Through one of the largest studies yet of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and their brothers, sisters, and children, researchers at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville have found strong evidence that genes other than the well-known susceptibility risk factor APOE4 influence who is at risk for developing the neurodegenerative disease later in life. Studying 25 multigenerational families of…
Sample Prep
An automated solution for molecular biology laboratories faced with preparing media for DNA cloning has been announced by Integra Biosciences. Using the combination of the Mediajet Automated Petri dish pourer together with the Tubefiller accessory, Integra Biosciences is able to offer an integrated automated solution that satisfies all the media preparation needs of molecular biology…
Biomarker Validation
BioServe introduced ControlMATCH, a new line of fully annotated control DNA and serum samples designed to help biomedical researchers efficiently validate new biomarkers and early-stage clinical trial drug candidates. Leveraging BioServe’s Global Repository of 600,000 human biological samples, ControlMATCH allows researchers to select and match control samples to the specific needs of their own DNA…
Customized Microarray Design
Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) has launched the Oligome, a comprehensive database of more than 10 million oligonucleotide probes designed to the latest release of the human genome. This resource makes it possible to provide custom-designed oligonucleotide arrays for array-based comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) on request. As part of the free design service, scientists can provide…
Tools of the Trade
Enhanced appreciation of cancer epigenetics fuels the demand for DNA methylation assays. In recent years, a paradigm shift has occurred in the field of cancer research. Scientists can no longer consider only genetic changes linked with cancer. Epigenetic changes, or heritable alterations in gene function that do not affect DNA sequence, are rapidly gaining acceptance…
It’s Your Call
Powerful algorithms reduce noise and improve accuracy in ever-more important SNP genotype calling programs. Question: How do humans learn to complete a task? Quick answer: We follow instructions. And how do computers learn how to complete a task? The answer’s simple. Computers follow a series of detailed instructions called an algorithm to complete a task.…
To Automate or Not to Automate?
An automated method for spotting samples onto a MALDI plate was developed on Beckman Coulter’s Biomek 3000 Laboratory Automation Workstation. (Source: Beckman Coulter, Inc.) Lab Automation Supplement Knowing your needs—and what works—provides the answer for your proteomics lab. Proteins are very complex in nature. Analyzing and characterizing them can get even more complicated. Proteins involve…
Receptor Protein Key in Kidney Filtration Breakdown
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have identified a new molecular pathway that appears to be involved in urinary protein loss (proteinuria). This early-stage kidney disease affects 100 million people around the world and is caused by a breakdown in the kidney’s filtering structures. Blocking this pathway could be a treatment for the condition and might…
Genetic Mutation Promotes Hardening of the Arteries
A genetic mutation expands lesions in the aorta and promotes coronary atherosclerosis, more commonly known as hardening of the arteries, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine in Cell Metabolism. The researchers found that mice engineered without the Akt1 gene and fed a high cholesterol diet had many more signs of aortic atherosclerosis…
Protein-Dependent ‘Switch’ Regulates Intracellular Trafficking in Epithelial Cells
With findings highlighted in Developmental Cell, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have shed important new light on key trafficking mechanisms within epithelial cells. Epithelial cells line the outside of nearly all organs. Specifically, the team has discovered a molecular “switch” in developed epithelial cells that selects from a large family…
On the Defense
Functional genomics finds a new home in forensics and biodefense, so it’s not just for basic research and drug discovery anymore. click to enlarge Biological systems defined as networks: Examples of different graphical representations. (Source: Francisco Azuaje, PhD) Like the Thanksgiving smörgåsbord on grandma’s dining room table this year, the mega-field of functional genomics…
Genetic Markers Trace Meat from Farm to Fork
Scientists at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, have developed and validated an identity test that can be used to confirm the breed and origin of meat from farm animals. The test uses a number of specific genetic markers to identify individual animals, providing complete meat traceability and ensuring protection for consumers. The findings are…
Out with the Old?
