ISSUE 13 | SPRING 2015

Save 40% on mySPIN™ 6 mini centrifugepage 15

25% off on SuperScript® IVReverse Transcriptasepage 16

Save 50% on Countess II® Automated Cell Counterpage 30

Resurrection BiologyScience Fact or Science Fiction?page 20

5 Principles for Presentation Perfectionpage 8

7 Small But MightyBenchtop Solutionspage 26

Perfect Cell Culture PairingsBrought to you by Gibco® Life of Cellspage 31

Better Together:Thermo Fisher Scientific Integration Updatepage 3

The Puzzlerpage 35

Buy selected RNA purification reagents worth HK$9,000, get a SuperScript® IV reverse transcriptase sample freeUse promotion code REAGENTA.

lifetechnologies.com/lifeinthelabhk13

On selected ELISA kits and get a free coffee mug or gloves with qualifying ELISA purchase.Please contact your sales representative for more information.

On Superscript® IV Reverse TranscriptaseUse promotion code P1252760

trade in

WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU SAVETo make your research a bit more affordable, we’ve featured many money-saving promotions throughout this issue. For your convenience, some favorites are listed here.

If you‘d like more information about any of these promotions, or other promotions found in this issue, simply go to: lifetechnologies.com/lifeinthelabhk13

• Endpoint PCR reagents• Real-time PCR reagents• Cloning and competent cells• Sample preparation reagents• GeneArt® Gene Synthesis reagents• Molecular Probes® fluorescence reagents

lifetechnologies.com/reagentrewards

Join the Reagent Rewards™ program to earn points each time you purchase and scan qualifying products.

Look for this icon on qualifying productstrade intrade up

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.Abbreviated terms and conditionsUse promotion codes as noted. All promotions are open to qualified academic end users in Hong Kong. Offers will apply to qualifying orders received by Life Technologies no later than June 12, 2015, (unless otherwise noted), or until promotional supplies are depleted, whichever comes first. Quantities may be limited, and other restrictions may apply to these promotions. Promotion code must be presented at the time of order. Discounts apply to the list price in effect at the time the order is received by Life Technologies. Each promotion cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions. By placing an order, you warrant that you are not prohibited by employment, contract, or law from accepting a gift from Life Technologies. All offers are void where prohibited by federal, state, provincial, or local laws or regulation or agency/institutional policy. Other restrictions apply. Life Technologies Limited reserves at its sole discretion to determine the eligibility to receive the special offer. To see complete terms and conditions, go to lifetechnologies.com/lifeinthelabhk13

Trade in any real–time PCR instrument for a new system, and make the most of your investment with exceptional trade-up deals, all backed by our world-class service and support.

25%off

SaVe up to 50 %

Buy selected real-time PCR reagents and/or nucleic purification products in a single purchase order worth HK$9,000, save 40% on mySPIN™ 6 mini centrifuge.Please contact your sales representative for more information.lifetechnologies.com/qpcrbundle

Trade in your GeneAmp® PCR System 9700 for a ProFlex™ PCR system.Please contact your sales representative for more information.

Buy any Thermo FisherTM CO2 Incubators, save 50% on Countess II® or Countess® II FL Automated Cell Counter.Please contact your sales representative for more information.

Freeminis

Get a set of 5 Gibco® Life of Cells minifigures free for up to two Gibco® media and/or sera orders worth HKD 9,000.Please complete the online requests form with invoice no. at lifetechnologies.com/lifeofcells

Buy SuperScript® II or III reverse transcriptase, get a SuperScript® IV reverse transcriptase sample freeUse promotion code M10101 for SuperScript® II, M20202 for SuperScript® III.

lifetechnologies.com/lifeinthelabhk13

FreeSuperScript®

iV

reWardnow

SaVe 50 %

Now! 2720 thermal cycler comes with 5 year warranty or a free PowerEase® 90W power supply.Please contact your sales representative for more information.lifetechnologies.com/2720lifetechnologies.com/powerease

SaVe40 %

FreeSuperScript®

iV

Free5 years

warranty

SaVe25 %

2015 Oligo Loyalty Program is back!Order more oligos, get more rewardslifetechnologies.com/2015hkoligo

On selected Ambion® nucleic acidpurification kitsPlease contact your sales representative for more information.

Please contact your sales representative for more information.

MORE THAN 40,000 ANTIBODIES

BET yOU DiDn’T KnOw wE HAvE

Dear Valued Customers,

It has been over a year since Life Technologies became

part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. As the Chief Scientific

Officer of Life Sciences Solutions, I have had ample

time to consider the advantages this combination

brings to our customers. One clear advantage is

our focus on the company’s mission—enabling our

customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and

safer.

Thermo Fisher Scientific spends nearly $700 million

(US) per year, employing nearly 4,600 scientists

and engineers, to support our R&D priorities. We

work jointly with more than 16,000 customer-facing

employees to gather extensive requirements for new

product development. All of this is done to enable you,

our customer, to further your research goals.

Recognizing this, it is natural to ask “if so much is

being spent to enable me, how can I help influence

future product development?” Providing feedback and

ideas to your sales representative or to our customer

care specialists (lifetechnologies.com/support) is an

immediate avenue. If you are passionate about an idea

that you believe could transform the way research is

conducted, I encourage you to send me an email (alan.

sachs@lifetech.com) and I will arrange for further

follow up.

Enjoy reviewing all of the great products highlighted

on the following pages. We at Thermo Fisher Scientific

look forward to providing you with even more great

products in the future!

Sincerely,

Alan Sachs, MD, PhD

CHiEf SCiEnCE OffiCERLifE SCiEnCES SOLUTiOnS

A LETTER fROM aLan SaCHS

What do you get when you combine one of the largest catalogs of primary antibodies with the originator of alexa Fluor® dyes for labeling? an incredibly comprehensive, user-friendly collection of primary and secondary, labeled and unlabeled antibodies, that’s what.

From the most common IgG to rare antibodies unavailable elsewhere, and backed up by data in the most common applications—flow cytometry, western blot, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence—our antibodies have stood the test, and passed.

lifetechnologies.com/antibodies

Thermo fisher Scientific spends almost

$700 million (US) a year, employing nearly

4,600 scientists and engineers, to support

its R&D priorities.

3life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

™

New Ion Torrent™ Hi-Q™ sequencing chemistry is designed to improve the sequencing accuracy of both the Ion PGM™ and Ion Proton™ Systems. Combined with powerful improvements to the software and template preparation kits, Ion Torrent™ Hi-Q™ sequencing chemistry helps you get better data and faster answers.

IMPRoved vaRIanT deTeCTIonIon Proton™ Hi-Q™ Sequencing SolutionFeedback from multiple customer sites have shown that this chemistry delivers improved variant calling performance for exome sequencing, enabling greater insights into the discovery of causal variants in your research.

• Helps reduce SnP and indel false positives by up to 71%

• Designed to deliver significant improvements in coverage across GC-rich amplicons

• Helps decrease the cost of confirmatory testing with other orthogonal technologies

lifetechnologies.com/protonhiq

sequencing

do YoU Hi-Q?

FeaR no IndeLSWhat happens when you screen

over 10,000 polymerases?

Find out in our informative video:lifetechnologies.com/ashg2014hiq

one kIT. aLL aPPLICaTIonS.Ion PGM™ Hi-Q™ Chef KitCombines the latest advancements to data quality and accuracy with the simplicity of the Ion Chef™ System.

• Helps enable robust variant detection for targeted resequencing panels with reduced or equivalent false positive rates compared with previous chemistries

• Helps reduce indel error rates by up to 90% for microbial sequencing

• Helps enable a single unified solution for both 200- and 400-base pair sequencing

lifetechnologies.com/pgmhiq

wHY Take oUR woRd FoR IT?

“we’ve always been happy with the ion AmpliSeq™ exome data but with new Ion Proton™ Hi-Q™ sequencing chemistry, we get even better data. we’ve noticed a 50% reduction in indel false positives which will give us a shorter candidate list, making it ideal for de novo or trio experiments.”

