...about careers in science communication. When I started my Science Communication Internship with Addgene...re interested in learning more about science communication careers, you’re in the right place. For this...this series, I’ll interview three science communicators who work in the biotech, education, or nonprofit...should be. He debated taking a position as an application support/sales representative in industry or a...job. “I am really more of a multimedia science communicator than a science writer these days. I do some ...illustrations for summarizing mechanisms and applications that are relevant to things IDT does. I also...next couple of months. This involves a lot of communication with the presenters, and editing of abstracts...

...see any signs of DNA in your final tube after purification. How do you know if you actually have DNA in...you choose could be based on your downstream application, time, and instrument availability. UV absorbance... at 230 nm. The A260/A280 ratio is used as an indicator of DNA purity. Ideally, this number should be ...like a PCR product). This method also gives an indicator of DNA or RNA contamination based on the presence...before larger fragments. Figure 1: The quantification of a RNA ladder using capillary electrophoresis... about quantifying DNA In choosing your DNA quantification method there’s many things to consider: cost...

... recombination that are typically employed during viral plasmid amplification (Fischer, KB. 2019). This... was not present (Kuhlman, SK. 2008). While theoretically this strategy should work, these vectors suffered...Callaway’s lab (Fischer, KB. 2019) set-out to systematically test the potential causes of these phenomena...expression profile at multiple steps from plasmid amplification in bacteria to transgene expression in vivo.... the level of spontaneous recombination. This indicates that the amount of leaky expression can largely...of spontaneous reversion during AAV plasmid amplification. On the left homologous pairs of scrambled cre-recombinase...expression of receptors, post-translational modifications, and other factors that AAV utilizes to gain...

...things or communications planning.” To beef up her resume, she decided to complete a certificate in Strategic...Podcast Episode on Science Communication Check out Other Science Communication Posts Resources on Addgene.org...In this post of the Careers in Science Communication blog series, you’ll hear from Susan Keown, a staff...Cancer Research Center. Susan Keown’s science communication journey started with something unexpected: termites... time position with a Washington D.C.-based communications consulting firm, Palladian Partners. “I was...Strategic Communications and Public Relations at the University of Washington and the connections she made...team meetings and Susan is assigned to cover the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch, so she attends...

...groups have generated robust tools that have practical applications in monitoring the accidental or intentional...published their results in a paper in Nature Communications announcing a new bioinformatics tool that can...at its sequence. MIT collaboration for gene classification This inquiry started when Neil Thompson, a ...opportunity to study it and see what happens when technological change happens really fast,” Thompson says. ...essential and complementary tools in a time where biological engineering and synthetic biology is expanding...from farther away in the tree of life." Nature communications 9.1 (2018): 4425. PubMed PMID: 30356044. PubMed...the lab-of-origin of engineered DNA." Nature communications 9.1 (2018): 3135. PubMed PMID: 30087331. PubMed...

...short-lived biotin-phenoxyl radical in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. This radical reacts with electron-...Detecting Cell–Cell Interactions." Journal of the American Chemical Society 141.5 (2019): 1833-1837. PubMed PMID...scientists have long used antibody based affinity purification and mass spectrometry approaches. Recently however...capture these interactions in a vast array of biological contexts.  Proximity labelling relies on the ...that are tagged with biotin using avidin coated purification techniques. Due to the high affinity of biotin...challenge for classic antibody based affinity purification/mass spectrometry methods.  BioID: a promiscuous...evolution until they identified a mutant with significantly increased sensitivity that did not affect the...

...light-controlled affinity purification of unmodified proteins. Affinity purification methods typically require a protein...#1: Affinity tag purification You tag YFP and use an affinity column for purification. After binding YFP...  Light controlled protein purification with OptoNBs The first application for OptoNBs takes us in vitro...It’s time to choose your own protein purification adventure. You want to purify your favorite protein...elute YFP.  Option #2: Opto-Nanobodies (OptoNBs) purification You skip adding a tag to YFP and instead use...sound like fiction, but light-controlled protein purification is now a reality thanks to OptoNBs. Recently...response to light allows for tagless protein purification as well as reversibly regulation of endogenous...

...Extremophiles - phylogenetically diverse microbes living in extreme physical and chemical conditions like...comparison indicates that like GeoCas9 and ThermoCas9, IgnaviCas9 is a type II-C Cas9. IgnaviCas9 is most... temperature is 30°C. Find IgnaviCas9 here! What can you do with IgnaviCas9? Why would a thermostable ...deploying IgnaviCas9 without concern about its stability under harsh conditions. One example application from...Stanford University became interested in exploring biological dark matter – large tracts of the microbial tree... to be diversity hotspots containing abundant biological dark matter and so the lab organized a sampling...like YNP thermal sites - are also of practical interest since they’ve previously yielded valuable enzymes...

... to help decide whether work is suitable for publication in their journal. The early peer-review attempts...information that would prevent the study to be replicated or omission from the literature. I think that...while the wet-lab resources, like constructs or biological material, can be deposited in the specific repositories...Addgene.org Learn about depositing plasmids pre-publication Find molecular biology protocols Find eBooks ...

...an experimental system comes with fewer ethical and logistical challenges than does working with animals...Education & Outreach Specialist for the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center and the Center for Applied Plant...University. Established in 1991, the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC) is one of two global stock...scientists around the globe. As a member of the Brassicaceae family, Arabidopsis is related to a variety ...preference for using animal systems to demonstrate biological concepts - and you have yourself a plant publicity...publicity crisis. The Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC) set out to remedy that with the establishment...Arabidopsis in the classroom With funding from the American Society of Plant Biologists and support from the...

