life in the lab - winter 2011

In this issue: THE NEW FLoid™ Cell Imaging Stationp23

It has arrived! QuantStudio™

12K Flex system p9

Invitrogen™ Applied Biosystems® Gibco® Molecular Probes® Novex® TaqMan® Ambion® Ion Torrent™

INAUGURAL ISSUE

Words of wisdom from fellow scientists

Great deals on lots of products

APPLIED BIOSYSTEMS® AND INVITROGEN™ PCR SOLUTIONS

Helpful tips & tricks for the lab

BUY ONE, GET ONE!GIBCO® GROWTH FACTORS

SAVE $100s ON AMBION® ESSENTIALS

How is your lab preparing?

Frostie snowmaculus

WINTER 2011

The art of imagingputting fluorescent probes to work

Imaging right from your mobile device The Molecular Probes® cell imaging mobile app can help you find fluorescent dyes, reagents, and protocols for cell biology–related fluorescence microscopy applications. Available for iPhone®, iPod touch®, and Android™ devices from the iTunes® store.

Multiplex imaging of human carcinoma (HeLa) cell labeled with Qdot® nanocrystals and mounted with Qmount® media.

IntroLife Technologies 2

Everyone loves special offers, creative contests, and scientific tidbits. That’s why we’re bringing you the first issue of Life in the Lab, your quarterly connection to other scientists and all your favorite life science brands and products from Life Technologies. Plus, you’ll find fun and exciting ways to stay engaged with the scientific community. You can start by letting us know what you think at www.facebook.com/lifetechnologies.

It’s an exciting, challenging, and complex time to live life in the lab. For those about to science, we salute you.

TABLEOF

CONTENTS

Invitrogen™ Cloning Essentials

Holiday Science

Applied Biosystems® Real-Time PCR Innovations

Invitrogen™ PCR Essentials

Molecular Probes® Cell Imaging

Ambion® RNA Solutions

What’s Your Cell Culture IQ?

PCR Gets Personal

Novex® Protein

Thanks for reading!

Gibco® Cell Culture

HELLO

ON THE COVERThis original artwork illustrates

Frostie snowmaculus skeletal structure and vascular system. © Life Technologies Corp.

For Research Use Only. Not intended for human or animal therapeutic or diagnostic use.© 2011 Life Technologies Corporation. All rights reserved. CO31751 1111The trademarks mentioned herein are the property of Life Technologies Corporation and/or its affiliate(s) or their respective owners. TaqMan® is a registered trademark of Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., used under permission and license. iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes, and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc. Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. Pandora is a registered trademark of Pandora Media, Inc. JAMBOX and Jawbone are trademarks of AliphCom Corporation. CytoTune is a trademark of DNAVEC Corporation. TRIzol is a registered trademark of Molecular Research Center, Inc. Eppendorf is a registered trademark of Eppendorf AG. Twitter is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc.

WATCH IT

youtube.com/watch?v=lCblncsE8wQ or search Ph. Diddy

This video is inspired by all the dedicated everyday heroes of science. Life Technologies recognizes your passion and admires your perseverance.

Can IPSCs Protect Endangered Species?

Is trypsin your dangerous liaison? TrypLE™ Express—a direct substitute for trypsin—for better cell health Easy and convenient, TrypLE™ reagent can be used in your current protocol.

Get your FREE* sample at www.lifetechnologies.com/samples

Work those glutesGibco® GlutaMAX™ media—a better alternative to L-glutamine

Minimize ammonia buildup and keep your cells healthier longer.

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SPECIAL OFFER on Gibco® SeraPurchase $500 or more of qualifying Gibco® sera/FBS and get a Gibco® cushioned floor mat for the lab.*

Use promotion code RFBSFM.

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Contact your FBS specialist before January 31, 2012, to discuss incredible savings on fetal bovine serum at www.lifetechnologies.com/fbscontactme

Cell Culture Gibco®3

With over 180 recombinant growth factors available, Gibco® growth factors have high biological activity and low endotoxin.

