Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a well-established and important screening tool in the small molecule drug discovery workflow. Using the Bio-Rad SPR system ProteOn XPR36, rapid optimization of immobilization conditions for a kinase target was carried out in a fast workflow with a single sensor chip, showing the high performance of the ProteOn XPR36 system.

Pathway analysis is an efficient approach for studying a large number of related gene targets in a single experiment. Bio-Rad Laboratories and Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of system biology tools, have partnered to provide predesigned pathway panels for gene expression analyses using real-time qPCR. This tech report describes how Bio-Rad’s PrimePCR™ pathway panels were curated and designed using a ranking strategy developed by Thomson Reuters.

The MIQE guidelines have set a new standard for publishing qPCR results to ensure integrity in the scientific literature and increase experimental transparency. One of the key guidelines focuses on the proper design and experimental validation of primer assays used in qPCR. This tech report describes the design and wet-lab validation of PrimePCR assays and how they comply with the MIQE guidelines.

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.

Hexapeptide libraries, such as Bio-Rad's ProteoMiner™ protein enrichment technology, 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 — a phenomenon described as dynamic range compression. Currently, hexapeptide libraries have been mostly used to increase proteomic detection in fluid samples (eg: saliva, plasma, etc.), but not in cellular lysates.

The genes coding for membrane proteins, such as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR), ion channels, and other membrane-bound enzymes make up 25–30% of the human genome and membrane proteins are estimated to represent 30–40% of the top drug targets. There is growing research, industrial, and commercial interest in the study of membrane proteins in general, and more specifically in immobilizing membrane proteins to various biosensor surfaces.

This tech report shows how qPCR can lead to erroneous conclusions regarding 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.

This tech report compares in-gel and off-gel separation of proteins in terms of overall speed and simplicity of the workflow, resolution of the separation, and depth of proteome coverage provided. Results found that as well as higher peptide yields, in-gel separations were better suited to take full advantage of downstream analysis methods.

This tech report demonstrates the advantages of independently controlled voltage and current parameters for each focusing tray in optimizing IEF conditions for a complex, insoluble membrane protein fraction.

This report demonstrates that the TC10 automated cell counter is a suitable alternative to the Coulter Counter and hemocytometer for the preparation of custom Bio-Plex assays.