now in FDA clinical trials, but in many countries, researchers do not have to operate under the cloud of uncertainty caused by wavering court rulings and US political pressures.

Any important research program takes years, but in the present legal climate, groups seeking funding will surely be reluctant to gamble on the future of their research and financial support for the people in their lab. In short, with limited use of embryonic stem cells, treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS, Macular degeneration and heart disease will only be further delayed. With a rapidly aging population, the cost of such delays is incalculable.