Western blot is a common lab technique used to detect specific proteins in a cell or tissue lysate via antibodies. A misunderstood nemesis, Western blots are a source of headaches and anxieties around the lab. Unlike other protocols, there is no one size fits all approach to blotting – what works for one protein can
Every fall, people around the world are faced with the onset of flu season. The flu, a contagious respiratory disease characterized by coughing, fatigue and sore throat, sickens millions of people and kills hundreds of thousands globally each year. While most people do not require treatment and will recover in less than two weeks, children,
Vanderbilt University researchers have discovered a way to destroy Staphylococcus aureus (staph) using light in combination with an enzyme-activating small molecule. The research was published this summer in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Though about 30% of healthy people carry the
An international team of researchers recently discovered a mechanism that regulates the identification and repair of critically short telomeres, the structures that protect chromosome ends from degradation. The new research, published in Cell, cites our DNA-RNA Hybrid [S9.6] Antibody and has implications for both human aging and cancer. The role of telomeres Telomeres are found
Traditionally, drug discovery groups have monitored target engagement in cells by looking at impacts in downstream signaling following treatment with a compound against a particular target. However, because proteins often participate in multiple signaling pathways, and compounds can bind to proteins aside from the target (called off-targets), looking only at downstream signaling can be convoluted
Here at Kerafast, we recently added the first patient-derived xenograft model to our online platform. Developed at Virginia Commonwealth University, this xenograft was derived from a 74-year-old female patient with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and fully characterized in an Oncotarget journal article. The xenograft’s addition to our catalog prompted us to ask the question:
A Kerafast providing lab from the University of Saskatchewan recently published a paper exploring why bats are immune to SARS and MERS, respiratory diseases that cause serious and often deadly illness in humans. The lab of Dr. Vikram Misra has determined that bat cells employ a unique mechanism to suppress inflammation when infected with viruses,
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease resulting in the loss of the neurotransmitter dopamine as nerve cells slowly die. One function of dopamine is to regulate motor control. Consequently, as PD progresses, individuals may experience tremors, rigidity, difficulty walking, slowed movement and cognitive decline. There is no cure for PD and current treatment relies
Tick-borne disease and the number of ticks are on the rise globally, especially in the United States, thanks to a milder winter in many regions. Ticks are arachnids, and live on a variety of mammalian host species. Ticks bite, attach and live on their mammalian hosts as they feed on their blood. During their attachment,
Research from IRB Barcelona has revealed new information about the role of the Dpp gene (BMP in humans) in the wing development of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The study, published this July in the journal eLife, found that Dpp is necessary for tissue growth but its gradient does not regulate wing growth. These findings