...aligns with your interests. We've outlined some important factors to consider and summarize helpful advice...featured in "9 Tips to Achieve Success in Academia". Important factors to consider when choosing a research project... project After joining a lab, the next important decision to make is “What project will I work on?” In...like? What will be the impact on your field? You want to choose a research question that people (especially...critically evaluated your plan? Have you read the relevant literature to understand where the field is today...how can you mitigate them? If you were to write a grant for this project, what would be your critical experiments...typically require a diverse set of skills. It is important to know who in the lab and/or what facilities ...

...immobilized on a reduced glutathione matrix. The advantage of a fusion protein is the efficient purification...of an already immobilized target protein. The disadvantage is that the GST moiety, which forms dimers, ...binding kinetics of the target ligand. Another important consideration is whether the affinity of an experimental...removal of the fusion protein could provide a more relevant kinetic analysis, but the trick is to utilize ...receptor and subsequently evaluated interactions with mutant and wild-type erythropoietin molecules. The in ...We are clearly NEB “fanboys” as the bacteria significantly enhance protein folding (tested using real science... rabbit (EMD, AB3596) and mouse (NEB, E8032S) antibodies against MBP are commercially available. Factor...

...Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. It is a good idea to take larger goals (e.g. Figure out what I want to do... the helpful accountability that is one major advantage of working with a mentor.The responsibility of...mentoring relationship really productive, the most important step you can take is to set goals to work on together...to help a Mentee reach goals. One of the most important contributions made by a Mentor is to help the ...graduate student – you get the idea. There are many advantages to being a Mentor: Learn other perspectives ...reap rewards if you put in the effort. If you you want more great advice on mentoring, click below to download...

...of Different Methods for Generating iPSCs. One important note: in this table, reprogramming efficiencies... to tumor formation in iPSC-derived and iPSC-transplanted mice. Cre-deletable or Tet-inducible lentiviruses... be used to package reprogramming factors. An important milestone of reprogramming is the silencing of...cells for the presence of transgenes is still an important control. Additionally, Sendai virus doesn’t rely...express the reprogramming factors of interest. The advantages of this method are that it’s relatively simple...removed.  Replicating oriP/Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1) based episomes: These plasmids carry ...substituting uridine with pseudouridine. The key advantage of using RNA to reprogram cells is that it’s simple...

... within tens of minutes (Cabantous et al., 2013). The Shu Lab took advantage of this and came up with ...signals are often difficult to detect, and thus quantify, due to small fluorescence changes of the donor...protease activity (To et al., 2016). However, the lab wanted to increase the fluorescence range to better study...on protease activation. Normally, β10-11 are antiparallel. To prevent binding, the β strands in FlipGFP...sequence, β10 and β11 can rearrange to their normal antiparallel position and fluoresce. FlipCherry: Red fluorescence...FlipGFP and FlipCherry at Addgene. References Cabantous, Stéphanie, et al. "A new protein-protein interaction...

...CRISPR/Cas9 could be used to edit several autosomal-dominant mutations that have been connected to the early...Chinese Academy of Sciences found that mice with a dominant mutation in a gene that causes cataracts could... Cas9 mRNA and a single-guide RNA targeting the mutant allele (7). An independent team led by Hans Clevers... chose to explore its potential in mice with a dominant cataract disorder caused by a single copy of a...of the cystic fibrosis report. “This is a big advantage over induced pluripotent stem cells, which need...and many others. “Those off-target effects are important,” she said. “We also really need to get a handle...optimization. In addition, the current work in developing anti-CRISPR proteins aid the limitation of these mutations...

...ideal for you. Here, we will chat about who might want to explore this role, how to seek out such an arrangement...them to a new institute and mentor that they may want to consider for future work placements. The chance...identified a gap or need in your research and decided you want to pursue a visiting position. What now? First, ... for the new placement. Make sure you read any relevant literature for the techniques you will be performing...these expenses, or you may need to seek out travel grants available from third parties or your home institute...generate data that will contribute to a publication? A grant? A patent? It is never too early to discuss authorship...feelers, apply to programs, and apply for travel grants. Good luck and happy travels! Resources Resources...

