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 Featured Story Novel V3 Western Workflow™

Revolutionizes Protein ResearchAlthough 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).
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Featured Story Third Generation PCR: Measuring

Copy Number Variations in the

Human GenomeFor Dr Steve McCarroll's laboratory at Harvard Medical School, being able to analyze how the copy number of a genomic sequence varies within a population, what parts of the world it varies in, and how its variation relates to other genetic variation in that region of the genome is crucial. And the QX100™ Droplet Digital™ PCR lets him accomplish that, for the first time.
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Featured Story Around the World with the

ChemiDoc MP Imaging System One Imaging System Eliminates Several Western Blotting Pain PointsBio-Rad has long demonstrated innovation in imaging. Here is a story of three researchers from different parts of the world on how the new ChemiDoc MP imaging system solved their pain points in western blotting.
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AnnouncementsFocus on the Biology — Bio-Rad's New Bio-Plex Data Pro™ Software Simplifies Multiplex Data AnalysisMany 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. Read More
 
Campus Source Reduction Programs Bolster Environmental Savings: Sustainability Part ThreeReducing waste is sovereign for the health of our planet. Source reduction efforts on the Bio-Rad campus are part of an ongoing effort to build green practices into our corporate culture. In honor of Earth Day 2012, various Bio-Rad divisions share green success stories. Read More
 
A New Paradigm for Precise Quantitation of RNAThe new one-step RT-ddPCR kit for probes combines traditional reverse transcription with the new droplet digital PCR technology, so you can get absolute — rather than relative — quantification of your target molecules. Read More
 
New Multiplex Assays for Th17 Cytokine ResearchThe new Bio-Plex Pro™ human Th17 assays can be used to measure several human target biomarkers that are involved in the T-helper cell type 17 immune response pathway. Read More
 
In The Field
Novel HRM Assays Expedite Drug Resistance Surveillance for Leprosy ResearchLeprosy is an infectious disease of the skin and nerves caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Resistance to antimicrobial drugs evolves out of genetic mutations in the pathogen. New high resolution melt (HRM) assays — developed in Dr. Vissa's lab with the help of Bio-Rad specialists — offer leprosy researchers a faster, more economical method to survey resistance in drug target genes. Read More
Bio-Plex® System in Korea — Seeking to Improve Outcomes for Cancer Patients"Using the Bio-Plex system allows us to obtain results easily within a short amount of time," says Dr Hunseok Lee of Seoul National University, while explaining why he chose the Bio-Plex system. "Because we measure ten cytokines at a time, the number of plates needed for ELISA experimentation would be ten times more. Summarizing and analyzing these results would be very difficult if not impossible." Read More
 
Tips and TechniquesTransitioning from Chemiluminescent to Multiplex Fluorescent Blotting: Things to ConsiderToday many researchers are switching from chemiluminescence to multiplex fluorescence for western blot detection. Fluorescent detection allows users to multiplex their western blots, enabling simultaneous detection of several target proteins at once, reducing or eliminating the need to strip and re-probe. Here are some considerations while making that transition.
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Guidelines for Developing Robust and Reproducible High-Resolution Melt Analysis AssaysHigh resolution melt (HRM) analysis is the quantitative analysis of the melt curve of a DNA fragment following amplification by PCR requiring only a real-time PCR detection system and HRM-dedicated software. Guidelines are provided to assist with assay design essential for robust and reproducible results.
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Using the Precision Plus Protein™ WesternC™ Standard as a QC Tool at Key Steps in the Electrophoresis and Blotting WorkflowBio-Rad's Precision Plus Protein WesternC standard enables efficient monitoring of all key electrophoresis and blotting steps, allowing quality control checkpoints throughout the workflow. Tips for troubleshooting chemiluminescence blot detection are discussed.
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SolutionsGel Doc™ EZ Imaging System — A Tale of Speed and Simplicity in Two CitiesTwo independent research groups discuss how Bio-Rad's Gel Doc EZ imaging system has become an important tool in their research labs. Speed and versatility of imaging and analysis are among the system's most valuable attributes.
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Unlocking the Potential of Stem Cell Research Using the EpiQ™ Chromatin Analysis Kit Researchers in the Schaffer labs at the University of California Berkeley have found the EpiQ chromatin analysis kit to be a novel tool that allows them to rapidly and efficiently study cellular programming of genes important in stem cell function.
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Targeting Suppression of B-Cell Lymphoma ProliferationFaced with challenging electroporation of siRNAs into B cells while retaining cell viability, the Rossi group found Bio-Rad's Gene Pulser MXcell™ system to be a flexible platform that allowed them to perform multi-well analyses and test multiple conditions simultaneously.
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Technical ReportsMultiplex Analysis of Inflammatory Markers Using Bio-Plex Pro™ Human Th17 Cytokine AssaysThe 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. Read More
 