Adam Ameur, PhDBioinformatician, Department of Immunology,Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Sweden

5life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

High throughput–compatible (plate format)

Magnetic beads Silica

MagMAX™-96 DnA Multi-Sample Kit

PureLink® Pro 96 Genomic DnA Purification Kit

SenSITIve, SCaLaBLe PURIFICaTIon IS HeRe PURIFY dna FRoM a wIde RanGe oF SaMPLeS

MagMax Express-96 Magnetic Particle Processor

Prepare samples efficiently from a variety of materials with MagMax Express-96 Magnetic Particle Processor which offer highly versatile, automated magnetic-particle processing for nucleic acid from virtually any source. Using revolutionary magnetic particle separation technology, this system enables excellent reproducibility and quality.

lifetechnologies.com/magmax

MagMAX™ DNA Multi-Sample Kits

MagMAX™ DNA Multi-Sample Kits provide a consistent, reliable method for the rapid purification of highly pure DNA. By utilizing magnetic beads, these kits provide flexible formats that are easily scalable and enable better binding and washing efficiencies than filter–based technologies resulting in cleaner, more abundant nucleic acid that works well in most downstream applications.

lifetechnologies.com/magmax

Starting sampleStart here

BuccalBacteria

Virus

Blood/serum

Tissue & cells

High throughput–compatible (silica spin column)

Low throughput

Magnetic beads

SilicaMagnetic beads

Spin

Multi-sample

Magnetic beads

MagMAX™ DnA Multi-Sample Kit

PureLink® Pro 96 Genomic DnA Purification Kit

MagMAX™ DnA Multi-Sample Kit

PureLink® Genomic DnA

Mini Kit

PureLink® Pro 96 Genomic DnA Purification Kit

MagMAX™ Total nucleic Acid isolation Kit

Silica spin column Organic extraction

PureLink® Pro 96 Genomic DnA Purification Kit

Thermo Scientific™ MagJET™

Plant Genomic DnA Kit

PureLink® Pro 96 Genomic DnA Purification Kit

Plant DnAzol® Reagent

Magnetic beads

Plate

Plate

Plant

Silica spin columnOrganic extraction

DnAzol® Reagent

PureLink® Genomic DnA

Mini Kit

High throughput–compatible

Low throughput

Low throughput (silica spin column)

High throughput–compatible

(plate format)

Magnetic beads

PureLink® viral RnA/DnA

Mini Kit

MagJET™ viral DnA and

RnA Kit

PureLink® Pro 96 viral RnA/DnA Purification Kit

Column

Plate

Magnetic beads

PureLink® Genomic

DnA Mini Kit

PureLink® Pro 96 Genomic DnA Purification Kit

MagMAX™ DnA Multi-Sample Kit

Low throughput

Organic extraction

Silica spin column

DnAzol®

BD Reagent

PureLink® Genomic DnA

Mini Kit

sample prep

Maximize process efficiency and downstream performance

Find a range of Invitrogen™ genomic DNA purification kits that enable sensitive, scalable purification from an expansive set of starting materials to maximize process efficiency and downstream performance.

lifetechnologies.com/gdnaprep

™

™

PureLink® PCR Micro Kits

It is ideal for purifying and concentrating DNA from low-yielding PCR or restriction digestion reactions. Removal of primers, dNTPs, enzymes, and salts exceeds 98.5%. This kit can also efficiently remove unincorporated dye-labeled nucleotides from a cDNA labeling reaction. These highly purified DNA fragments and amplicons provide excellent results in downstream applications such as DNA sequencing, restriction digestion, cloning, PCR, and labeling.

Save up to 50%

On selected Ambion nucleic acid purification kitsPlease contact your sales representative for more information.Find out more at: lifetechnologies.com/ambion

7life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

1: SIMPLIFY

It’s tempting to load up slides with many ideas and bulleted items, but don’t do it. Try to stick to one idea per slide, and let that one concept really stick with your audience. They will focus on what you’re saying, rather than reading your slide. Author Seth Godin’s rule of thumb: No more than six words on a slide. EVER. He claims that there is no presentation so complex that this rule needs to be broken.

TakeawaY: Use one idea per slide. Don’t use your slide as a teleprompter. Use the slide’s notes to cue yourself what you need to say.

3: InFoRMaTIon needS eMPHaSIS

According to Duarte, if your slide takes longer than 10 seconds for the audience to comprehend, it’s probably too complex. Your slides should simply convey even complex ideas, which you’ll enhance with your words. Your audience will listen to what you say if the image or words on the screen behind you have real impact.

TakeawaY: The sweet spot for slide comprehension is around 3 seconds. Split up complex ideas and allow them to flow across multiple slides. Go ahead and use more slides; they’re free.

4: deSIGnaTe eLeMenTS

Use the Slide Master feature to create a template, and stick to it. Using elements such as font, colors, and background consistently throughout the presentation is essential.

FonT: Choose your font style and size carefully. Sans serif fonts—such as Arial, Verdana, and Calibri—are good options. Choose one font for the entire presentation. Avoid all caps, and excessive use of bold, underline, and italics.

CoLoRS: You don’t need a deep understanding of color theory to create harmonious color schemes. Try using an online resource such as ColorSchemer, Colourlovers, or Kuler to create a perfect palette.

avoId SPeCIaL eFFeCTS.

TakeawaY: When it comes to designing presentations, less is more, and consistency is key.

5: eMPaTHY FoR THe aUdIenCe

The most important thing to do is take the time to think through who the audience is, then develop your presentation from a place of empathy toward them. Do you have a message that your audience can connect to? Take a walk in their shoes to craft a presentation that will be valuable and memorable.

TakeawaY: Develop an audience-centric perspective to create a deeper connection to you and your material. By flipping that paradigm, your message will resonate more strongly with your audience.

2: LoSe THe CLICHÉS

Resist using the cliché images, concepts, and clip-art that come standard with most presentation software. Having trouble coming up with clever ways to communicate your ideas? Try brainstorming with colleagues to find novel concepts. Use an online image resource such as Getty or Corbis, or use your own original images.

TakeawaY: Don’t clutter your slides with images unless they add value. Empty space on the slide will actually enhance readability.

PLannInG TIP:

Before sitting down at the computer, go old school and plan your presentation on paper.

Using sticky notes or index cards to lay out the main ideas and supporting data is a good way to see the entire presentation at once.

Now decide where visuals will add to your message and what those visuals should be.

SLIde5 principles for presentation perfection

Y our PowerPoint® presentation has one job—to back up what you’re saying. Nancy Duarte, author and presentation

design guru, created the SLIDE mnemonic to illuminate 5 guiding principles to remember when creating PowerPoint® presentations. Use these principles to avoid common pitfalls, and to make your next presentation a visual aid instead of a visual distraction.

IMPLIFY

OSE THE CLICHéS

NFORMATION NEEDS EMPHASIS

ESIGNATE ELEMENTS

MPATHY FOR THE AUDIENCE

L

d

e

i

S

L I d eS

SUGGeSTed ReadInG:

Resonate: Present Visual Stories that

Transform Audiences

by Nancy Duarte

slide:ology by Nancy Duarte

Presentation Zen

by Garr Reynolds

Really Bad PowerPoint: (and how to avoid it)

by Seth Godin

PLannInG

Create a simple design template

Use appropriate font and size

Develop a color scheme

Use good quality images

Avoid special effects

Check spelling and grammar

Practice delivering your presentation

Learn keyboard shortcuts for easy navigation

on THe daY

Do an on-site equipment check to make sure everything is working properly

Do not read from your slides or speak to them

Do not turn your back on your audience

Do not go over the allotted time

Relax—you’ve done the hard work necessary to ensure presentation perfection

Prepare for rave reviews!

