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Capillary Electrophoresis

Although it may seem intricate at a first glance, capillary electrophoresis is an instrumental technique with very simple principles. Minute capillaries are used for the electro-kinetic separation of analytes in an electrolyte solution under the influence of a given electric field.

24 Mar 2016

Introduction to the Coulter Principle

The Coulter Principle is the reference method for studying particle size and dynamics, which is based on measurable variations in electrical impedance that is produced by non-conductive particles in an electrolyte solution. Today it is also used as limit test for particulate matter in parenteral solutions of large volumes.

9 Mar 2016

Types of RNA Editing

RNA (ribonucleic acid) editing is a post-transcriptional alteration of RNA sequences and structures via modification, deletion or insertion of nucleotides. This process has been detected in eukaryotes ranging from single-celled protozoa to plants and mammals; as a result, functionally distinctive proteins can be processed from a single gene.

9 Mar 2016

Real-Time PCR: An Overview

Real-time PCR or quantitative PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is an advancement of the standard PCR technique, which enables continuous monitoring of the reaction and collection of data in real time. Using real-time PCR, reliable quantitative data regarding the amplified nucleic acids can be gathered easily and rapidly.

7 Mar 2016

History of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

The development of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been a major breakthrough in the scientific world. Over time, the technique has evolved beyond the confines of its simple initial design and has opened incredible avenues for researchers.

7 Mar 2016

Digital PCR and Traditional PCR: What’s the Difference?

First described in the 1990s, digital PCR is a novel approach to PCR which allows precise detection and quantification of the amount of nucleic acids formed during PCR.

6 Mar 2016

Polymerase Chain Reaction Applications

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has dramatically transformed scientific research and diagnostic medicine. Over the years, PCR has become an indispensable and integral part of clinical and diagnostic research. The PCR technique and its several advanced variants act as powerful tools which enable a multitude of specialized applications which were once deemed impossible by the scientific world.

6 Mar 2016

The Polymerase Chain Reaction

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a revolutionary laboratory technique that enables the replication of a specific DNA sequence. Using PCR, millions of copies of a target DNA can be easily synthesized within a short period of time.

6 Mar 2016

How Does CRISPR Compare to Other Gene-Editing Techniques?

Gene-editing techniques based on synthetic nucleases and transcription factors have enabled the targeted modification of gene sequence and expression. They have been used to directly targeted gene addition for therapeutic purposes, knock out genes associated with diseases and correct pathogenic mutations.

13 Jan 2016

CRISPR: The End for Zinc Fingers?

The past decade has brought rapid and significant innovations in genome-editing techniques. For the first time researchers have the opportunity to manipulate essentially any gene in a plethora of cells and organisms, using targeted nucleases that were designed for sequence-specific binding of the DNA.

13 Jan 2016

CRISPR: Ethical and Safety Concerns

CRISPR and Cas proteins have become a crucial tool for genetic manipulation in biomedical research and biotechnology, and the crux of its action is the recognition of specific sequences in the DNA and their subsequent cleavage from the chain. One specific system, CRISPR-Cas9, has become the standard for genetic editing, since it can be tailored to target any set of DNA sequences. Thus it is of no wonder that it caused an upheaval in biomedical field.

13 Jan 2016

CPISPR Applications

Regularly clustered, interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) represents a family of DNA repeats initially described in 1987 in an intergenic region in the E. coli K12 genome, which are often accompanied by CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas). The wide variety of CRISPR sequences found in the microbial world offers an opportunity to exploit them in various applications.

13 Jan 2016

What is CRISPR/Cas9?

In the late 1980s and mid-1990s, genomes of diverse lineages of bacteria and archaea (the latter representing a domain of single-celled prokaryotic microorganisms) revealed clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, known today under the abbreviation CRISPR. Later it was found that these repeat sequences (previously considered disparate) share a common set of features.

13 Jan 2016

2D and 3D Cell Culture Comparison

Cell culture systems are indispensable tools that are used in a wide range of basic and clinical in vitro research studies. The classically preferred model is a static dish culture system which mainly generates adherent two-dimensional (2D) cell monolayers.

13 Jan 2016

What is Neuroscience?

The term "neuroscience" refers to the scientific study of the nervous system. The word is derived from a combination of the words "neuron" meaning "nerve" and "science".

17 Jan 2014

What are Introns and Exons?

Introns and exons are parts of genes. Exons code for proteins, whereas introns do not. A great way to remember this is by considering introns as intervening sequences and exons as expressed sequences.

13 Nov 2012

DNA Methylation Detection

DNA methylation is one of the most important modifications in mammalian cells which plays an essential role in regulating growth of the cells and their proliferation. In humans, it refers to the addition of a methyl group at the 5-carbon position of cytosine (5-methylcytosine or 5 mC), which happens exclusively at symmetric CG sites on the DNA double helix – also termed CpG dinucleotides.

10 Apr 2011

DNA Methyltransferase Enzymes: DNMT1 to DNMT3

Global cytosine methylation patterns in mammals appear to be controlled by a complex interaction of DNA methyltransferases: DNMT1, DNMT2, DNMT3A and DNMT3B.

10 Apr 2011

What is DNA Methylation?

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism used by cells to control gene expression. A number of mechanisms exist to control gene expression in eukaryotes, but DNA methylation is a commonly used epigenetic signaling tool that can fix genes in the “off” position.

10 Apr 2011

What is Autophagy?

The word autophagy is derived from Greek words “auto” meaning self and “phagy” meaning eating. Autophagy is a normal physiological process in the body that deals with destruction of cells in the body.

31 Jan 2011