07/06/10: Methods Paper on Rapid Quantification of DNA Libraries for NGS Sequencing
June 7, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent has developed a very nice qPCR-based method for quantifying NGS libraries. This application gives researchers a useful and fast tool for their NGS workflows. At the Science Direct website, you can find a paper describing the technique and other benefits of using it. For example, the authors “find that qPCR quantification may allow improvements to current NGS workflows, including reducing the amount of library DNA required, increasing the accuracy in quantifying amplifiable DNA, and avoiding amplification bias by reducing or eliminating the need to amplify DNA before sequencing.”
The relevant product page on the Agilent Genomics website can be found here.
19/05/10: BGI expands into Denmark
May 20, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
BGI will create a $10 million European headquarters in Copenhagen, where it plans to eventually hire up to 150 scientists and support employees.
BGI will recruit between 20 and 50 people during the first year of the Copenhagen HQ — to be called BGI Europe — then establish a sequencing platform allowing for the hiring of between 50 and 100 people. The project will be China’s largest investment in Denmark.
Read the news in Danish here: http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Penge/2010/05/17/152105.htm
16/04/10: Free Training Courses on writing proposals for Framework 7 Programme
April 16, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Framework 7 Programme is the single largest EU funding program for research. Agilent is providing a free online course to all researchers who want to learn how to develop their skills to successfully submit Framework 7 programme proposals.
This link here opens a PDF file that explains more about the training course. Free training is available until 15th October, 2010.
13/04/10: Sign up for FREE e-seminar on Brilliant III real-time PCR reagents
April 13, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent is pleased to invite you to a FREE e-seminar on Brilliant III, The Next-Generation Real-Time PCR Reagents for Improved Detection and Quantification.
Thursday, May 06th, 2010, 4:30 PM CET (Paris time) 
> Register to this e-seminar
During this e-seminar, you will learn how Brilliant III Ultra-Fast QPCR and QRT-PCR Master Mix reagents are designed to give you quicker access to your data without compromising data reproducibility and quality, by providing the fastest cycling times on any real-time PCR instrument. More specifically, we will discuss the following:
| • | Brilliant III unique features, e.g. a newly engineered Taq, delivering a faster extension rate combined with a novel hot-start technology to minimize non-specific amplification |
| • | Brilliant III Taq mutants resistance to common PCR inhibitors compared to the wild type |
| • | The validation of Brilliant III reagents across a wide range of real-time PCR systems and a variety of templates and targets |
| • | The earlier threshold cycle detection for a more reliable quantification |
Cannot attend ?
> Learn more about Brilliant III and download literature
Bookmark http://bebrilliant-qpcr.com for latest qPCR-related science update, product and promotions information
12/04/10: Register for Online SureSelect Seminar
April 12, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
A Science Live seminar, “To enrich or not to enrich” will be held Monday 19th April as part of the AACR conference next week. You can choose to watch and listen live (though it does start at 1 AM CET…). Alternatively, you can register and watch the recording at a more convenient time. If you are interested, please register here.
10/04/10: Blood & Biomarkers Meeting, April 20th
April 10, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
You Do Bio will be exhibiting at the meeting “Blood and Biomarkers,” held at the Utzon Centre in Aalborg, Tuesday 20th April 2010.
To learn more about the meeting, click on this link: http://www.biokemi.org/meetings/44. If you are coming to the meeting, you are welcome to stop by the You Do Bio exhibit and say hello!
16/03/10: Trade up your old Agilent / V11 Microplate Labeler
March 16, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent are offering existing users of their microplate barcode labeler a 25% trade up option. If you are interested in this, or just in a microplate barcode labeler in general, please contact You Do Bio.
What does the Agilent Microplate Labeler offer?
- Enhanced repeatability and reliability: Extended MTBA (Mean Time Between Assists)
- Crisper images: 600 dpi high resolution print
- Range of symbologies: 1D and 2D symbols
- High flexibility: print and apply up to four labels per plate with two convenient automated placement positions
- High throughput: four seconds per label
- Durability: labels can withstand reagents (including DMSO) and temperatures from
-80°C to 100°C - Automation option: combine labeler with the Agilent BenchCel Microplate Handler to create a Print-and-Apply Workstation
08/03/10: Free NGS e-seminars, 11th and 18th March
March 8, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Just a short post to notify you of the next two free e-seminars on NGS from Agilent. You can get details from the PDF file here.
07/03/10: Music for your genes?
March 7, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
I came across this report on the Dansk Radio website. Two musicians and a scientist from Odense University Hospital, Moustapha Kassem, have created music “Soundmapping the Genes,” an aural interpretation of DNA and protein synthesis. There is a CD available and a couple of sample downloads at this page: Musik til Dine Gener. Even if the music is not to your taste, perhaps you should play it to your tubes the next time you run a PCR, or perhaps to encourage your cells to express that really difficult protein?