9life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

when accuracy and ease of use are critical in your endPoInT, ReaL-TIMe, oR dIGITaL PCR APPLICATIONS

Veriti® Thermal CyclerMore precise control with easy programming

• VeriFlex™ technology—offers precise control for optimization

• Color touch-screen—enables rapid and simpler programming

• VeritiLink™ software—option to link and control multiple veriti® Thermal Cyclers by a single laptop

lifetechnologies.com/veriti

SimpliAmp™ Thermal Cycler Easy, accurate, and small for everyday PCR

• Responsive color touch-screen—for quick and easy setup

• VeriFlex™ technology—enables simple and accurate optimization

• Small footprint—helps save precious bench space

lifetechnologies.com/simpliamp

ProFlex™ PCR SystemFlexible control to fit how you work today

• Accessible by multiple users—run three independent experiments at once

• Flexible block configuration—accepts five types of thermal blocks

• Convenient remote access—connect by wi-fi and monitor your instrument with a free mobile app

lifetechnologies.com/proflexpcr

Yes, there's an Applied Biosystems® PCR system for that!

endPoInT

TRY ITLove IT

Want to try one of our thermal cyclers in your lab? Complete our online form and we’ll follow up to schedule a demo of the instrument that best suits your needs.lifetechnologies.com/tcdemo

®

FRee 5 YeaRS waRRanTY oR PoweR

SUPPLY

Now! 2720 thermal cycler comes with 5 years warranty or a free PowerEase® 90W power supply.Please contact your sales representative for more information.Learn more at: lifetechnologies.com/2720Learn more at: lifetechnologies.com/powerease

11life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

Geneamp® PCR System 9700 Discontinuation Letter

Dear Valued Customer,

After careful consideration, Life Technologies, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, has decided to discontinue the sale of new GeneAmp® PCR System 9700’s as of December 31st, 2015. This letter serves as advance notice that after the above date, these products will no longer be available for sale.

Applied Biosystems, a part of Life Technologies, recognizes that service and support of our products are important to you. We plan to continue to offer our standard comprehensive service plans for the GeneAmp® PCR System 9700 until December 31st, 2020. We will make every commercially reasonable effort to fully support you during that period of time. Please note, however, that continued development in instrument component technology means that over time we may be forced to offer more limited services.

We are pleased to announce that for a majority of these products, we have alternative products with similar formats that provide the same or better performance than the discontinued products. If you are currently purchasing any of the products on the following list, please refer to the column with the Alternative Part#. This table will serve as a guide as you continue to purchase and use Life Technologies high quality products for your research needs. The ProFlex™ PCR system provides all formats and flexibility of the 9700 but offers significant improvements including:

• “Simulation Modes” allow you to make the ProFlex™ perform just like your 9700 • Additional security modes allow you to limit or “lock in” certain protocols • Veriflex Blocks™ for temperature optimization or precise incubations • Easy to use 8.2” touchscreen makes programming simple

Part # GeneAmp® PCR System 9700 Alternative Part # Description4314878 96-well Gold-Plated System 4484075 Proflex™ 96 well veriflex PCR System4314879 96-well Aluminum System 4484075 Proflex™ 96 well veriflex PCR System4343176 Dual 96-well System 4484076 Proflex™ 2x96 well Systemn8050001 96-well Silver System 4484075 Proflex™ 96 well veriflex PCR System4310899 60-well and 0.5 ml Tube System 4384638 veriti 60 well Thermal Cycler

For technical questions, to get in touch with your local Life Technologies representative, or to get more product for information, please visit us on the web at www.lifetechnologies.com/9700DISC.

As always, we appreciate your business. Sincerely,

Cain Murphy Senior Product Manager Endpoint PCR Instruments

TRade In

now

Trade in your GeneAmp® PCR System 9700 for a ProFlex™ PCR system.Please contact your sales representative for more information.Find out more at: lifetechnologies.com/proflexpcr

PCR

PCR

A new generation of PCR is here QuantStudio® 3D Digital PCR System

• Simple—load and go, turnkey chip-based workflow

• Affordable—less than 50% of the price of competing platforms

• Absolute—concentration measurements in copies/μL without a standard curve

QuantStudio® Real-Time PCR (qPCR) instrument familyNow you can pick the qPCR platform that best fits your research requirements:

QuantStudio® 6 Flex Real-Time PCR SystemFlexibility for today, tomorrow, and beyond

QuantStudio® 7 Flex Real-Time PCR SystemHelp advance your research with increased application versatility

QuantStudio® 12K Flex Real-Time PCR SystemThe all-in-one qPCR instrument for maximum productivity

lifetechnologies.com/quantstudioqpcrfamily

22 NEWASSAYS

QuantStudio® 3D Rare Mutation Analysis Solution Detect rare mutations using the QuantStudio® 3D Digital PCR System and optimized, wet lab–validated TaqMan® SNP Genotyping Assays targeting 38 somatic mutations identified in important cancer genes, including KRAS, BRAF, EGFR, PIK3CA, and JAK2. Twenty-two new assays are now available, for a total of 60 assays to choose from.

Find them at: lifetechnologies.com/dpcr-raremutation

Is digital PCR right for you? It’s easy to decide with our on-demand webinar, “Introduction to digital PCR”

lifetechnologies.com/dpcrintro

TaqMan® and SYBR® chemistries are optimized for Applied Biosystems® instruments.lifetechnologies.com/qpcr

dIGITaL

ReaL-TIMe

trade inTRade UP

Trade up to QuantStudio® Real-Time PCR (qPCR) instrumentsTrade in any real–time PCR instrument for a new system, and make the most of your investment with exceptional trade-up deals, all backed by our world-class service and support. Terms and conditions apply.Please contact your sales representative for more information.

trade intrade up

Free app

Platinum® Taq DNA Polymerase Trusted and true hot-start polymerase

For high-specificity PCR you need a true hot-start polymerase. Platinum® Taq DNA Polymerase enables robust, reliable results, and is widely trusted and cited by researchers.

lifetechnologies.com/platinumtaq

PubGo™ mobile app Go from Methods & Materials direct to your bench, the PubGo™ app allows you to access product information from journal articles with a single click.

Find out more and download the app at: lifetechnologies.com/pubgo

Turn your reagents into rewards

Join the Reagent Rewards™ program and earn points each time you purchase and scan a qualifying product on your smart device.* Redeem points for a variety of promotional items.

lifetechnologies.com/reagentrewardsLook for this icon throughout the issue for qualifying products

*Available for iOS® and Android™ devices. Terms and conditions apply. For complete details, go to lifetechnologies.com/reagentrewards

®

Starting from April 1, 2015, you will get stamp for every oligo purchase, by collecting stamps to specified amount, you can redeem stamps for gifts.

No. of awarded stamp will be doubled by ordering on lifetechnologies.com/oligos

Find out at: lifetechnologies.com/2015hkoligo2015 Oligo Loyalty Program

is back!

Order More Oligos, Get More Rewards

13life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

Applications:

• Absolute quantification of references and standards

• Absolute quantification of viral load

• Cnv

• Differential gene expression

• GMO detection

• Low level pathogen detection

• nGS Library quantification

• Rare mutation analysis

TaqMan® SNP Genotyping AssaysThe precision of TaqMan® probe-based chemistry makes SNP genotyping studies more accurate than ever.

with more than 6.2 million predesigned TaqMan® SnP Genotyping Assays available for use with 48-, 96-, 384-well and OpenArray® real-time PCR instrument formats, you can select the workflow that best fits your genotyping needs.

Search for assays at lifetechnologies.com/taqmansnp

TaqMan® MicroRNA Profiling SolutionGold standard TaqMan® technology : profile microRNA expression in a day.qR

T-

PCR from single cells

ww

w.lifetechnologies.com

/sc2

ct

introducing the recommended

companion product

Ambion® Single Cell-to-CT

™ Kit

Ambion® Single Cell-to-CT™ qRT-PCR KitRNA isolation solution for single cellIt provides a validated workflow for gene expression analysis, and offers a standardized platform for the study of single cells. 