Take 50% off 50 μg or smaller pack sizes. Use promotion code P785674 when placing your order.

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Cell CultureGibco® 4

1. DMEM cell culture medium contains how many components?

[ A ] <10[ B ] 10–20[ C ] 21–30[ D ] >30

2. The two most common cell culture media supplements are:

[ A ] Penicillin and trypsin[ B ] DMSO and glutamine[ C ] Serum and streptomycin [ D ] Glutamine and serum

3. The more glutamine you add to cell culture media, the better!

[ A ] True[ B ] False

4. The HeLa cell gets its name from which person?

[ A ] Harry Lake[ B ] Hester Lamont[ C ] Henrietta Lacks[ D ] Herman Lasiter

5. Cells should be frozen:[ A ] Quickly[ B ] Slowly

6. Frozen cell should be thawed:[ A ] Quickly[ B ] Slowly

1–4 correct: I’m new Let’s not be so quick to blame our lab partner for last week’s contamination!

5–9 correct: ApprenticeMoving in the right direction.

10 or more correct: Genius You sure know your way around a T7 flask.

How’d you score?

ANSWERS:1 d, 2 d, 3 b, 4 c, 5 b, 6 a, 7 b, 8 c, 9 a, 10 c, 11 c, 12 b

7. The stem cells that form blood and immune cells are:

[ A ] Neural stem cells[ B ] Hematopoietic stem cells[ C ] Mesenchymal stem cells[ D ] Episomal stem cells

8. The optimal pH for growth of mammalian cell lines is:

[ A ] 5.0–6.0[ B ] 6.1–6.9[ C ] 7.0–7.6[ D ] 7.7–7.9

9. Which cells cannot be expanded in culture indefinitely?

[ A ] Primary human keratinocytes[ B ] CHO-S[ C ] High Five™

[ D ] 293F

10. Type II neuronal cells exhibit which characteristic?

[ A ] Long axons[ B ] Short axons[ C ] No axons[ D ] Multiple axons

11. Adherent mammalian cultures should be passaged when they are:

[ A ] In the lag phase of growth[ B ] 100% confluent[ C ] In the log phase of growth[ D ] After 2 days

12. Geneticin solutions should be prepared based on:

[ A ] Dry weight[ B ] Active weight

What’s your cell culture IQ?

DIRECTIONS

• MAKE DARK MARKS• ERASE COMPLETELY

Think you know everything about cell culture? Take our quiz and put your knowledge to the test. Answers below—no peeking!

NAM

E _________________________________

DATE _________________________________

SCORE

I’M N

EWAPPR

ENTICE

GEN

IUS

Gibco® radio on Pandora® RadioGibco® Cell Culture Radio is the top station for cell culturists, referred to and recited by scientists who know that music makes you, and your cells, happy.

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Gibco® neurobiology handbook

From cell differentiation to transfection—protocols for your neurobiology research.

5

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Cell Culture Gibco®

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The most cited serum replacement for stem cell culture improves your cell viability and growth.

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KnockOut™ performance at a knockout price

Product Quantity Size Cat. No.KnockOut™ ESC/iPSC Media Kit

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Cell ReprogrammingInvitrogen™ 6

Introducing the CytoTune®-iPS Sendai Reprogramming Kit.

Get highly efficient, easy-to-use technology for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with no viral integration.

Find now at www.lifetechnologies.com/cytotune

TWEETS from ORTHOSTICHY stem cell advances and other life observations

We believe in the power of community and support a variety of associations and user groups. Here are some Twitter musings from our colleague, David Welch.