05/03/10: DTU Multi-Assay Core (DMAC) – Services available
March 5, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
In the absence of a “Useful Links” page, I just wanted to post this link to the Multi-Assay Core facility at DTU (DMAC). They offer services to researchers throughout Denmark including (amongst others) access and experience in Agilent microarrays, where they have Agilent’s top-of-the-range Scanner.
Not so long ago, I was able to direct a researcher in Denmark to DMAC, who performed a much-needed requirement for microarray-based data from Agilent arrays. I thoroughly recommend them.
02/03/10: Free e-Seminar on “Advances in Target Enrichment Methods”
March 2, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent is holding a free e-Seminar, called “Advances in Target Enrichment Methods” this Thursday, March 4th at 1700 CET. This seminar will feature an update on Agilent’s SureSelect products, as was recently presented at the AGBT meeting.
You will need to register for the meeting if you are interested. That can be done here.
01/03/10: SureSelect supports Barcoding and Indexing
March 1, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Hot news for researchers doing next-generation sequencing (NGS): Agilent recently announced that the SureSelect Target Enrichment system supports multiplexed DNA sequencing of 12 to 16 samples per lane, reducing costs and significantly increasing throughput.
Protocols are robust and easy to follow, enabling multiple samples to be run together, but their data to be analyzed separately. The kits are optimized for the Illumina Genome Analyzer and the Applied Biosystems SOLiD platform. The Illumina can sequence 12 samples per lane for a total of 96 samples per run. The SOLiD platform can sequence 16 samples per quadrant or octet, allowing up to 256 samples to be processed per run.
18/02/10: Director of Agilent Labs – Seminar 25th Feb
February 18, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
I am pleased to announce that Neil Cook, Vice President and Director of Agilent Labs will be speaking in Copenhagen next week. The subject will be on current and future technology developments from Agilent. The presentation should be of interest to many of you conducting research in the Life Sciences. Attendance is free – all are welcome.
The seminar will be held at the Panum Institute, Dam Auditorium, 9AM, 25th February. Tea and coffee will be served beforehand.
To read an abstract of the seminar theme, please download the PDF file: Neil Cook, Agilent, Current and Future Challenges in Bioanalytical Measurement Feb2010.
09/02/10: Save 50% with Agilent’s “The Incredible Offers”
February 9, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
In a promotion that runs until May 2010, Agilent are offering 50% discounts on dozens of molecular biology products. If you purchase 1 product from the selected application areas (e.g. qPCR), you get the option to purchase up to 4 related products with a 50% discount.
You can get more information by clicking on the banner above, or follow this link: Take me to the Promotion Website
Application areas covered include:
- Stratagene qPCR Reagents,
- PCR Enzymes
- Mutagenesis-QuikChange Kits
- Cloning-Competent Cells
- Bioanalyzer Chip Kits
02/02/10: Bitesize Bio – useful site
February 2, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
I came across this site the other day: http://bitesizebio.com/. There is a mixture of articles, protocol tips and career advice, written by contributors with varied backgrounds in molecular biology. Pretty interesting and worth revisiting from time to time.
02/02/10: Free MIQE Webinar
February 2, 2010 by Peter · 1 Comment
If you are working with qPCR, as so many of you are, you might already be aware of the so-called MIQE (Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments). The link below leads to a presentation on these guidelines, as well as being a good primer on qPCR. The talk is given by Mikael Kubista from TATAA Biocenter, who have many years of relevant experience in this area.
Start Webinar
29/01/10: SureSelect in combination with SOLiD
January 29, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
A short technical note from Applied Biosystems demonstrating Agilent’s SureSelect solution-based enrichment of genomic regions for targeted resequencing on the SOLiD system. You can download it here: SureSelect on the SOLiD.
28/01/10: Elucidating Genetic Variations in Cancer
January 28, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
This is a link to an interesting presentation by Michal-Ruth Schweiger, MD, PhD, from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Berlin, Germany. The full title of the presentation is “Elucidating Genetic Variations in Cancer with the SureSelect Target Enrichment System and Next Generation Sequencing.”
Should be of interest to researchers planning to use sequencing to detect variations in cancer and perhaps working with FFPE samples.
Go to presentation
microRNA Spike-In Kit Launched
January 25, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
For researchers interested in using microarrays to study miRNAs this is a welcome launch. Agilent’s microRNA Spike-In Kit enables the user to assess the labeling and hybridization efficiencies when using Agilent’s miRNA profiling assay and assures that the respective reactions have proceeded as expected. The microRNA Spike-In Kit is used for in-process control and contains a Labeling Spike-In to check for labeling efficiency and a Hyb Spike-In to verify hybridization efficiency. Together with Agilent’s miRNA Complete Labeling and Hyb Kit and Agilent’s microarray probe design, the microRNA Spike-In Kit enables increased data confidence and optimal microarray performance.
You can take a look at the complete range of miRNA products from Agilent at this link: http://www.opengenomics.com/Products/Application/miRNA
And the winner is…
January 20, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
For those of you who turned up for the NGS symposium at LIFE on Monday – thank you. Also to announce that the winner of the video camera draw was Paula Campos from the University of Copenhagen. Congratulations Paula!
