Centrifugation: Speeding Time to Results in Parkinson's Research

Some instruments are easily overlooked because they’re so much a part of everyday lab work: such is the case with the centrifuge. When describing one of his benchtop centrifuges, however, Dr. Joseph Mazzulli, a researcher at the Northwestern University Department of Neurology, says his Thermo Scientific™ Sorvall™ ST 8 small benchtop centrifuge is "one of the most important things in the lab—it has to work or we’re stopped.” His lab’s productivity depends on reliable and flexible centrifugation.

Dr. Mazzulli’s research into the buildup of amyloid protein could someday lead to therapies for Parkinson’s disease. And, for at least an hour each day, he and his team run samples through a benchtop centrifuge. While not all labs put as many demands on their centrifuges—frequently changing sample volumes, rotor speeds, and temperatures—it’s good to know that such power and flexibility is available with our Sorvall centrifuges.