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Sanger Sequencing

The first DNA sequencing method was developed by Frederick Sanger in 1977. The technique was based on incorporation of chain-terminating dideoxynucleotides by DNA polymerase while replicating DNA.

5 Sep 2017

Shotgun Sequencing

Shotgun sequencing is the method used to sequence the human genome by Criag Venter at Celera Genomics.

5 Sep 2017

Raman Spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy is a form of vibrational spectroscopy that is used to observe changes in a molecule; these may be rotational, vibrational or some other form.

5 Sep 2017

Modern instrumental chemical analysis employs a variety of techniques. Fluorescence spectroscopy is one of these methods and is based on the principle of excitation and emission of characteristic radiation by the analyte. This emission is then examined and the energies and relative intensities of the various parts of the spectrum tell the researcher both the types of molecules present and their concentration and absolute amount.

5 Sep 2017

Picosecond Absorption Spectroscopy

Absorption spectroscopy is one of the many techniques that utilize spectroscopic principles to study components of a mixture of substances. These are used to measure the absorption of radiation following interaction with a sample of the substance under study, which depends upon the frequency or wavelength of the radiated energy.

5 Sep 2017

Introduction to Optogenetics

Optogenetics is a technique used for the study of neural circuits in the brain. It is a branch of biotechnology that combines genetics and optical techniques to conceive and control a specific neural circuit in a living human brain.

31 Aug 2017

Metabolomics in Plants

Metabolomic studies in plants help to understand plant biology and physiology from the perspective of small chemical molecules. The role of metabolomics has found its way in plant biotechnology, transgenic research, improved tolerance to stress, and plant breeding.

29 Aug 2017

Why Cryo-EM is Gaining Popularity in Structural Biology

Cryo-electron microscopy, also known as Cryo-EM, is a technique for visualizing macromolecular structures which has been developed over the last two decades. It is a form of transmission electron microscopy which permits samples to be studied at cryogenic temperatures.

11 Aug 2017

Environmental Metabolomics

Environmental metabolomics helps to study the impact on organisms when exposed to environmental stress such as pollution, changes in climate, infection, or a combination of these stressors. Environmental metabolomics, which encompasses plants and animals, both terrestrial and aquatic, and humans, assists us in monitoring the environment and assessing the risks involved in the ecology.

10 Aug 2017

Targeted Metabolomics

Metabolome can be described as the terminal output of the genome that comprises the overall complement of metabolites (molecules with low molecular weight) in an organism or cell. The technique of measuring molecules is divided into two groups: targeted metabolomics and untargeted metabolomics.

8 Aug 2017

High-throughput DNA Sequencing Techniques

Full genomes of several organisms have been sequenced in the past fifteen years, including the human genome in 2004. These studies were completed using Sanger DNA sequencing, which has a limited throughput and high cost meaning the human genome took fifteen years to sequence and cost nearly three billion dollars

7 Aug 2017

Sample Preparation for Fluorescence Microscopy

Fluorescence Microscopy allows specimens to be studied with high sensitivity and specificity through the use of light. It works on the principle that energy emitted by certain types of materials can be detected as light, if irradiated with the light of a specific wavelength

2 Aug 2017

History of the Electron Microscope

The history of the electron microscope dates back to early twentieth century when the first electromagnetic lens was developed. This opened the door of possibility to use the principles of the lens to invent a microscope that could examine the structure of samples with greater detail.

27 Jul 2017

Advances in Metabolomics Research

Research in metabolomics is paving the way for advances in many fields such as plant engineering, crop protection, development of new pesticides, aquaculture—the environment as a whole. At present, metabolomics aid decision making in the discovery of biomarkers

25 Jul 2017

Pharmaceutical Applications of Supercritical Fluid Chromatography

Although supercritical fluids were used as eluents for chromatographic separations in 1962, the term supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) was first used only five years later. Since then, the technique has come a long way, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry

24 Jul 2017

What is Scanning Probe Microscopy?

Scanning probe microscopy is used to create images of nanoscale surfaces and structures or manipulate atoms to move them in specific patterns. It involves a physical probe that scans over the surface of a specimen gathering data that is used to generate the image or manipulate the atoms.

19 Jul 2017

Advances in Proteomics

Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins expressed by an organism or biological system. It is used to test how proteins are expressed and modified, as well as their function in a particular biological pathway.

18 Jul 2017

RNA Sequencing

If DNA is the fundamental code of the genome, RNA is the message. Genes are made active through the process of transcribing the code into RNA, and then translating RNA into DNA. This is known as the central dogma of molecular biology.

10 Jul 2017

Non-Targeted Metabolomics

The non-targeted metabolomics approach aims to study both known and unknown metabolites. To comprehend the huge chunks of data this may yield, one must couple it with advanced chemometric methods such as multivariate analysis, so that these can be grouped into smaller manageable chunks. The latter may then be studied further either with computer simulation or by experimental investigation, using analytical methods of measurement. This approach can help us discover new target analytes, limited only by the sensitivity and specificity of the techniques used.

6 Jul 2017

Applications of Electron Microscopy

Electron microscopy has a diverse range of applications in practice. The ability to view the microscopic structure of a specimen at a higher resolution than what is possible with optical microscopy gives it a distinct role in scientific research and industry applications. Several of these applications are covered in more detail below.

5 Jul 2017