...studied for many decades, and they were known to be resistant to detergents and degradation under a variety ...different pH values. Using a screen that takes advantage of the fact that coiled R-bodies sediment in certain...see figure to the right), we identified R-body mutants that extend at both lower and higher pH. We initially...initially used this screen to find R body mutants that couldn’t extend at a normal pH and later realized...Plasmids expressing expressing both wild type and mutant R bodies can be found at Addgene here. What can...F. R. Organization and expression of genetic determinants for synthesis and assembly of type 51 R bodies...trait: Absence of toxicity of R-body producing recombinant E. coli on paramecia. European Journal of Protistology...

...something like an antibody, enzyme, DNA, etc. The receptors job is to generate a quantitative signal upon recognizing...sense’ biological compounds and reactions; you can quantify them with biosensors! In this blog we will review...biological system. Basically, biosensors provide quantifiable readouts for levels of different chemicals, ...biosensor is the signal transducer which will quantitatively give a readout for whatever the bio-recognition...already engineered into viral vectors, so if you want to use them, you’ll need to use the vectors (or ...good thing, though! Viral delivery has several advantages over other mechanisms. For one, many viral platforms...

...site-specifically to alter its function, mimic a biologically relevant modification, or add in fluorescent or chemically... technologies have idiosyncrasies presents a significant barrier for those wishing to use it as a tool... or easily available, so you may find yourself wanting to use a protocol that you’ll have to rework to... They provide resources, knowledge, and most importantly, validated protocols (using readily available...their first protocol is available now. It is for recombinant expression of phosphoserine-including proteins... protocols come out! References Noren, C. J., Anthony-Cahill, S. J., Griffith, M. C., & Schultz, P. G...Site-specific Incorporation of Phosphoserine into Recombinant Proteins in Escherichia coli. 12(21). https:/...

... for analyzing time-lapse images, quantitatively evaluating antibody staining, or counting cells are now...biology, innovative new imaging approaches are constantly being developed which combine computational processing... process framework FIJI are just three of the constantly growing number of "community-driven" software... fix security-critical bugs, and contribute to constant updates of the software. In hardware, this process...can literally put their work on the shoulders of giants. The still relatively young movement of sharing...Chew Chai, Manu Prakash, "Squid: Simplifying Quantitative Imaging Platform Development and Deployment....

...cellular pathway of interest conveys no significant survival advantage, such as a non-essential mechanism ...aging. For both a screen and a selection, it is important to clearly define what type of factor you are ...conditions. For screens, there is no obligatory growth advantage – that is, you are not specifically looking at...throughput? Will it be sensitive enough? No one wants to spend time screening hits that aren’t “real” ...lowering the culture temperature to exacerbate a mutant phenotype, very similar to enhancer/suppressor ...condition that can apply enough pressure to select for variants of interest, though. A selection can take the ...

...have gained or lost a specific gene survive (ex: antibiotic resistance marker). In a previous blog post, ... your plasmid backbone, as it often relies on antibiotic resistance. But what about identifying clones...𝛽-galactosidase activity. These cells, presumably the cell you want, cannot break down X-gal and are white. Cells that...to be strategic about your enzyme choices. You’ll want to pick enzymes that will give you different sized...to amplify anything. Like any experiment, you’ll want the proper positive and negative controls for your...provide all of the information you need, so you'll want to design a custom primer. Because Sanger sequencing...wouldn't be reached by sequencing from either terminus. Want to know more? Visit this blog post for tips for ...

