For many reasons, genotyping has settled into our everyday lives. It provides information for our medical records, scientific research and even for antibiotic resistance. But first, what is Genotyping? Genotyping is a technology that determines an individual or animal’s genotype. Genotypes are usually small genetic differences which could cause important physical changes. For example, in … Read more
Nucleic acids, DNA and RNA are large biomolecules that play essential roles in all types of cells. These nucleic acids are fast becoming an important part of science research. High quality RNA and DNA are also important to perform molecular experiments including COVID-19 rapid testing, reverse transcription real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), forensic sciences, detecting bacteria and … Read more
With polymerase chain reaction (PCR), scientists are able to harness the power of the genome. The PCR process is an essential tool in biology because it allows an ample supply of DNA segments to be generated from relatively small samples. Although PCR reactions can be finicky and unpredictable, the use of a PCR master mix … Read more
The world has been on high alert following the newly reported cases of Monkeypox. Several people have lamented about this virus, hoping it won’t be as serious a pandemic as the COVID19. The World Health Organization (WHO) was notified on 7 May 2022 of a monkeypox case in a person who travelled from the United … Read more
Taq polymerase is one of the most ubiquitous enzymes in molecular biology. Since its discovery in 19651, Taq has become the backbone of PCR and all the downstream applications that technology enables. This powerful polymerase is the default choice for most amplification and cloning procedures, as well as diagnostic tests, marker gene DNA sequencing, and … Read more
Antibiotics are among the most important discoveries of the 20th century, changing the way that the world approaches medicine, food safety, and agriculture. But most researchers are all too aware that the prevalence of bacterial strains that are resistant to one or more common antibiotics is on the rise. In addition, new research suggests that … Read more
Taq polymerase is the tried and true standard when it comes to PCR, but that doesn’t mean it’s the most accurate polymerase for high-sensitivity applications. Instead, alternative enzymes, known as high-fidelity polymerases, offer higher accuracies in the amplicons resulting from PCR thanks to a combination of more stringent base reading and proofreading activities. While you … Read more
Hi Guys, we wanted to let you know about a cause we recently came across that we’d love you, as our customers, to get involved with. The Reagent Project is a non profit organisation based in New York who collect in date reagents and lightly used lab equipment and donate them to scientists around … Read more
Homogenisation is a popular method of cell disruption through lysis (breaking up) the sample using a homogeniser. This is achieved through mixing at high speeds in tubes with either steel, glass (silica) or zirconium beads added to grind the sample and release subcellular contents of DNA, RNA and proteins. There are lots of homogenisers on … Read more
Biological discoveries throughout the last few decades have been given a hearty helping hand by a thermophilic single celled micro-organism called “Thermus Aquaticus”. Belonging to the group “Deinoccocus Thermus,” Thermus Aquaticus is an extremophile, (an organism which thrives in extreme environments including areas of high temperature and pressure) and can be found in areas including … Read more