Researchers still using 2D-PAGE prove that you can teach an old dog new tricks by improving this powerful technology. click to enlarge Illustrated here is a gradient gel cast using a2DEoptimizer. (Source: Novartis Pharmaceuticals) Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) is a reliable technique with a proven track record for identification and qualitative analysis of proteins.…
Small RNA Plays Parallel Roles in Bacterial Metabolism
A team from the University of Illinois has identified the unique metabolic activities of a 200-nucleotide-long RNA molecule in bacteria called SgrS. This molecule is one of about 80 known small RNAs common to many bacteria. It got its name for its role in sugar metabolism (SgrS is an acronym for sugar-related stress). When a…
Cuvettes
C Technologies, Inc.’s Solo-VPE variable pathlength extension enables UV/Vis measurements of varying solution concentrations without the need for dilutions. The closed loop system dynamically changes the measurement pathlength based upon user-specified thresholds and criteria. The device automatically adjusts the optical pathlength from 0.010mm to 20mm in 5µm increments, allowing the user to determine the peak…
Genomics Tool to Access Genetic Profiles of Patients
Students in Purdue University’s (West Lafayette, Ind.) Department of Computer and Information Technology are working to develop an information-management tool that could give pharmacists instant access to patients’ genetic profile, making it possible to quickly determine the proper medicine dosage or if the drug cannot be tolerated by the patient. “Toxicity due to a person’s…
Transformed Human Cells Resemble Embryonic Stem Cells
Researchers in Japan and the US report that four factors, Oct3/4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4, can transform adult human skin cells into cells that resemble embryonic stem cells. The converted cells have many of the physical, growth, and genetic features typically found in embryonic stem cells and can differentiate to produce other tissue types, including…
Human Skin Cells Reprogrammed to Embryonic State
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers report the genetic reprogramming of human skin cells to create cells indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells. In addition to the scientific accomplishment, the findings could change the political and ethical landscape of stem cell biology as human embryos may no longer be needed to obtain the blank slate stem cells capable…
Protein Suppresses Allergic Response in Mice
A protein in mice known as RGS13 suppresses allergic reactions, including the severe, life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis, according to scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Because RGS13 is also a protein found in humans and is expressed in only a…
Viral Infection Affects Cell Stress Response
Viral infection disrupts the normal response of mammalian cells to outside deleterious forces, cleaving and inactivating a protein called G3BP that helps drive the formation of stress granules, which shelter the messenger RNAs that carry the code for protein formation, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Only recently have scientists begun to…
Scientists Create Primate Embryonic Stem Cells
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) Oregon National Primate Research Center have successfully derived embryonic stem cells by reprogramming of genetic material from skin cells while studying rhesus macaque monkeys. The breakthrough follows several previously unsuccessful attempts by the OHSU-based team and other scientific teams worldwide. The results of the work were released…
Changing Environment Organizes Genetic Structure
Rice University physicist and bioengineer Michael Deem believes a changing environment may organize the structure of genetic information itself. Deem’s research is available online and slated to appear in Physical Review Letters. “Our results suggest that the beautiful, intricate and interrelated structures observed in nature may be the generic result of evolution in a changing environment,” Deem…
Magnetic Immobilized Trypsin
Clontech’s new Mag-Trypsin (TPCK-trypsin immobilized on magnetic beads) allows trypsin to be removed from a protein digestion mixture using a magnetic separator after the reaction is complete. TPCK treatment prior to immobilization inhibits chymotrypsin activity without any effect on trypsin. Without TPCK treatment, chymotrypsin catalyzes the hydrolysis of peptide bonds adjacent to the carboxyl group…
Protein Interaction Array
Used with Bio-Rad’s ProteOn XPR36 system, the three ProteOn XPR36 sensor chips combine advanced surface chemistries with an alternate approach to surface chemistry activation to optimize ligand-binding activity. Each of the chips can conduct up to 36 biomolecular assay interactions simultaneously in one experiment. They provide reliable and real-time measurement of multiple protein-protein, protein-peptide, protein-small…
Life-threatening Gene Defect Located
A research team led by scientists at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston has identified a defective gene that affects vascular smooth-muscle cells in people who suffer from hereditary thoracic aortic disease, which can kill victims with little warning in the prime of their lives. The study, “Mutations in Smooth Muscle Alpha-Actin (ACTA2)…