• Preoptimized workflow for real-time RT-PCR on 1 to 10 cells• Sample preparation time is only 7 minutes• Maximum sensitivity for single-cell analysis• Superior performance and reproducibility over alternatives• Complete kit convenience and easy-to-follow protocol

Learn more at lifetechnologies.com/singlecell

TaqMan® Array Gene Signature Plates and Cards with Pre-amplification RT primer poolContain a set of predesigned, preloaded and pre-selected TaqMan® Assays relevant for specific pathways, biomarker sets, or disease states to facilitate drug discovery and disease research. Endogenous control panels are also available to identify the best housekeeping gene products for your research. 

The offer of corresponding Pre-amplification RT primer pool with Pre-amplification master mix facilitate the pre-amplification of cDNA which transcribed from low sample input, e.g. sample of single cell, blood samples.

Here is a sampling of what’s available:

See the complete collection at lifetechnologies.com/signaturecards

By disease

Alzheimer’s disease Cancer Cardiac hypertrophy Diabetes

By pathway

BRCA 1 JAK-STAT MAPK VEGF

By biological process

Cell cycle proliferation and regulation

Development and stem cells ECM matrix and adhesion Neurology

Immune system and inflammation

Signal transductionToxicology and drug metabolism

The TaqMan® Assays QPCR Guarantee

Quality high-quality manufacturing for reproducible results from lot to lotPerformance superior sensitivity, specificity and accuracyContent the largest collection of primer and probe sets using the world’s best and most extensively validated assay design pipelineResults enables you to obtain data you can trust

Learn more at lifetechnologies.com/taqmanguarantee

We are committed to helping you achieve your research goals and believe our predesigned TaqMan® primer and probe sets establish the benchmark for high-quality and easy-to-use real-time PCR products. We guarantee every TaqMan® Assay in terms of:

Who Will win? You decide!TaqMan® Assays and SYBR® Green dyes are the most trused chemistries for real-time PCR. Now is your chance to show your support for your favorite chemistry.

Watch them square off in a rap battle for the ages, and then help decide who wins.

Watch the battle unfold at youtu.be/nKrJnc1xWb0

Watch the videoTaqMan® Assays take on SYBR® Green dyes in an epic rap battle

Features of the workflow• Results the same day—complete an experiment profiling hundreds of miRNAs in as little as five hours• Ideal for human, mouse, and rat profiling• Extensive coverage of known miRNAs consistent with Sanger miRBase• Requires as little as 1 ng of total RNA input—making it suitable for FFPE, FACS, biopsy, and other very small samples.

Please contact your sales representative for more information.

TaqMan® MicroRNA Assays are innovative tools for miRNA research—from isolation through discovery, profiling, quantitation, validation, and functional analysis. TaqMan® MicroRNA Assays employ a novel target-specific stem-loop reverse transcription primer to address the challenge of the short length of mature miRNA. The primer extends the 3' end of the target to produce a template that can be used in standard TaqMan® Assay–based real-time PCR. Also, the stem-loop structure in the tail of the primer confers a key advantage to these assays: specific detection of the mature, biologically active miRNA

Buy selected real-time PCR master mixes and/or nucleic acid purification kits in a single purchase order worth HK$9,000, save 40% discount on mySPINTM 6 mini centrifuge.Please contact your sales representative for more information.Find out more at: lifetechnologies.com/qpcrbundle

SAVE40%

15life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

new! SuperScript® Iv Reverse TranscriptaseLeT no SaMPLe Go UnConQUeRedChallenging samples don’t stand a chance against new SuperScript® IV Reverse Transcriptase.

• Significantly improved resistance to a variety of inhibitors that interfere with cDnA synthesis

• Robust and specific cDnA synthesis from a wide range of sample types

• fast reverse transcriptase reaction to reduce the reaction time from 50+ minutes to 10 minutes

FOR EXCEPTIONAL

CHooSe inVitrogen™ pCr enzymeS and reVerSe tranSCriptaSeSENSITIVITY, SPECIFICITY, AND YIELD

Fast cDNA synthesis rate of SuperScript® IV (SSIV) compared to SuperScript® III (SSIII) and RTs from other vendors.

what are the key differences between SuperScript® III and SuperScript® Iv Reverse Transcriptases?

The SuperScript® IV enzyme has been further engineered for

performance optimization in the presence of inhibitors, and the reaction

buffer has also been optimized for robust cDNA synthesis from a wide

range of samples.

Can I get a comparable level of cdna yield and length using the SuperScript® Iv Reverse Transcriptase 10-minute reaction time as when using the 50-minute reaction time for SuperScript® III Reverse Transcriptase?

When compared with SuperScript® III Reverse Transcriptase (and

other manufacturers’ RTs) in a synthesis reaction of a 9 kb cDNA,

SuperScript® IV Reverse Transcriptase performed successful synthesis

in just 10 minutes and did so with comparable (or improved) yield (as

shown by gel band density). See figure at left.

For real-time applications, do you recommend the SuperScript® Iv first-strand synthesis system over the SuperScript® vILo™ Master Mix?

for qPCR applications, we continue to recommend the SuperScript®

VILO™ kit and master mix. The SuperScript® VILO™ kit has been

specifically designed for great performance and convenience for

qRT-PCR applications.

are there any significant changes in the SuperScript® Iv protocol compared to the SuperScript® III protocol?

The only change is that the reverse transcription incubation time has

been reduced from 50 minutes to 10 minutes. All the other parameters

and steps are the same.

Watch the video “SuperScript® IV—cDNA synthesis in confidence” at: lifetechnologies.com/ssiv

Q

Q

a

a

Q

Q

a

a

Our tech service experts answer a few of your questions.

On SuperScript® IV Reverse TranscriptaseUse promotion code P1252760. Offer expires Jun 12, 2015. Terms and conditions apply Find out more at: lifetechnologies.com/ssiv

25% off

™

BUY SUPERSCRIPT® II OR III REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE, get a SuperSCript® iV reVerSe tranSCriptaSe SampLe Free

Use promotion code M10101 for SuperScript® ii, M20202 for SuperScript® iii. One vial of SuperScript® iv reverse transcriptase sample (2,000 unit) will be offered for every purchase of SuperScript® II or SuperScript® III reverse transcriptase (4 x 10,000 units). while supplies last. Offer expires Jun 12, 2015. Terms and conditions apply.

Find out more at: lifetechnologies.com/lifeinthelabhk13

Use promotion code REAGEnTA. One vial of SuperScript® iv reverse transcriptase sample (2,000 unit) will be offered in free of charge for every purchase of selected RnA purification reagents worth HK$9,000. while supplies last. Offer expires Jun 12, 2015. Terms and conditions apply.

Find out more at: lifetechnologies.com/lifeinthelabhk13

BUY ANY SELECTED RNA PURIFICATION REAGENTS WORTH HK$9,000,

get a SuperSCript® iV reVerSe tranSCriptaSe SampLe Free

FREE SUPERSCRIPT® IV SAMPLE

17life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

cell engineering

Check out these tools and solutions designed to work together to help answer important scientific questions—faster and with less effort.

CoMPReHenSIve GenoMe edITInG TooLS FoR eveRY STeP In THe CeLL enGIneeRInG woRkFLow

GeneArt® Gene Synthesis brochure

Do you need superior gene synthesis services or optimized protein expression? Maybe you’re looking to outsource the entire process from gene synthesis to protein or cell line production. Whatever your needs, our new brochure outlines the GeneArt® products and services you need to help you succeed.

lifetechnologies.com/gnsbrochure

Do you GeneArt® It? We’d love to hear from you!Share how GeneArt® products and services help advance your research.

