On the 9 October K-RITH (KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV) officially opened. Here it is envisaged that some of the brightest minds from Africa and around the globe will concentrate on contributing to the control of tuberculosis and HIV. Not only is the focus on generating important insights and fresh thinking into infection and disease, but on preparing a new generation of leaders in TB/HIV research, and developing young African scientists. The organisation has the foundation to be a leader in the development of cutting edge technologies to understand, and so control, the double scourges of TB and HIV which are ravaging the country.
K-RITH is a collaboration of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which is one of the biggest funders of medical research in the United States, and the University of Kwazulu-Natal. The seven storey building, with three floors of laboratory space, was sited in Durban as Kwazulu-Natal is at the epicentre of the TB and HIV epidemic. This means that any important discoveries are expected to have a direct spin-off in terms of local treatment, but also globally.
Elga Lab Water and their local agent Labotec are proud to be associated with K-RITH as their primary suppliers of water. In the newly built state-of-art seven floor building, twelve Elga units have been installed by Labotec to ensure that Type I, Type II and Type III water is readily available for researchers on any level needed. Dr. Mike Smith, Laboratory Support Manager at K-RITH said “ K-RITH chose the Elga water on the basis of competitive pricing, and the fact that Elga has a long history in water purification. Veolia too, are internationally recognised leaders in the field of water systems. We are pleased that a company with a track record like Labotec, will be servicing our specialist water requirements”
The applications of K-RITH for pure, ultra-pure and general grade water ranges from sample dilution, media preparation, feed to dishwashers, immunocytochemistry, mammalian cell culture and tissue culture to name a few. For instance, the new award winning PureLab Flex 3 design is used for producing Type I water for tissue culture. The Elga Option Q7 along with a 40 litre tank supplies Type 3 water to Laboratory Glassware Washers, and the Option Q15 and 115 litre tank supplies the general lab water on each floor. Water is a common reagent for research and testing applications, and accurate consistent results are paramount to the success of the work to be done.