...proof-of-principle experiments that replicate current knowledge, but the sensor can also kinetically outperform current...research. This year, we put out another call for applications. We had an overwhelming response and were excited...epoxide reductase (VKOR) variants. VKOR is an enzyme critical for activating clotting factors and is the target... Lin Tian’s lab at UC Davis is to generate a genetically encoded fluorescent sensor for serotonin. According... drug adjustments. Unger ultimately hopes that medical professionals can genotype the patient and rapidly...  Michal Bernach: Developing an artificial leaf replica system to study plant-bacteria and bacteria-bacteria..., Bernach sought to develop an artificial leaf replica system. “This bottom-up approach will allow me ...

...have turned to genetically encoded voltage indicators. To expand the voltage indicator toolbox, Ed Boyden...and xCas9, and requires no additional chemicals or modifications. This versatility opens up the potential...voltage indicator Archon Article contributed by Shreya Vedantam  Listen to the voltage indicator podcast...compute using electrical impulses to coordinate emotions, thoughts, and behavior. Historically, scientists...To bring greater control to Acr activity as a biological tool, Niopek and colleagues turned to optogenetics...scientists study the electrical activity in the brain by inserting electrodes into the brain. But this process...thousands of proteins for one that can report electrical activity via imaging. They took the light-sensitive...

...results.  Replicates Replicates are another critical control in biological experiments. Replicates can be...inclusion of biological replicates such as multiple mice in each group and C, technical replicates or repeated...meaningful results.  Biological replicates are distinct samples that are treated identically, used to assess...recorded would be due to natural biological variation. This information is critical for correctly interpreting...be technical or biological and are included to improve the precision and accuracy and therefore the statistical...statistical power of an experiment. Technical replicates are repeated measurements of the same sample ... rely on the results of a single mouse. Biological replicates help you to determine which responses arise...

... Standard Curve?  Amplification Efficacy Calculation Amplification Efficacy Assumptions Standard...increase your understanding and technical proficiency with common applications - now let’s dive right in! ...differences of twofold or greater with good statistical significance (Taylor, 2017). With the right conditions...single peak, indicating one amplicon and no primer dimers. (b) A shoulder peak indicating primer dimers...values within each set of triplicates to understand variation due to technical error.  Plate readouts can... be less than 0.1.  If you suspect that amplification efficacy differences may be a concern in your reaction...genes can have different efficacies DART-PCR No Raw Data Statistically defined log-linear phase...

...Origin of Replication? See our Plasmids 101: Origin of Replication blog).  The replication problem Plasmids...directly inhibit replication by binding to the origin of replication and blocking replication machinery (del... of microbial plasmids: classification and identification based on replication and transfer systems and...plasmid that contains the origin of replication and the replication control machinery (Need a refresher... that inhibits replication when copy number in the cell is high, but allows replication when copy number...either indirectly inhibit replication through inhibiting translation of replication machinery proteins, or...antisense RNAs inhibit plasmid replication.   Figure 1: The replication problem. Iterons are repeated...

...two types of replicate controls: technical and biological. In general, technical replicates can be thought...of the independent variable. Replicate controls: technical and biological Reliable results are reproducible...independent and are typically derived from one source. Conversely, biological replicates ARE independent ... more in depth information. Technical replicates An example of a technical control is the transfection...independent variable. Biological replicates In any given set of experiments, the biological controls are more...results. Typically, plasmid-based experiments employ transfection, negative, positive, and replicate controls...thought of as "reproducibility controls". Biological replicates are what makes up your sample size (aka ...

...non-bench research career such as law, medical/technical writing, clinical, regulatory, product development,...specialty occupation" as requiring theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized ...Further, this post may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors.  No action should be taken...18, 2017, President Trump signed a "Buy American, Hire American" Executive Order which sets broad policy... industry such as technology transfer, communications, medical writing, compliance, core facility management...received 116,224 employment based green card applications and approved 91,023 during the first 3 quarters...options discussed in this post benefit from the applicant thinking about the process early, keeping good...

...as synthesis modifications when purchasing your gRNA. Pro tip: modifications are typically incorporated...switches. Stabilizing gRNA modifications  Sugar phosphate backbone modifications The recognition sequence...phosphorothioates with 2’-O-methyl modifications, proved more stability than just one modification alone (Hendel, et al...modified) for optimal stability and efficacy.  Base modifications What is more stable than RNA? DNA! ...stabilizing modifications listed above were developed before CRISPR-Cas9, for use in applications like siRNA...oligonucleotides. Some of these synthetic modifications, specifically ones which do not contain a 5’ triphosphate...your next CRISPR experiment.    Chemical RNA modifications to improve stability.   On-off switches...

...in science communication or policy, being able to communicate your work to a non-technical audience is...knowledge and applications generated from this research. At both a practical and ethical level, scientists...benefits as well as the personal, social and ethical implications of genetics. In these conversations, pgEd...training beyond the biological sciences, as well as to acquire leadership and communication experience. These...science policy and science communication A career in science communication or policy requires broad interest... in our field of interest. We often communicate in very technical and jargon-filled language in academic.... Also seek out opportunities to communicate science to non-technical audiences. Many universities or ...

...illumination on biochemical processes that are crucial in the world of biological research, medical therapy, ...components, typically a protein of interest. Fluorescent dyes and ligands vary in their chemical structure...the affinity tag they typically bind to. Stability of fluorescence: For applications that involve ranges...recruitment to receptors, indicating their agonistic nature. The potency and efficacy of these ligands can ...their product descriptions, or technical manuals. Specific applications and matching dye/ligand choices... in biological research. This does make finding the right dye for your experiment more complicated. We...ligands with G protein coupled receptors. In Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes (Vol. 1838, Issue ...