“iPSCs share a pluripotent metabolomic signature w/ embryonic stem cells that is distinct from their parental cells: ow.ly/1A9zeX”

“Check out this PBS film on Dr. John Kessler of NorthwesternUniversity and his mission with stem cell research: ow.ly/1A9z6X”

Follow David on Twitter @orthostichy

Cell reprogramming

MADE EASIER

Much of the research on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has focused on the creation of human iPSCs for potential applications in human cell therapy and drug discovery. But recently Jeanne Loring and her group at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, examined the application of somatic cell reprogramming to endangered species conservation and created iPSCs from two endangered species: the drill, Mandrillus leucophaeus, and the northern white rhinoceros, Ceratotherium simum cottoni.

Loring and her team propose applications in cell therapy for treating degenerative diseases suffered by endangered species and generating iPSC-derived germ cells for the production of viable offspring.

What do you think? What research needs to be performed before iPSCs can be used to rescue endangered species? When will we see this research being applied to species conservation? Send me a message on Twitter at twitter.com/orthostichy

For more information on the research described above, read the article in the September 2011 issue of Nature Methods at nature.com/nmeth/journal/v8/n10/abs/nmeth.1706.html

Can endangered species be rescued with iPSCs?

NEW

7

YOUR CAPTION COULD BE A WINNER!

(Your clever caption goes here)

Ambion®RNA

Sasha Vlassov Interview Senior Staff Scientist, Ambion® Products

When did Life Technologies begin to offer products for the miRNA functional workflow?Ambion (now part of Life Technologies) was the first company to launch tools for the miRNA functional analysis over 7 years ago. In July 2011, we launched the next generation mirVana™ mimics and inhibitors.

How are the new mirVana™ products different?mirVana™ inhibitors are single-stranded oligonucleotides that are more potent due to their novel chemical modifications. These inactivate the natural miRNA, thus reducing their levels in cells. mirVana™ mimics are double-stranded synthetic

oligonucleotides that are more specific due to innovative chemical modifications that inactivate the star strand. These mimic the natural microRNA, thus increasing the level of the specific microRNA inside the cell.

What are the different offerings within this product line?The new product is available both at small scale as well as at larger scales (In Vivo Ready format). We offer human and mouse libraries for both mimics and inhibitors with 100% coverage of miRBase version 17.


Go to www.facebook.com/invitrogen to post your caption, or just to enjoy the wit of your fellow scientists!

Every two weeks we post a new cartoon on Facebook with no caption.

Write a smart, clever, or witty caption and add it as a comment.

If your caption is selected, we’ll send you a print of the artwork—with your caption included!*

6 to 8hours28%

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Here’s what Ambion® fans said on Facebook:

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Make time stand still for your cellsThis revolutionary reagent minimizes the

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RNAlater® solutions. Use promotion code P7800533.

Offer ends January 31, 2012.

Find now atwww.lifetechnologies.com/rnalaterWith thousands of journal references,

you can trust TRIzol® products for DNA and RNA isolation.

Purchase 1 TRIzol® tip and accessory item at list price, and receive 25% off another TRIzol® product. Use promotion code RTIPAC. Offer ends January 31, 2012.

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Trust TRIzol® products andSAVE up to $193*

8RNAAmbion®

WOW

Sasha Vlassov Interview Senior Staff Scientist, Ambion® Products

What has been the feedback on this technology?We have received very positive feedback from the field on the functional robustness of our mimics and inhibitors. A large number of scientists have used our mirVana™ products for the microRNA functional analysis in cell models as well as mice.

Where can I order mirVana™ mimics and inhibitors?Order mirVana™ mimics and inhibitors on the Applied Biosystems website at www5.appliedbiosystems.com/tools/mirna/

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RNAlater® solution

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The QuantStudio™ 12K Flex Real-Time PCR System

The ‘all-in-one’ qPCR instrument With five interchangeable blocks, you can analyze from 1 to 12,000 data points per run in the assay format that’s right for your project. From 96-well to OpenArray® formats, targeted discovery, confirmation, and screening can now be done on a single system.

