Articles

Analyzing antibody binding to histidine-tagged proteins is not always easy because of inherent problems such as nonspecific binding and loss of analyte response associated with these tagged proteins. Optimization of these factors is key to precisely measuring the binding kinetics of these proteins.

Although the Western blot is a core lab procedure, surprisingly little has changed in traditional bench work practice since its inception in 1979. The V3 Western Workflow delivers a streamlined solution to the conventional western blotting workflow as explored here by one protein researcher specializing in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Many instruments offer multiplexing capability for biomarker measurements. But to handle and make sense of the huge amount of multiplex data requires sophisticated software like Bio-Plex Data Pro, which simplifies organization, import, sorting and visualization of data, and performing calculations and statistical analyses.

The T-helper cell (Th17) pathway has been implicated in several autoimmune diseases and in cancer. New magnetic bead–based assays have been developed for several biomarkers in this pathway. The performance characteristics of these assays are evaluated from data on intra- and inter-assay precision, standard curve recovery, cross reactivity, and linearity of dilution.

The significant drop in leprosy worldwide is attributed to the development of antimicrobial multidrug therapy (MDT). Resistance to rifampicin — the backbone of MDT treatment — has appeared. Controlling leprosy transmission requires routine surveillance for mutations in the drug target genes before, during, and after the course of treatment. New high resolution melt (HRM) assays offer leprosy researchers a faster, more economical method to investigate resistance targets.

Practicing source reduction — simply creating less waste — helps industries decrease raw material use. Despite improvements in global recycling since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, the amount of generated waste has increased substantially. Bio-Rad recognizes that source reduction is essential for conserving natural resources. Highlighted here are several source reduction projects from the Bio-Rad campus in recognition of Earth Day 2012 that complement our mission to provide high-quality products to advance scientific discovery globally.

Droplet digital PCR is considered the third generation of PCR technology. This technology enables the quantification of absolute measure of target DNA molecules, rather than the relative measure obtained from real-time PCR. Absolute quantification is advantageous in several applications, such as measuring copy number variation, detecting rare sequences and mutations, and analyzing gene expression.

California, with its abundance of sunshine, has a long history of support for solar energy. For Bio-Rad — headquartered in Hercules, California — solar power made business and environmental sense when considering clean energy alternatives. Bio-Rad’s solar project has proved to be a step in the right direction, mitigating the environmental impact of the company’s energy use, now and in the years to come.

Bio-Rad recognizes that reducing shipping associated with consumer products is a direct opportunity to slow greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. Bio-Rad supply centers consolidate shipping and packaging. Small steps collectively lead to big change. This is the first installation in a three-part series on sustainable practices developed on the Bio-Rad campus.

Dr Hunseok Lee has known since childhood that he wanted to grow up to become a scientist. “You get to wear white gowns, look through a microscope at various substances so small they can’t be seen by the naked eye — those things were very attractive to me when I was young,” says Lee. But the realities of putting research into practice and translating ideas into experiments have proven far more strenuous than the young Lee anticipated.