...synthetic biology to target and light-up bacteria unwanted in food, healthcare settings, etc. What project...engineer bacteriophages and use those to detect unwanted bacteria. How did graduate school help prepare...of technologies, effectively communicating the advantages embodied, and driving the enterprise value of...it by reading a broad variety of materials and constantly practicing. “The expenditure of effort in preparation.... Second, "an entrepreneur must be OK with the constant fear of failure at all stages in the startup"....potential conflicts that waste money and time. Most importantly, “the company does not become real until someone...Before seeking funding, ask yourself if you really want to do this.” Biotech startups are only successful...

...genetics was booming, SciFi saw the rise of literary giants such as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, James Blish...editing technology led to the development of many important medical and agricultural products. But it also... that revolves around synthetic humans called replicants which are genetically engineered by a powerful...recognition sites had to be designed each time we wanted to target new genomic sites. The discovery of the... (Langdon). The plot involves Langdon chasing an anti-villain geneticist named Zobrist who designs a virus...plot of the movie involves The Rock and his super giant albino gorilla fighting off a monstrous wolf and...SciFi is one of the most imaginative and most important genres of literary fiction. It has always served...

...are ways you can hone important skills for the profession. One of the most important skill sets for a science... of the who, what, where, when, why and most importantly, how, of a science policy career.  Who does science...approval for a new product or a well-endowed philanthropy who can shift the funding landscape to focus...increased science funding and other issues. Whether you want to pursue science policy as a full-time career or...science policy? I would argue that this is the most important question that you can explore. The answer will...advice for you and your next steps. This advice is important, but must be taken through your own personal lens...you determine what parts of your current job you want to keep or change and can inform your move into ...

...optogenetics, and chemogenetics experiments. Recombinant AAVs (rAAVs) The primary application of AAV is...the deliverable DNA) are removed, resulting in recombinant AAVs (rAAVs) with maximum “trunk” space for genetic...specific cells and/or tissues is one of its biggest advantages. Specificity can be achieved using specialized...specificity; this is particularly helpful when wanting to target specific neuron subtypes, since AAVs ...and our AAV data hub to see if others have used relevant viruses for your system. This post was contributed...and Richard J. Samulski. "Self-complementary recombinant adeno-associated virus (scAAV) vectors promote..."Development and optimization of a real-time quantitative PCR-based method for the titration of AAV-2 ...

...As a scientist, perhaps the most important part of your research is communicating the results of the ...the work. Yes, those control experiments are important - but without letting other scientists know the results...conference poster or talk, or submitting patent or grant applications; to informal settings like lab meetings...amounts of access or feedback. One of the most significant shifts in scientific communication is the rising... of listing “Submitted” articles in their CV or grant applications. A number of organizations (such as... or invite attendees to read and comment online! Want the general public (say, policymakers or community...research materials available to the community significantly sooner. Plus, authors can include the Addgene...

...White and Anthony Collmann of White Consulting frequently do sessions by Skype or phone. Samantha Sutton ... goals are for the coaching relationship. Do you want to change jobs? Grow your professional presence?... consultation meeting or call for free.  Take advantage of this to get the information you need to choose...a scientist from academia to industry, you might want to consult the Cheeky Scientist. Their motto is ...coaches I have mentioned. I have seen a lot of fantastic online content for PhDs and postdocs posted by...bottom line – there are lots of people out there who want to help. Don’t be afraid to ask and to make an investment...

...machine or robot out there that does exactly what you want plus way more than you thought it could ever do!... taking a lot of time. Enter the Biomek FXP! We wanted a machine that would improve our transformation...purification We're developing ways to prep large quantities of DNA because some countries just can’t receive...fills all those vials? Well, it used to be a lab assistant, but with increased plasmid demand it was too ...fill 400 vials in 35 minutes compared to a lab assisstant filling about 200 vials in 45 minutes by hand...have used in the lab. It’s especially useful if you want to avoid sore fingers. There are other process ...about more lab updates as we develop them. In the meantime, if you have any great lab automation tips and...