• Increase your throughput 32-fold in a single run

• Enhance your flexibility and scalability with five easily interchangeable blocks—96-well to OpenArray® plates

• Start a 12,000 data point experiment typically in 20 minutes or less

• Secure your results with integrated sample tracking and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance assistance modules

9 Applied Biosystems®Real-Time PCR

NEW

See how it works at www.appliedbiosystems.com/quantstudio

IT HASARRIVED

10Real-Time PCRApplied Biosystems®

FREE iPad® 2 device with your StepOne™ or StepOnePlus™ purchase* †

Trade in or trade up your real-time PCR platform!*

Accelerate your lab’s productivity when you trade your existing real-time system for unmatched precision and maximum multiplexing capabilities.

Trade in or trade up today. To see complete terms, go to www.appliedbiosystems.com/tradeintradeup

*Certain restrictions apply. Please see page 26 for terms and conditions.†Once you’ve placed your order, send an email with your confirmation and mailing address information to [email protected] and we will send you an iPad® 2 device loaded with useful biology applications.

ViiA™ 7 systemA step up in productivity and flexibility. Features interchangeable blocks in 96-well, Fast 96-well, 384-well, and TaqMan® Array formats, and a 21-filter combination.

StepOne™ and StepOnePlus™ systemsOur most affordable and simple solutions featuring 48- or 96-well, 4-color, Fast, and standard cycling. Perfect for all levels of experience.

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Limit 1. Use promotion code P777473 (US) or P777476 (Canada).Offer ends January 31, 2012.

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11

Real-Time PCR• Reduce contamination risk with a separate area in your lab

just for real-time PCR experiments—create an “RNA Zone” for sample prep extraction, external sample preparation, reaction mixture set-up, and running the real-time PCR instrument

• Use Ambion RNaseZap® RNase Decontamination Solution to get rid of RNases and other contaminants prior to same prep procedures

• Perform a bioinformatic evaluation of your target sequence before submitting the sequence into our online custom TaqMan® Assay design tool—find instructions atwww.lifetechnologies.com/taqmanassays

• Before resuspension of your lyophilized TaqMan® Assays, spin down the tube to ensure that you are resuspending everything in the tube

• Make aliquots of your resuspended TaqMan® Assays to avoid repeated freeze/thaw cycles

• Prevent cross contamination with filter tips or positive displacement pipettes

• Cap the wells for No Template Control (NTC) prior to adding any sample cDNA/DNA or external standards during the total reaction preparation

• Add DNA or RNA to your wells last to minimize cross contamination

• Keep the bottom of your plate clean—use a support base for 96-well plates or a lint-free wipe/cloth for 384-well plates

• Centrifuge your PCR plate before loading into the instrument to remove bubbles and ensure all reaction components are at the bottom of the well

• When setting up and running replicate wells, make sure that your sample names, detector names, and detector tasks are the same

Applied Biosystems®Real-Time PCR

38,000 publications and counting—yours could be next!Trust the most-cited SYBR® technology ever

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Ambion® Single Cell-to-CT™ Kit 400 reactions 4458236

Ambion® Single Cell-to-CT™ Kit 50 reactions 4458237

Find what you’re looking for. Rapidly access more than 9 million predesigned assays for gene expression, microRNA,

SNP genotyping, copy number variation (CNV), and more, plus unlimited custom assay options with

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12

New—easily search over 9 million TaqMan® Assays faster!

Real-Time PCRApplied Biosystems®

NEW

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Use promotion code P1114 when placing your order.

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13 Applied Biosystems®PCR

WATCH IT

Do PCR better than gradient: a stop-motion animation It took thousands of photos and weeks of moving over 6,000 PCR tubes to create the video that tells our story. You wouldn’t want to live in world of gradients, so why should your PCR have to?

youtube.com/watch?v=9Px8zBaGcPQ

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Use promotion code P1244 when placing order.

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Taq DNA Polymerase—Native 100 units 18038018

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Avoid painful agarose burns! E-Gel® Go!™ System Fast and affordable The E-Gel® Go!™ System offers precast gel convenience, low throughput, and quick check analysis. With just 4 lanes per gel, this system offers a cost-effective way to quickly check your PCR reactions when you only have a few samples.