Application of Hexapeptide Libraries for Enhanced Protein Detection in Human Cellular LysatesHexapeptide libraries can significantly increase sensitivity of shotgun proteomics analyses of diverse complex samples. Underlying this increased sensitivity is the partial removal of high-abundance proteins leading to an increased representation of low-abundance proteins. Currently, these libraries are mostly used to increase proteomic detection in fluid samples, but not in cellular lysates. This tech report explains how the technology can be extended to cell lysates. Read More
 
Highly Efficient Lipoparticle Capture and SPR Binding Kinetics of a Membrane Protein Using the ProteOn™ XPR36 Protein Interaction Array SystemSurface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a label-free technique that provides real-time data on the affinity, specificity, and kinetics of biomolecular interactions. Methods describing the use of SPR to study protein-protein interactions of membrane proteins are not readily available. This study describes an efficient method to obtain kinetic analysis of membrane proteins using the ProteOn™ sensor chip after their incorporation into lipoparticles. Read More
 
A MIQE Case Study — Effect of RNA Sample Quality and Reference Gene Stability on Gene Expression DataThis tech report shows how qPCR can lead to erroneous conclusions reagarding differences in MCM7 gene expression between normal and tumor human breast cancer samples if the key steps set out in the MIQE guidelines are not followed. Read More
 
Product SpotlightA Simple Method for Obtaining Absolute Quantification of DNA Molecules using the Innovative Droplet Digital PCR TechnologyDroplet digital PCR, the third generation of PCR technology, is ideal for measuring copy number variation, detecting mutations and rare sequences, by quantifying absolute measures of target DNA molecules. With its simple, elegant workflow, this novel technology is the future of PCR. Read More

Using the new PROTEAN® i12™ IEF System to Achieve Highly Reproducible Data and Extended Separation Over Multiple pH Ranges in a Single RunRead More

Nuvia™ S Media — A High-Capacity Cation Exchanger for Biomolecule Purification and Downstream Processing Read More
 
Research Applications for the EpiQ™ Chromatin Analysis KitRead More
 
All cDNA Synthesis Kits Are Not Created Equal: RNaseA Inhibition and Its Effect on qPCR Data Read More

In Every Issue

To Our Readers

Welcome to BioRadiations! This month we present a feature story on our new western blotting workflow, as well as articles on our new optimized assays for human Th17 biomarkers and our newly-released software for simplified multiplex analysis. Follow the links below to go directly to the specific articles that interest you.

New this month:

V3 Western Workflow™: Find out from our feature story how the new V3 Western Workflow has changed the way a researcher at Harvard Medical School does western blotting. Read More
Biomarker Research: Measuring human T-helper cell pathway biomarkers involved in inflammation is now possible with optimized Bio-Plex Pro™ human Th17 cytokine assays. Read More
Simplified multiplex analysis: See how the newly-released Bio-Plex Data Pro™ software simplifies visualization and analysis of your complex multiplex data. Read More

While western blotting is carried out as a routine affair in most labs, for the most part, this procedure is a black box until the final step.