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Getting cultured cells to 'do their job'—either to recreate in vivo function in an artificial setting or to churn out immense volumes of protein on command—requires both an understanding of the demands of cell physiology and the technology to meet those demands. Michael Eisenstein looks at contemporary solutions for culture conundrums.
They may be tiny, but microRNAs show strength in numbers and by exerting a surprising amount of influence over the expression of many genes. In the space of just a few years, the identification and analysis of microRNAs has become a boom industry, necessitating new tools and techniques suitable for such small targets. Michael Eisenstein reports.
More and more scientists now see advantages in automating some of their more repetitive or error-prone tasks. Michael Eisenstein takes a look at systems that are helping to bring robotics into the academic and clinical research laboratory.
Antibodies remain a favorite tool for both basic and clinical research, but investigators are always on the lookout for new and faster ways to obtain more effective reagents. Michael Eisenstein takes a look at current strategies for building a better antibody.
A new generation of fluorescent reagents offers researchers unprecedented visual access to the inner workings of cells—and even live animals. Michael Eisenstein examines the latest tools for live-cell and in vivo optical imaging.
The main application of microarrays is gene expression analysis, but other uses for these arrays continue to grow in popularity. Laura Bonetta reports on the use of this technology to analyze other entities, from carbohydrates to tissue samples.
If you want to silence a single gene with relative ease, look no further than RNA interference (RNAi). Fast becoming the knockdown method of choice in many systems, RNAi reagents such as commercial small inhibitory RNAs (siRNAs) and specialized media are now widely available to streamline your work. Caitlin Smith sizes up some of the new tools available for RNAi.
Analysis of gene expression is critical to understanding the molecular underpinnings of normal and disease processes. Although in recent years the field has been flooded with microarray data, a multitude of non–array-based methods for studying the expression of genes are on the market. Laura Bonetta takes a look at them.
Proteins can be subjected to a wide variety of targeted post-translational modifications that will considerably modulate their function. Fortunately, several new technologies have emerged to assist in identification and analysis of these modifications, shedding new light on an important layer of proteomic complexity. Caitlin Smith reports.
Directly or indirectly, most cell biologists study cell signaling, a field whose complexity has grown geometrically with recent advances in molecular biology. Combining refinements of older techniques with innovative new methods can help researchers traverse this rapidly expanding field. Alan Dove reports.
Automation has increased the speed of DNA sequencing by established methods by several orders of magnitude. Now, commercial and academic efforts to develop alternative sequencing technologies are trying to push the envelope even further. Laura Bonetta reports.