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Some like it hot —some don’t Save 30% on your favorite Taq products*

Get accurate and sensitive quantitation in a reverse transcriptase formulation. Now in a convenient, single-tube format, you can simplify and save time while reducing contamination risks.

Use promotion code P797140 (US) or P797143 (Canada) when ordering. Limit 1. Offer ends January 31, 2012.

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14

Platinum® Taq DNA Polymerase is a great choice for all your PCR reactions where an antibody-mediated hot-start enzyme is preferred.

Native and recombinant Taq Don’t need a hot-start enzyme for your PCR reactions? Choose from native or recombinant Taq DNA polymerase.

PCRInvitrogen™

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Designer T-cellswipe out leukemia

Full articles can be found at The New England Journal of Medicine and Science of Translational Medicine.

15 Invitrogen™Transfection

Two recent articles present the amazing results of a clinical study led by Carl June at the University of Pennsylvania. The story of patients’ own blood cells designed to destroy cancer cells soon spread via social media, a number of television stations, and The New York Times.

Two of three patients with advanced leukemia are now in complete remission six months after treatment in a phase-1 clinical trial. Powerful T-cells that specifically target leukemia were engineered using a specially designed lentiviral vector.

The team used Dynabeads® technology conjugated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies. This magnetic separation technology also enabled high expansion of the engineered T-cells prior to infusion to the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) patients.

WATCH IT

www.youtube.com/cellisolation

An entertaining and useful explanation of the techniques used for cell isolation.

www.lifetechnologies.com/transfectionvideo

WATCH IT

Best practices and recommendations for successful transfection.

Get nontoxic, fast detection on either a fluorometric or colorimetric plate reader.

Use promotion code P795917 when you order.

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PrestoBlue™ Cell Viability Reagent 25 mL A13261

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Tali™ Image-Based Cytometer The touch of a button lets you detect fluorescent protein expression, apoptosis, and cell viability with the Tali™ Image-Based Cytometer.

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For a limited time, get a free box of 500 slides when you purchase a Tali™ Image-Based Cytometer at list price.

Use promotion code RKTTAL when ordering.

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Tali™ Image-Based Cytometer 1 unit T10796

Slides for Tali™ cytometer 500 T10796

Lipofectamine® reagents have become the most-referenced transfection reagents with over 43,000 citations. Try Lipofectamine® LTX for plasmid delivery and Lipofectamine® RNAiMAX for siRNA delivery, and see for yourself.

Get your free sample at www.lifetechnologies.com/trytransfection


Lipofectamine® LTX and Plus Reagent 0.1 mL A12621

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43,000 citations can’t be wrong Try Lipofectamine® reagents for FREE*

16TransfectionInvitrogen™

BUILD YOUR BENCH STRENGTH

COOL


From hours to minutesTOPO® PCR cloning kits take you from overnight cloning to 5-minute incubation with 95% efficiency.

Pain-free cloningGeneArt® DNA assembly kits let you clone without any scars typically in 30 minutes.

Because frost bites One Shot® competent cells offer the ultimate in convenience. Don’t compromise efficiency with freeze-thaw issues.

17 Invitrogen™Cloning

Don’t spend days or hours—minutes are all you needBuilt on a legacy of innovation and trusted performance, Invitrogen™ everyday cloning essentials are designed to get you to faster results.

Get there faster

Do you have the new CloningBench app?

It comes with useful and essential tools to help with your everyday cloning experiments. Conveniently generate calculations for your PCR master mix, nucleic acid concentration, molar quantities, and more.

Download the FREE CloningBench mobile app at the iTunes® store.