Send your story to:geoffrey.cassell@thermofisher.com

deSIGn GeneArt® CRISPR Nuclease mRNA

GeneArt® CRISPR Nuclease mRNA with Lipofectamine® MessengerMAX™ mRNA Transfection Reagent enables high genome-editing efficiency in a broad range of hosts, including stem cells and difficult-to-transfect cell lines.

lifetechnologies.com/CRISPRmRNA

deLIveR Lipofectamine® MessengerMAX™

mRNA Transfection Reagent

This amazing reagent delivers amazing transfection efficiency, with up to 10x higher cleavage efficiency using GeneArt® CRISPR Nuclease mRNA.

lifetechnologies.com/messengermax

deTeCT GeneArt® Genomic Cleavage Detection Kit

Provides a simple, reliable, and rapid method to determine the nuclease cleavage efficiency at a given locus.

lifetechnologies.com/geneeditdetect

GeneArt® Genomic Cleavage Selection Kit

A quick method for screening the functionality of nuclease cleavage in cultured cells via a fluorescent readout and membrane protein expression with enriching capabilities.

lifetechnologies.com/geneeditdetect

GeneArt® Gene SynthesisMolecular cloning made easy

Don’t have the time to clone your favorite gene? What if you could just have your favorite gene made for you, analogous to an optimized, error-free PCR reaction? Now you can.

Skip the time-consuming optimization and troubleshooting steps of conventional PCR and cloning techniques, and save valuable lab resources when you GeneArt® It.

lifetechnologies.com/genesynthesis

Watch our webinar “GeneArt® Strings™ and Type IIs Assembly”This informative webinar outlines methodologies to help you save time and money, and remain focused on results instead of troubleshooting lengthy PCR and cloning reactions.

lifetechnologies.com/webinargeneart

GeneArt® Strings™ DNA FragmentsFast, flexible, and affordable

GeneArt® Strings™ DNA Fragments are custom-made, uncloned, double-stranded linear DNA fragments assembled from synthetic oligonucleotides using the same process developed for high-quality GeneArt® Gene Synthesis. Available up to 3 kb and processed in 5–8 business days.

lifetechnologies.com/strings

CUSToM SeRvICeS—YoUR Gene YoUR waY

LET US bUILD yOUR GENE WITh INVITROGEN™ GENE SyNThESIS AND GENOME EDITING TOOLS

™

GeneArt® custom services

Whether you’re looking to save time or improve upon existing processes, GeneArt® services provide:

• A single resource for all of your outsourcing needs

• Gene synthesis, custom cell lines, and mammalian/ baculovirus protein production

• Cloning and plasmid prep services

• ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 certification and responsive project management

lifetechnologies.com/geneart

new

GeneArt® CRISPRNuclease mRNA or

GeneArt® CRISPR U6 StringsTM DNA gRnA expression cassette with U6 Pol ii promoter

targeting multiple genes

Gene 1 Gene 2 Gene 3

Transfect with Lipofectamine® 3000transfection reagent

GeneArt® CRISPR T7 StringsTM DNA in vitro transcribed gRnAs

by using MEGAshortscriptTM T7 Transcription Kit

Transfect with Lipofectamine®

MessengerMaXTM reagent

Measure cleavageefficiency withGeneart® GenomicCleavage detection kit

life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com 19

SPeCIeS dePICTed:

Carolina parakeet, Dodo, Great auk, Woolly mammoth, Xerces blue butterfly, Thylacine

(Tasmanian tiger), Archaeopteryx

SCIenCe FaCT oR SCIenCe FICTIon?

RESURRECTION BIOLOGY

W ith the forthcoming theatrical release of Jurassic World on the horizon, we began to wonder whether the idea of bringing

an extinct species back to life is within the realm of science fact or science fiction.

A little background: mankind has had a large—and largely negative—impact on earth’s animal and plant species. Biologists estimate that we are losing thousands of species year after year. And while no one is certain exactly how many species are currently in danger, it’s clear that we risk losing many thousands of species to extinction in the coming decades.

How are scientists approaching this problem? One ambitious idea is de-extinction—also called resurrection biology, species revivalism, or zombie zoology—which is the process of re-creating an extinct species from ancient DnA.

why should we bring these creatures back to life? For the same vital reasons we attempt to protect our currently endangered species: to preserve biodiversity, to restore damaged ecosystems, to strengthen reproductive health through gene pool enrichment, and to mitigate at least some of the harm that we humans have created.

Using cutting-edge developments in genetic technology, molecular biologists and conservation biologists are working on projects that may bring extinct animals back to life, or endangered animals back from the brink. Possible candidates for de-extinction, genetic rescue, or genetic assistance are easy to isolate because the very material required for revival—the animal’s DnA—is relatively easy to obtain.

According to The Long now foundation (longnow.org), “The “ancient DnA” of many extinct species can be recovered from museum specimens and fossils via Ancient Genome Assembly. new techniques still being further developed (synthetic DnA and CRiSPR genome editing) may be able to bring the reassembled genomes back to life via a close living relative. But species that died out so long ago that no DnA remains, such as dinosaurs, are unrecoverably extinct.”

The science is not without significant controversy. Opponents of de-extinction posit that efforts and resources used to resurrect extinct species would be better spent in protecting currently endangered species. Scientific American, in an editorial condemning de-extinction, opined that research “should be conducted under the mantle of preserving modern biodiversity rather than conjuring extinct species from the grave.”

So, while a pet archaeopteryx or dodo is probably not in your future, this research may give us another chance to see some of these species in living, breathing form again.

Sources: The Long now foundation and Scientific American.

21life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

molecular biology

Forget about those extra steps!

With TOPO® cloning, the additional time, steps, and reagents required for ligase-mediated cloning are eliminated. You also don’t have to worry about gel purification or post-PCR modification steps.

Add 1 µL of PCR reaction to 1 µL of TOPO® cloning vector.

Perform PCR with Taq or proofreading polymerase.

A PCR product

Incubate 5 min at room temperature.

Transform E. coli.

Amplifying with Taq polymerase? Using a high-fidelity polymerase?

We’ve got the TOPO® PCR cloning kit for you. Our kits come in various formats to accommodate TA, blunt-end, or long fragment cloning. They also come with or without competent cells for added flexibility.

Cloning support center

One resource for all your cloning support needs. Navigate through the cloning support categories at the link below to obtain relevant technical information, view tips and tricks when starting an experiment, and find answers to everyday cloning problems.

TOPO® PCR CLOning iS AS eASY AS 1, 2, 3!

go From pCr to CLone WitH 95% reCoVery in 5 minuteS

CHOOSE TO GO TOPO®

TOPOTOPO

TOPO®

cloningvector

510

15

2025

3035

40

45

50

550

Find all these TOPO® products and resources at: lifetechnologies.com/topo

1 2 3

Invitrogen™ TOPO® technology revolutionized the science of high-performance cloning, and is designed to deliver simplicity, efficiency, speed, and unparalleled yield—no matter how difficult the sample or downstream application. That’s why it’s the most widely cited and highly trusted brand in PCR cloning.

™

VECTOR NTI® ExprEss DESIGNER SOFTWARECurate. diSCoVer. deSign. ConFirm.

It leads the way in engineering the next generation of in silico cloning and assembly. The newly developed interface is a virtual project canvas for both simplified drag-and-drop vector construction and simplified sequence alignment between projects. Vector NTI® Express Designer Software also provides access to GeneArt® web tools to obtain optimized protein expression levels.

Download a trial at lifetechnologies.com/vectornti

dIReCT PCRamplify without purificationThe Thermo Scientific™ direct PCR approach allows DNA amplification from unpurified samples. A tiny amount of source material is added directly in the PCR reaction without any DNA purification steps, enabling significant savings in time and cost.

• wide variety of sample types e.g. blood, plants, animal and human tissues

• very little sample material required

• PCR directly from sample tissue

• less pipetting and faster cycling

• direct loading on gels

direct pCr tissue puncherThe Tissue Puncher 0.3 mm is a convenient tool for cutting small punch discs from materials such as animal and plant tissues as well as Whatman FTA or Whatman 903 cards for Direct PCR applications.

lifetechnologies.com/directpcr

Real-Time PCR

This easy-to-use collection of real-time PCR resources is an excellent learning tool for both new and experienced researchers. The application’s main feature is a real-time PCR handbook covering all aspects of real-time PCR from the basics of how the technology works to data analysis and interpretation.

