Technology Features in 2009

They are the quintessential drug target—but the dynamic structures and highly elaborate mechanisms of G protein–coupled receptors continue to keep experts in both industry and academia on their toes.

Antibodies, the molecular workhorses of protein research, have traditionally been one of the most difficult reagents to procure. Using innovative new technologies, though, a burgeoning antibody production industry is turning these molecules into commodities.

Neuroscientists are taking advantage of powerful new tools for fluorescence imaging that enable detailed visualization of the structure and activity of neuronal circuits within the living brain.

Although many intricate microfluidic devices have been created in academic laboratories around the world, far fewer have been commercialized for wider use. But several efforts are underway to bridge this divide.

With the realization that cells interact extensively with their surrounding microenvironments during growth and development, the challenge for researchers has become designing three-dimensional culture systems that more closely mimic those relationships.

Next-generation sequencing has made decoding entire genomes cheaper and faster. But what about those researchers who only want to sequence a small section of a genome or focus on a couple thousand specific exons? A wave of new technologies has recently emerged that should help these scientists target their sequencing efforts to sequences of interest.

In a short period of time, in vivo molecular imaging systems have become indispensable research tools in many clinical and basic research laboratories. But developers are now pushing the technology further in the hopes of making a new generation of platforms with greater accuracy and sensitivity for a wider array of applications.

Surface plasmon resonance sensing has entered the next phase of development as researchers advance array-based applications using the technique. Could these new approaches change the way scientists explore protein interactions?

From high-throughput electroporation platforms capable of transfecting thousands of different cells in a day, to nanowires that puncture and deliver DNA to just a single cell, new technology is emerging to help researchers with their changing gene delivery needs.

Small RNA discovery and profiling efforts are dramatically reshaping fundamental concepts of how genes are regulated and are leading to new tools for studying gene function.

Biobanking is gaining momentum as more and more patient samples and clinical information are being stored in facilities around the globe. New technology is helping everyone—from national efforts to smaller research laboratories—to process and track their biospecimen collections.

Some researchers say an eighty-year-old statistical method can make setting up and analyzing high-throughput screens and large-scale experiments faster and more efficient. So why are more biologists not flocking to use this tool?