Find out how at www.lifetechnologies.com/cloning

18CloningInvitrogen™

Build your next breakthrough GeneArt® gene synthesis

InvitrogenTOPO® cloning• For TOPO® cloning, start with a 1:1 molar ratio of insert and vector• For TOPO® TA cloning, try to perform your PCR and TOPO®

cloning the same day—cloning efficiency can decrease if your PCR product is stored

Gateway® products• To obtain 5 to 10 times more colonies for your Gateway® BP or LR

reactions, incubate 16–24 hours• To increase efficiency between two plasmids during a Gateway®

BP reaction, linearize the expression vector that contains the attB sites or incubate overnight

• If your Gateway® destination vector has the same antibiotic resistance marker as the entry vector, cut the entry vector with a restriction enzyme that cuts within the antibiotic resistance marker to eliminate background

• If you need to analyze your Gateway® clones, use restriction enzyme BsrG1 to easily cut your insert out of the vector—BsrG1 cuts in almost all att sites

Odds and ends• When measuring ODs (especially to calculate culture densities for

bacterial expression experiments), dilute your solution to obtain an OD below 1.0. Beer’s Law—many spectrophotometers are not very accurate over ODs greater than 1.0

• To obtain the true OD of your culture, just adjust your OD reading by the dilution factor

• Before performing stable selection for mammalian protein expression experiments, always set up a dose-response curve with nontransfected cells to determine the optimal concentration of antibiotic to use for stable selection

• Before resuspension of your lyophilized oligos, spin down the tube to ensure that you are resuspending everything in the tube

• When you need help figuring out which restriction enzyme and buffers to use, go to www.lifetechnologies.com/restrictionenzymes

GeneArt® solutions give you predictability, adaptability, and confidence. Whether increasing protein expression rates as much as 100X or assembling genetic constructs with unprecedented precision, GeneArt® gene synthesis and assembly tools enable you to break through your most complex challenges.

Find now at www.lifetechnologies.com/geneart

AS LOW AS

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19 Invitrogen™Everyday Essentials

Each HulaMixer® device comes with a selection of durable stickers so you can add your personal touch.

Product Cat. No.HulaMixer® Sample Mixer 15920D

Product Cat. No.Qubit® 2.0 Fluorometer Q32866

Better count fasteasy and reliable cell counting The Countess® Automated Cell Counter Accurately counts live and dead cells and checks viability in 5 minutes using just 10 μL of sample. Includes a dilution calculator and data-archiving functions and requires no setup or cleaning.

Product Cat. No.Countess® Automated Cell Counter (includes 1 box of 50 Countess® Cell Counting Chamber slides and trypan blue stain)

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Qubit® 2.0 FluorometerQuantitates DNA, RNA, and protein with superior accuracy, sensitivity, and simplicity. Read user comments on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thequbit

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Find now at www.lifetechnologies.com/countess

Precious samplesPeace of mind

Shaken and stirredwith just a gentle hula The HulaMixer® Sample Mixer It rotates, tilts, and vibrates. Perfect for any application needing thorough mixing.

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Open challengesWANTED: Brilliant innovatorREWARD: $1 millionWelcome to the Life Grand Challenges, a first-of-its-kind $7 million competition for the life science industry designed to accelerate innovative solutions.

There will be seven individual challenges, each with a $1 million prize. The first four challenges focus on sequencing technology, specifically on the Ion Personal Genome Machine™ and 5500 Series Genetic Analyzers.

20Everyday EssentialsLife Technologies

Take the challenge and see full terms and conditions at www.lifetechnologies.com/grandchallenge

Challenge 1: Scalability—twice the bases

Challenge 2: Speed—twice as fast

Challenge 3: Accuracy—twice the accuracy

Challenge 4: SOLiD® sequencing

Wow, I never win anything!Thank You!!Drew P.

Win! :)Ale G.

I won too! And am having a hard time believing it. Though...it’s nice to knowthat being a nerd has its perks. :)Cindy L.