PCR Essentials

Find product information on Taq polymerases, dNTP, gels and stains, RT-PCR products, cDNA products, and master mixes. Also included is a convenient master mix calculator for quick mix calculations.

CloningBench 2.0

Completely redesigned and optimized for iOS® 8, CloningBench 2.0 is now better than ever. Join the more than 25,000 users to find out what’s new in cloning, and to get tips on how you can make your life at the bench a little easier.

DailyCalcs Science Calculator

Calculate molarity, dilution, molecular weight, and more with the new DailyCalcs Science Calculator.

Download these free mobile apps at: lifetechnologies.com/mobileapps

E-Gel® CloneWell™ SYBR Safe™ GelsExtract DNA bands of interest from the gel in three simple steps without any additional purification steps. Designed to save time and effort while maximizing the amount of DNA recovered and improving cloning efficiencies.

lifetechnologies.com/clonewell

E-Gel® precast agarose electrophoresis systemE-Gel® precast agarose gels are designed for fast, convenient, and easy-to-run electrophoresis. Ready-to-use cassettes precast with agarose, electrodes, and in-gel stains. Just load your samples and run. Enabling excellent resolution and clarity in as little as 10 minutes.

lifetechnologies.com/egels

MOBILE PRODUCTIVITY

™

“Cleanest genotyping results i’ve ever had, in the shortest time, with the least amount of work.”

—Sux Rix, University College London, UK

23life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

™

myeCL™ Imagerone-touch western blot and gel imaging at your fingertips

It revolutionizes image acquisition of protein and nucleic acid blots and gels detected via chemiluminescent, colorimetric or UV light-activated fluorescent substrates or stains. It uses UV and visible light transillumination, specialized filters and advanced CCD camera technology to capture images with high sensitivity and dynamic range. Also included with the instrument is a five-computer license for the Thermo Scientific myImage Analysis Software, a complete and powerful analysis tool.

HOW DO YOU

prot

ein

biol

ogy

WhATEVER yOUR PREfERENCE, WE hAVE A PERfECT fIT fOR yOUR LAb™

transfer.stain.Thermo Scientific Pierce Power StainerDesigned for rapid coomassie staining of proteins in polyacrylamide gels and subsequent removal of unbound stain to give sharply stained protein bands with minimal or no background

• Fast – coomassie staining and destaining of proteins in about 10 minutes• Convenient – simultaneously stain and destain 1-2 mini gels or 1 midi gel•  Reliable performance – delivers staining results that are equivalent to

traditional staining techniques• Easy-touch programming – intuitive LCD touchscreen interface includes

pre-programmed protocols

Thermo Scientific Pierce Power BlotterCombines high-performance protein transfer with speed, allowing for the fast and efficient transfer of proteins ranging in sizes from 10 to 300kDa from polyacrylamide gel to blotting membrane

• Fast – transfer proteins in 5-10 minutes • Efficient transfer – transfer low-, medium- and high-Mw proteins (10-300kDa) equivalent to or better

than conventional semi-dry or wet transfer methods•  Integrated power supply – allows consistent high-efficiency protein transfer•  Easy-touch programming – access pre-programmed transfer protocols based on the number of gels,

gel size and molecular weight range of proteins

Highlights

One-touch image acquisition • Multi-exposure with up to five different preset or user-defined exposure times• Automatic visible image capture with every chemiluminescent image exposure• Live camera setting to view the illuminated platform in any mode• Interactive Chemi, which automatically calculates the exposure time of a Western blot

Immunoassays your wayAntibody pairs, ELISA kits, and Luminex® assays

• Measure cytokines, chemokines, beta amyloids, and signaling targets• Designed for sensitive, accurate, and consistent performance• Validated on serum, plasma, tissue culture supernant, or lysate• Convenient ready-to-use assays enable results in half a dayUse our online Immunoassay Selection Guide to find the right ELISA kit, Luminex® assay, or antibody pair. Simply search by keyword, then filter your results by assay type, species, detection method, and even by the protein family.lifetechnologies.com/elisa

2,000 references and counting. Published in journals from ACS Nano to Xenotransplantation, and almost every one in between, our ELISAs have been used by thousands of scientists to unravel complex biological processes. Put them to work in your lab.

One power station + two cassettes =

powerful possibilitiesThermo Scientific TM PierceTM Power System

SAVe25%

On selected ELISA kits buy hK$6,500 of qualifying ELISA kits, and receive a free heat-sensitive coffee mug. Or buy hK$12,000 of qualifying ELISA kits, and receive a pair of warm winter touchscreen-capable gloves free. Please contact your sales representative for more information.

25life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

ModIFYNeon® Transfection System Transfect your cells, typically in less than 20 seconds, using the uniquely designed Neon® pipette tip. Great for any cell type, including cells that are difficult to transfect.

lifetechnologies.com/neon

HulaMixer® Sample Mixer Every lab needs a flexible and robust mixer. This one will tilt, rotate, and vortex your sample to help ensure thorough mixing.

lifetechnologies.com/hulamixer

iBind® Western DeviceObtain greater sensitivity and reproducibility as compared to manual processing methods. Automated, hands-free processing enables better blot-to-blot consistency, while using up to 80% less primary antibody.

lifetechnologies.com/ibind

SoLUTIonS

E-Gel® Imager SystemCapture high-quality images and analyze agarose gels using a lightweight, portable, easy-to-use benchtop imaging system.

lifetechnologies.com/gelimager

Qubit® 3.0 Fluorometer

The Qubit® 3.0 Fluorometer measures DNA, RNA, and protein using the highly sensitive Qubit® quantitation assays. The easy-to-use touch-screen menus make it easy to select and run the assays you need, with results displayed in just a few seconds.

lifetechnologies.com/qubit

TRY ITLove IT

Want to try one of these benchtop solutions in your lab? Complete our online form* and we’ll follow up to schedule a demo of the device that best suits your needs.

* To request a demo, go to the URL shown with each device. HulaMixer® Sample Mixer not included in demo program.

Small But Mighty Benchtop Solutions

To Make YoUR LaB HUM

You spend hours working to complete your research. Whether it’s unlocking the next cancer pathway or saving you time at the bench, we have solutions to help simplify your work.

Check out these easy-to-use benchtop solutions that help make the most of your time and research dollars.

7

Simply stunning EVOS® cell imaging systemsSmarter systems | Easier cell imaging | Faster resultsMinimize the complexities of microscopy without compromising performance.

See which EVOS® cell imaging system is best for you at: lifetechnologies.com/evos

anaLYZe

QUanTITaTeCountess® II FL Automated Cell Counter Get fast, easy, and accurate cell counting without using a hemocytometer, and avoid the tedium and subjectivity of manual cell counting. Now with two optional fluorescent channels and bright-field—researchers can count cells, monitor fluorescent protein expression, and measure cell viability all in as little as 10 seconds per count.

lifetechnologies.com/countessII

PReP 6

5

72

4

1

3

™

BenCHToP

27life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

cell analysis

aTTUne® nxT aCoUSTIC FoCUSInG CYToMeTeRBOUNDARY-BREAKING FLOW CYTOMETRY

Bioprobes® Journal

Stay in the know with the latest news and updates.

lifetechnologies.com/subscribeprobes

GET STARTED MAKinG BEAUTifUL SCiEnCE wiTH MOLECULAR PROBES® fLUORESCEnT REAGEnTS

Imaging basics tip

Problem: High diffuse background in image

Possible cause: Nonspecific binding to proteins other than the target

Tip: BlockAid™ Blocking Solution is an optimized mix of protein blocking components designed to reduce background signal from cells or tissues

Request a free sample at:lifetechnologies.com/fixedcellimaging

School of fluorescence

Our bench scientists share the best tips, tricks, and protocols that will help you capture beautiful images again and again.

lifetechnologies.com/imagingbasics

• Modular design with 1–4 lasers and 6–16 detection parameters

• innovative acoustic focusing technology enables unparalleled speed and precision

• flexible optical filters to grow with your expanding applications

Flow cytometry products and resource guide

Download or order your free copy at:lifetechnologies.com/flowguide

newdeMoThe Attune® NxT Acoustic Focusing Cytometer is small in size but big in performance, and is designed to meet a range of lab budgets and application needs.

