Articles
Automated Liquid Handling to Maximize Workflow Efficiency in Molecular Biology
March 1, 2024 10:01 am | by Wendy Gaisford, Science Writer, TTP Labtech | CommentsAutomated liquid handling instruments are essential component for a wide range of high throughput screening laboratories encompassing disciplines such as biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology, medicinal chemistry, and crystallography. Such automated pipetting instruments allow increased throughput and efficiency, eliminating tedium and the potential for error associated with manual pipetting.
Clearing Out Problem Proteins
February 26, 2024 10:40 am | by Skip Derra | CommentsTreatments for Alzheimer’s disease have eluded researchers for decades. A major reason for this is because researchers have not pinned down a clear mechanism for the disease. Without knowing what causes Alzheimer’s, researchers have not been successful in developing effective treatment regimens to combat it.
Easing the Use of Electron Microscopy
February 19, 2024 10:59 am | by Mike May, PhD | CommentsElectron microscopy—both scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM)—can be used by an increasing number of life scientists. Simpler sample preparation and enhanced interfaces bring this technology to new users. To explore the new technologies in this realm of imaging, this article talks with experts from Carl Zeiss, FEI, and JEOL.
Next Generation Energy Saving Fume Hood Technology
February 12, 2024 10:54 am | by Karl Aveard, LEED AP, Erlab | CommentsThe laboratory design community has long recognized the chemical fume hood as the researcher’s first line of defense against toxic vapors generated during their day to day lab procedures. However, as much as it is a defender of the laboratory technician’s health and safety, the unwanted side effect of polluting the atmosphere and wasting huge amounts of energy plagued the industry until just a few short years ago.
A Deeper Look at PRAS Media: Best Practices to Isolate and Grow Anaerobes Faster and More Reliably
January 28, 2024 1:27 pm | by Oxyrase Inc. | CommentsThe demanding task of isolating and growing anaerobe microorganisms has become simplified and more accurate with the development of commercial PRAS media. While PRAS plates involve a slightly higher out-of-pocket expense, that cost is often dramatically outweighed by the benefits.
Cultivation of a PER.C6 EpCAM Cell line in CDM4PERMab Powder Medium Reconstituted with Arium pro UF Water
January 23, 2024 2:33 pm | by Anil Kumar Rathod, Sheokant Diwakar & Dr. Ashok Mundrigi, Sartorius Stedim India; Dr. Elmar Herbig, Sartorius | CommentsWater is a major component of all cell culture media and is therefore needed to prepare media, buffers, and additives, and as well as to serve many ancillary functions, such as heating, cooling, cleaning and rinsing. Thus, water quality plays an important role in the outcome of cell culture experiments.
Turning Back the Evolutionary Clock
January 21, 2024 1:30 pm | by Skip Derra | CommentsJohn Chaput and his research team are developing new exotic molecules called XNA, that are alternatives to natural DNA and RNA. The team is determining whether XNA contributed to the rise of life on Earth. At the same time, the team also is evolving XNA molecules with functions that could be used to diagnose and treat human diseases.
Better Features for Biobanks
January 16, 2024 1:33 pm | by Mike May, PhD | CommentsCollecting specimens in biobanks provides little value unless the samples can be easily used. As Mark A Collins, PhD, director of marketing at BioFortis, says, “People have invested a lot of money in biobanks and the specimens in them. Now, they are looking to best leverage those specimens to drive clinical research, personalized medicine and clinical trials.”
Best Practices: A Revolution in Drug Titration
January 14, 2024 1:34 pm | by Tecan Trading AG | CommentsFast and accurate determination of a candidate compound’s IC50 or EC50 provides drug discovery biologists with valuable information for the development of new pharmaceuticals, yet traditional techniques are both time-consuming and laborious. For what might be considered a standard protocol, there is also a surprising amount of diversity in how these titrations are performed.
Infect to Protect
January 10, 2024 1:16 pm | by Skip Derra | CommentsRoy Curtiss wants to vaccinate children and animals alike in the far regions of the world from the most basic scourges of the Earth—typhoid fever, pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis. But to do that, he must get them to swallow Salmonella-laced liquids.
Advancing Oncology Research: Novel Assays for Epigenetics Drug Discovery
January 7, 2024 11:38 am | by David Titus, PhD and Eric Morreale PhD, Life Sciences and Technology, PerkinElmer | CommentsEpigenetics research has expanded rapidly over the last several years, as evidenced by the exponential increase in published literature in this field. Breakthroughs have been made in the elucidation of basic epigenetic mechanisms such as histone modification, and with these advances have come an understanding of the critical role epigenetic modifications play in the development and progression of cancer.
Exploring More Applications of Capillary Electrophoresis
September 5, 2024 7:41 am | by Mike May | CommentsIn separating ions, capillary electrophoresis (CE) works just as the name suggests, using a capillary. The less obvious side of this technology revolves around its expanding use.
Personal Protection
August 31, 2024 8:24 am | by Mike May | CommentsItems from eyewear to respirators and even organizational skills can keep scientists safer.
Will Epigenetics Help Overcome Cisplatin Resistance in Ovarian Cancer?
March 29, 2024 12:24 pm | by Nicole Kelesoglu | CommentsEpigenetics researchers apply sophisticated techniques and rational multidimensional analyses to discover biomarkers for ovarian cancer.
Plugging In
November 21, 2023 10:20 am | by Alan Dove, PhD | CommentsBrain-machine interfaces grow up.