See what Novex® fans said about our iPod® device giveaway

Become a Novex® fan at www.facebook.com/novexprotein

21 Novex®Protein

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NuPAGE® minigels $111 per box*

For superior separation at neutral pH.www.lifetechnologies.com/nupage

Trusted Novex® Tris-glycene gels $99 per box*

For traditional Laemmli separation.www.lifetechnologies.com/tggels

Buy two, and get 50% off!* Protein standards or stains

Now through January 31, 2012, when you purchase any two of our protein standards and/or gel stains, you’ll get 50% off your order.www.lifetechnologies.com/save50on2


3 great reasons for you— not your gels—to smile

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Join the 7-minute revolution for western protein transfer for $999* The iBlot® system efficiently and reliably transfers proteins from polyacrylamide gels for western blot analysis in seven minutes or less—without the need for buffers or an external power supply.

Use promotion code RIB3SK when you order.

Join the revolution at www.lifetechnologies.com/iblot

22ProteinNovex®

Novex® products• The Novex® and NuPAGE® Precast Gel Electrophoresis

Technical Guides are only available on the website and contain great information about gel selection, sample preparation, staining protocols, power supply settings, troubleshooting, and more - Download the Novex® and NuPAGE® Precast Gel

Electrophoresis Technical Guides at www.lifetechnologies.com/novextechnicalguide

• 2.5% BME or 50 mM DTT can be substituted for NuPAGE® Sample Reducing Agent

• Load 30–50 µg of protein per gel for optimal results—maximum load is 100 µg per gel

• Use the gel knife to trim off the gel “foot”—a razor blade also works, but may introduce nicks in the gel that can promote tearing

Top 10 tips from lab managers

1. Honor health and safety concerns in your lab 2. Know something—even just a little bit—about what

everyone does in the lab 3. Understand your lab’s financial standing—and stock up

on nonperishable items when “times are good”4. Cultivate relationships with local sales representatives for

updates on offers, quotes, product samples, etc. 5. Get along with the people in the lab and respect

one another 6. Include all people working in the lab on duty rotations—

from undergrads to senior postdocs 7. Build strong relationships with stores and building

porters8. Maintain relationships with neighboring labs—

you never know when you may need a favor 9. Understand your PIs and help them with grant

applications 10. Stay on good terms with the building management Marie, Lab ManagerUniversity of Edinburgh

WATCH IT

Lab WisdomCOLLEGIAL CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE LAB

Do you know about the upcoming technology shift in immunoprecipitation? This video helps explain it.

www.youtube.com/immunoprecipitation To contribute collegial words of wisdom to the next issue, please go to www.facebook.com/lifetechnologies

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25 Life TechnologiesHoliday Science

How is your lab preparing for the holidays?Follow these tips for scientifically magical holidays!

In your lab1. Be sure to spend any budget expiring at the end of year.

(May we suggest doing so at lifetechnologies.com?) :)2. Defrost freezers. #lamelabstuff3. Buy gift for your lab manager. #properlabetiquette4. Pump up Gibco® Cell Culture Radio on Pandora at your lab’s

holiday party. (You did get your free JAMBOX™ speaker, right? See page 5.)

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6. Clean it up! (e.g., countertops and repaper public areas, radioactive areas, common-use areas, etc.)

7. Prepare your lab for savings, set up standing orders with key vendors for 2012, and take advantage of year-end promotions as you stock up on reagents with long expiration dates.

8. Get in the spirit! Decorate your labmate’s bench with a garland of Eppendorf® tubes and lights.

In your life9. Read up on relevant papers, clean up your LinkedIn profile,

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14. Regift promotional items you’ve received over the past year. (Who else needs a USB drive?)

15. Save yourself time—search iTunes® store and download good scientific mobile apps. (Check out Invitrogen™ CloningBench, Molecular Probes® Cell Imaging, and Invitrogen™ Daily Calculator apps.)

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24. In the spirit of giving and getting—learn a new technique and teach one to someone else.

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©2011 Life Technologies Corporation. All rights reserved. The trademarks mentioned herein are the property of Life Technologies Corporation or their respective owners. TaqMan® is a registered trademark of Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., used under permission and license.

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