Take a 3D video tour

Experience an interactive tour and learn all about this innovative instrument.

lifetechnologies.com/attune

Illuminating research for decades

With Alexa Fluor® dyes—the leading and most trusted fluorescent dyes—you can count on stunning images every time.

lifetechnologies.com/alexa

Image-iT® Hypoxia Reagent

A novel fluorogenic compound for measuring hypoxia in live cells. Real-time detection of hypoxia with dynamic oxygen concentration detection.

lifetechnologies.com/hypoxia

Superior cell proliferation analysis—generation after generation

Distinguish up to 8 generations or cell divisions by flow cytometry with minimum cytotoxicity using CellTrace™ Violet stain.

lifetechnologies.com/celltrace

CYTOMETRYEXPERIENCE

nature composes some of her loveliest poems for the microscope.Theodore RoszakWhere the Wasteland Ends

Free SampLe

™

Zenon® anTIBodY LaBeLInG kITSit is suitable for use in all applications where a directly labeled antibody can be used.

• 10 minute labeling time • 1–20 µg primary antibody per labeling • Compatible with BSA and other stabilizing proteins • No purification step • Flexible antibody labeling

lifetechnologies.com/zenon

Alexa Fluor® dyes

Superior alternatives to standard dyes- brighter conjugate fluorescence- superior photostability- ideal spectral match for all of the popular filters

A broad range of Alexa Fluor® dyes and conjugates for your applications:

Secondary Detection Reagents Secondary Antibodies, Streptavidin, Anti-Dye and Hapten Antibodies, TSA Kits & More Labeling Kits Antibodies, Proteins & DNA/RNA Reactive Dyes Succinimidyl Esters, Malemides, & More Cell Structure & Tracing Phalloidins, Dextrans, Polar Tracers & More Cellular Analysis Kits Apoptosis, Cell Proliferation, Cytotoxicity, & More Bioconjugates Annexin V, Cholera toxin, Lectins & More Primary Antibodies For Cell Junctions, Phosphoproteins, CD Markers, & More

lifetechnologies.com/alexafluor

29life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

Is trypsin digesting your cell surface proteins?Test the alternative—TrypLE™ reagents are highly purified, recombinant cell-dissociation enzymes that replace porcine trypsin and can be directly substituted for trypsin without protocol changes.

• gentle on cells—to help protect your cell’s surface proteins

• Stable at room temperature—no need to freeze means they’re ready when you need them

• Animal origin-free—important if you’re looking for a product without animal–derived components

lifetechnologies.com/tryple

Get reproducible results at a lower costwith Gibco® Advanced™ mediaEnriched with normal-serum constituents, Gibco® Advanced™ media require 50–90% less FBS supplementation, enabling equivalent or superior cell growth, with no change in morphology or function in many common cell lines. Plus you’ll use less serum, which means fewer lot-to-lot changes.

lifetechnologies.com/advancedmedia

MAKE YOUR CELLS EXTRAORDINARY wiTH innOvATivE GiBCO® CELL CULTURE PRODUCTS

Get certified, get ahead

The Gibco® Cell Culture Basics Certification course is designed to introduce you to the practice of laboratory cell culture, although even seasoned hands will learn a thing or two.

Find out how you can get certified at: lifetechnologies.com/cellculturebasics

From culture to discovery, every passage, every step, you’re covered

“My students were overwhelmingly thankful to have access to these Gibco® training materials. This online course is an excellent resource.” Douglas Bruce MS Biomanufacturing Instructor Laney College Oakland, California, USA

®

cell culture

It’s springtime, and love is in the air for CHO-K1.

And just what, you might ask, has CHO all googly-eyed? Why, Gibco® sera and media, of course.

If you work with CHO, you’ll want to see why she’s completely gaga for Gibco® cell culture products.

PeRFeCT CeLL CuLTuRe PAiRingSBrougHt to you By giBCo® LiFe oF CeLLS

1

Medium: Ham’s f-12 [K]Serum: 10% fBS standard USDAAntibiotics: Pen-Strep, GentamicinSupplement/Growth Factor: GlutaMAX™-I Supplement, or L-GlutamineBalanced Salts/Buffers: PBS/HBSS without Ca and Mg Dissociation Reagent: TrypLE™ Express or Trypsin Transfection Reagent: Lipofectamine® 3000Selection Antibiotics: G418, Puromycin, Zeocin™ Antibiotic, Mycophenolic acid, Hygromycin B

Call him a teacher, or selfless, or altruistic if you like. All Jurkat wants is to be as helpful to scientists as possible. Need to study the mechanism of differential susceptibility of cancers to drugs and radiation? How about a reliable producer of IL-2? Then Jurkat is your guy.

To keep up his energy to continue his selfless devotion to science, Jurkat nourishes himself with Gibco® cell culture media.

2

Medium: RPMi 1640Serum: 10% fBS standard USDAAntibiotics: Pen-Strep, GentamicinSupplement/Growth Factor: GlutaMAX™-I Supplement, or L-GlutamineTransfection Reagent: Lipofectamine® 3000Selection Antibiotics: G418, Puromycin, Zeocin™ Antibiotic, Mycophenolic acid, Hygromycin B

To quote The Bard, “All the world’s a stage...And one man in his time plays many parts.”

Since Stem is asked to play so many roles, Shakespeare must have had him in mind when he penned those immortal words.

So, you may ask, how does Stem keep himself in shape for the demands of the job? Stem uses Gibco® special treatments and all the best media.

3

Medium: Essential 8™ MediumTransfection Reagent: Lipofectamine® 3000Supplement/Growth Factor: GlutaMAX™-I Supplement, or L-GlutamineKnockOut™ Serum Replacement

Buy any Thermo FisherTM CO2 Incubators, get 50% discount on Countess II® or Countess® II FL

Automated Cell Counter.

Please contact your sales representative for more information.

get a Set oF 5 giBCo® LiFe oF CeLLS miniFigureS Free for up to two Gibco® media and/or sera orders which worth HKD 9,000.Please complete the online requests form with invoice no. at lifetechnologies.com/lifeofcells

31life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

50%off

Freeminis

transfection

Lipofectamine® MessengerMaX™ reagent is your ticket ‘in’Discover the mRNA transfection reagent that outperforms other leading DNA and mRNA reagents.

• 5X the efficiency of DnA reagents in neurons and primary cell types

• Up to 80% transfection efficiency in neurons and primary cell types

• faster protein expression with no risk of genomic integration

• Up to 10X higher cleavage efficiency with CRiSPR mRnA

lifetechnologies.com/messengermax

Lipofectamine® messengermaX™ mrna reagent outperforms leading dna and mrna delivery reagents in fresh isolated hnSCs. Lipofectamine® MessengerMAX™ reagent and the leading mRNA delivery reagent were used to deliver GFP mRNA (250 ng/well) in a 48-well format. The leading DNA delivery reagent was used to deliver GFP DNA (250 ng/well), and GFP expression was analyzed 24 hours posttransfection.

Leading mRNA reagentLeading DNA reagentLipofectamine® MessengerMAX™ reagent

we currently use dna for transfection. Can you tell me what the advantages of mRna transfection are, and are they cell line specific?

There are many advantages to using mRNA rather than DNA for

transfection, and they are cell line specific.

• A much higher level of transfection efficiency

If you are working with a difficult-to-transfect cell type, where

DNA transfection yields less than 30% efficiency, transfecting an

mRNA alternative can provide up to 80% transfection efficiency.

