ArticlesFeatured StoriesGeneral Interest

CRISPR: The Hopes, the Fears, and the Biology

Few discoveries have changed the pace of discovery and the types of questions we can ask as drastically and quickly as CRISPR-based genome editing. But where did CRISPR come from? How was it adapted to become such a game-changing genome editing tool? And why are some of its greatest proponents alarmed?
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ArticlesFeatured StoriesGeneral Interest

The Youth Factor: It’s in Your Blood

Finding ways to slow or reverse aging intrigues scientists and non-scientists alike. In recent studies, merging the circulatory systems of young and old mice rejuvenated skeletal muscle, brain, and cardiac cells, indicating the presence of a systemic “anti-aging factor” initially thought to be growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11). However, a recent publication showed that GDF11 actually promotes aging, emphasizing the need for further integrative analysis of the aging process.
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ArticlesFeatured StoriesGeneral InterestResearch Highlights

Next Generation Computers: Transforming Cells into Autonomous Computing Devices

What do computers and cells have in common? Can cells function as computers or recording devices? Can a bacterial computer be built? Synthetic biologists have recently developed a platform called SCRIBE (Synthetic Cellular Recorders Integrating Biological Events) to convert genomic DNA into a “tape” for recording and memorizing information. This article explores many interesting aspects of autonomous cellular memory and the potential applications of such living computational systems.
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ArticlesCustomer StoriesFeatured StoriesReal-time qPCR/PCR

Too Many Questions, Too Little Sample: Developing a Real-Time PCR Workflow for Monitoring Gene Expression in Limited Samples

Traditional real-time PCR workflows often limit the number of genes that can be studied, especially when sample amounts are small. A new workflow now allows Mark Kibschull of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in Toronto to track the expression of hundreds of genes using a fraction of the starting material required by traditional methods.
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ArticlesFeatured StoriesGeneral Interest

Bioradiations Looks Back: 50 Years as Bio-Rad’s Life Science Resource

Bioradiations, Bio-Rad’s technical resource for life science research, sent out its first issue in 1965. How did this publication evolve in the years that followed? Take a look in our archives and find out!
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ArticlesCell BiologyCustomer StoriesFeatured Stories

Investigating Cancer Stem Cells with the S3™ Cell Sorter

The Cancer Stem Cell model proposes that a special group of dormant cells in the cancer population plays a key role in tumor development and growth, as well as regeneration following treatment. Find out how researchers Stacy Blain and Danielle Joseph are using the S3 Cell Sorter in studying potential cancer stem cells for multiple myeloma.
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ArticlesFeatured StoriesGeneral Interest

Top Stories of 2014 — Bioradiations Year in Review

Bioradiations.com, the online technical resource for Bio-Rad customers, has been offering a variety of research tips, customer stories, articles of general interest, and in-depth technical reports throughout the year. We also started a special Bench Partner Video Series, providing quick solutions and ideas for possible problems. Here are the highlights of what we presented in the year 2014.
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ArticlesFeatured StoriesGeneral Interest

The Brain’s GPS — Unraveling the Functioning of Our Navigation System

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to three neuroscientists for their contribution in elucidating the “GPS of the brain”. Explore how this positioning system was deciphered, what the individual components of this system are, and how they integrate together to help us in our spatial memory and navigation.
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ArticlesCustomer StoriesElectrophoresis/Western BlottingFeatured Stories

Telling the Story of Western Blots with the ChemiDoc Touch Imaging System

For a long time X-ray film has been the standard for imaging western blots, but this method has its limitations. Find out how 3 researchers are using the digital tools offered by the new ChemiDoc Touch Imaging System to beat these limitations and improve their blot images.
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ArticlesCustomer StoriesDroplet Digital PCR (ddPCR)Featured Stories

Transforming Cancer Research: Droplet Digital PCR Plays Integral Role at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Droplet Digital PCR has major implications for cancer studies, where the ability to accurately measure biomarkers may result in important insights into cancer genesis and progression. Find out about new findings on micro RNA and Tumor Infilitrating Lymphocytes made possible by ddPCR technology.
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