• A footprint-free method with no risk of genomic integration

This is a result of its ability to deliver the highest amount of

mRNA to the cytoplasm of the cell. There is no nuclear entry

required for protein expression and this eliminates the risk of the

foreign nucleic acid integrating with the host genomic DNA.

See more Q&A at: lifetechnologies.com/messengermax

Q

a

stem

cel

ls

PSC Cryopreservation kit Maximize PSC cryopreservation and recoveryUp to 50% more viable cells postthaw

It includes a xeno-free cryopreservation medium and a chemically defined growth supplement—enables recovery of the maximum number of viable cells postthaw. Compared to traditional methods of cryopreservation, the PSC Cryopreservation Kit is designed to consistently recover up to 50% more viable cells.

lifetechnologies.com/psccryokit

Single cell passaging for PSCsExpanded applications for Essential 8™ Medium

Coupled with RevitaCell™ Supplement, Essential 8™ Medium can be used for routine single cell passaging of PSCs. This system enables maximum cell viability and provides more efficient recovery of cells while retaining normal morphology, pluripotency, and karyotype.

View application note at:lifetechnologies.com/essential8scp

PSC SOLUTIONS for CULTURE and DIFFERENTIATIONCHECK OUT nEw GiBCO® SOLUTiOnS fOR PLURiPOTEnT STEM CELLS (PSCs)

®

new

RevitaCell™ Supplement• Enabling — provides maximum cell viability when performing

single cell passaging

• Rapid cell recovery — high post-thaw cell viability and growth of pluripotent stem cells (passaged as clumps or single cells) and neurons

• Consistent — formulated using animal origin-free and chemically defined materials for quality and confidence

lifetechnologies.com/revitacell

new

It can generate ≥90% CXCR4+/PDGFRα- definitive endoderm cells with only two components in just two days. The two xeno-free media enables efficient induction of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) to definitive endoderm. Each medium is supplied as a 1X complete medium, requiring no mixing of additional components, and the resultant definitive endoderm is capable of differentiating to midgut/hindgut, pancreatic endoderm, or liver bud progenitors that express relevant physiological markers.

Check out our collection of differentiation kits to move PSCs to NSCs (neural stem cells), cardiomyocytes, or definitive endoderm using streamlined protocols to help save you time and effort.

Gibco® PSC definitive endoderm Induction kit

new

TRanSFeCTInG PRIMaRY CeLLS?

™

33life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

®

t cell activation

• You can move from mouse and human studies to clinical research and immunotherapy using the same technology platform.

• The beads mimic in vivo T cell activation (see figure at right).

• There’s no need for mitogens, antigens, or feeder cells.

• Unlike Con A, chemical activators, and soluble or plate-bound antibodies, Dynabeads® technology helps

ensure highly consistent activation and expansion.

I used the Dynabeads® CD3/CD28 for my proliferation experiment, and the experiment worked beautifully! I had been trying to get it to work for a couple of months using soluble CD28/CD3, and it was just not happening. Dynabeads® has definitely made my day! Lisa S. Thomas, Research Associate iV Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, California, USA

GeT PHYSIoLoGICaL T CeLL aCTIvaTIon

What are the major differences between dynabeads® Human t-activator Cd3/Cd28 and dynabeads® Human t-activator Cd3/Cd28/Cd137?Product use: Dynabeads® Human CD3/CD28/CD137 is optimized for activation of Ag-specific/primed T cells by giving a weak anti-CD3 signal and co-stimulatory signals with the anti-CD28 and anti-CD137 antibodies in close proximity.

Dynabeads® Human T-Activator CD3/CD28 (without the CD137) is optimized for activation of naïve T cells that require a stronger anti-CD3 activation signal than Ag-specific/primed T cells.

Dynabeads® technology is the fastest growing method for T cell activation Graphs show percent increase/decrease of published papers using APC (green), mitogens (purple), magnetic particles from an alternative vendor (red), and Dynabeads® (blue) over 4 years. Google Scholar, Jan 2015.

What are the advantages of using dynabeads® magnetic beads coated with Cd3/Cd28 antibodies to activate t cells?

Q&A WITh KAROLINE SChJETNE, PhDThermo fisher Scientific Staff Scientist

Find out about Dynabeads® technology at:lifetechnologies.com/dynabeads

Life in the Lab, issue 13, Spring 2015“Life in the Lab” is published quarterly by Thermo fisher Scientific • 5791 van Allen way, Carlsbad, CA 92008 • lifetechnologies.com/lifeinthelab

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

©2015 Thermo fisher Scientific inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of Thermo fisher Scientific and its subsidiaries unless otherwise specified. TaqMan is a registered trademark of Roche Molecular Systems, inc., used under permission and license. Luminex is a registered trademark of Luminex Corporation. iOS is a registered trademark of Apple, inc. Android is a trademark of Google, inc. PowerPoint is a trademark of Microsoft Corp. Essential 8 is a trademark of Cellular Dynamics international, inc. Doublemint is a trademark of the wm. wrigley Jr. Company. CO013176 0315

35life in the lab spring 2015 lifetechnologies.com

THe PUZZLeRThis puzzle is all about the great products found in this issue. Think you can solve it? Give it a whirl. Solution is on the last page of online issue: lifetechnologies.com/lifeinthelab

DOWN1. royalty of Bass nation, or flex magnetic particle processor (page 7)3. not only a women's name, it's a benchmark for the quantitation of proteins

(page 20)4. Could be a the first part of a morning greeting in ireland, and always a great

cloning reagent (page 18)5. two essential protein detection steps with just one system (instrument) (page

20)6. in pCr there is truth with this thermal cycler (page 10)7. Sounds suspiciously like a 1980s mel gibson movie (page 7)10. t cells are feeling dyn-o-mite with this kit (page 21)12. Sounds like Cupid—this devices measures dna, rna, and protein (page 23)14. you might expect to find a similarly named product in a Waikiki bar, but in

this case it's a great addition to the lab to tilt, rotate and vortex your samples (page 23)

15. now offering 40,000 primary and secondary ________ (page 2)17. See 30 across18. the hottest ticket in town for transfecting primary cells and neurons! (page

29)19. See 20 across20. it could be said this is what bodybuilders do; however, we prefer to use the

name for one of our favorite benchtop pCr machine (page 10)23. this system has some serious chemistry with sequencing data (page 4)25. For electrophoresis, eh? (page 7)28. analyze and admire cell images with this instrument (page 22)29. See 8 across

ACROSS2. With 32 across: What are your cells doing? you'll always know when you label

them with this permanent stain (page 25)5. your cells are ready for their close up! this reagent allows you to take more

images without losing signal (page 25)8. With 29 down: use with essential 8™ medium for single cell passaging of pSCs

(page 28)9. one hand for rodeo—how about no-hands for this western workflow device?

(page 22)11. doublemint® gum claims to double the flavor and the fun—this disassociation

reagent takes it one step further (page 26)13. experience WoW! cytometry, but don't let dr. evil get his hands on this "laser"

(page 24)16. this magazine20. With 19 down: Hot dog—a true hot-start polymerase! (page 13)21. Cell with potential—what do you want it to be? (abbreviation) (page 28)22. the trusted cell culture experts (page 26)24. With 18 down: transfection reagent for primary cells and neurons (page 29)26. transfection in less than 20 seconds with this device (page 23)27. if only your favorite pair of jeans could be cloned. (page 14)30. With 17 down: ugh, background in image! Block it with this solution (page 25)31. Because every Count needs a ____ (page 23)32. See 2 across

the lighter side

Life Technologies LimitedUnits 01, 09-13 & 15-18, Level 13, Tower 1, Kowloon Commerce Centre, no. 51 Kwai Cheong Road, Kwai Chung, n.T., Hong KongGeneral Line: 31077600 | Customer Care Hotline: 24078450 | fax: 24082280