07/05/12: SureSelect XT2 (Pre-Capture Pooling) Now Available for Order
May 7, 2012 by Peter
A short bulletin from Agilent:
- XT2 available for order!
- SureSelect XT2 in 16, 96, and 480 sample sizes for the Illumina HiSeq and MiSeq platform
- Available for Human All Exon V4/V4+UTRs and custom
- Custom Target Enrichment from 0.5Mb -> 24Mb (0.5-2.9Mb custom now available!)
The most crucial aspect of this is that it highlights the long-awaited pre-capture pooling protocol from Agilent. Now, as a representative of Agilent, I have been quite impatient about this, as have many others. Customers were already asking for this product at about the same time SureSelect was first released (Feb 2009, if my memory is correct). However, I will say this for Agilent: their protocols are usually rock-solid when they are released, so for labs that want a reliable method for pre-capture pooling, I am pretty confident that this is a good option.
07/05/12: Latest Version of Agilent’s SureFish Catalog Now Available
May 7, 2012 by Peter
For all users of the fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, did you know that Agilent has now launched their own product in this area, SureFISH? I used to work with customers doing FISH, back in the days when I was with Molecular Probes (now part of Life Technologies) and also when Exiqon got into the miRNA business by demonstrating that ISH could be done with LNA-based probes.
Anyway, that is just my “old-timer” talk. My reason for posting this is to point you in the direction of the latest version of the SureFISH catalog, so you can see what is on offer.
Now, I realise that if you are doing FISH in your lab already, particularly in a clinical setting, you are probably quite happy with what you’ve got. You wouldn’t be using it if it didn’t work, would you? However – here comes the sales pitch – SureFISH offers a number of key advantages compared to what you are most likely currently using:
- Resolution: <30Kb, compared to >100Kb in many cases.
- Fast delivery
- Provides FISH QC for both interphase and metaphase at two different hybridization times
- Very comprehensive (and growing) selection of gene targets
- Price competitive (make an account with Agilent or just contact me to learn how much)
05/05/12: Gibson Assembly Mastermix – where to get it
May 5, 2012 by Peter
Gibson Isothermal Assembly is a great technique for combining long double-stranded DNA fragments together. You can view a DIY protocol here, which works fine.
However, you should also know that you can buy all the components in a ready-to-use mastermix format from New England Biolabs (NEB). Details here.
05/05/12: Some Useful Links Relevant to gBlocks
May 5, 2012 by Peter
IDT’s gBlocks are a great new product for anyone using traditional approaches to cloning or synthetic biology. Like any new technology, they take some getting used to. So, if you are a bit of a stick-in-the-mud, or a “late adapter” read the following and try to get inspired.
Easy Gene Assembly: gBlocks™ Gene Fragments (this article explains what gBlocks are)
Isothermal Assembly (how gBlocks can be assembled into full genes)
gBlocks User Guide (opens PDF file – all you need to know).
02/05/11: Ahram Biosystems Announces Launch of the New Economy Model F1-12 of Its Palm PCR Series
May 2, 2012 by Peter
This is an extract from a recent press release from Ahram Biosystems:
“Palm PCR F1-12, the economy model of the innovative Palm PCR series, is now on the market. It can amplify up to 1 kbp within 30 minutes in a small handheld, portable format
SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Ahram Biosystems, Inc., a leading innovator of new life science tools, today announced the launch of Palm PCR F1-12, the economy model of its innovative portable PCR system. The F1-12 system is a cost-effective, high-performance portable PCR system, delivering PCR amplification with high speed and sensitivity in a fully portable format.
The Palm PCR F1-12 system provides three “Standard Fast” speed levels delivering 30-cycle PCR amplification within 30 minutes down to 24 minutes. The amplification sensitivity reaches to near single-copy level below 10 copies. The dynamic range of the PCR amplification is up to 1 kbp.
Like other Palm PCR series, it is battery-powered (more than 4 hours of continuous operation on a single charge) and represents high temperature uniformity (less than +/- 0.1 degrees C) and a small footprint and light weight (71 mm x 121 mm x 47 mm or 2.8″ x 4.76″ x 1.85″, 350 g).
The high speed and high sensitivity of the F1-12 system and its affordable price make it ideal for a wide range of downstream applications that require fast and sensitive nucleic acid amplification. Examples include POCT (point-of-care testing), food quality assurance, forensics, educational uses and many other applications of genetic identification purposes. The battery-powered, full portability makes the F1-12 system particularly invaluable where in-field or on-site PCR amplification is crucial. The Palm PCR F1-12 system enables users to perform highly sensitive and accurate PCR amplification in a fully portable format while saving both money and time.”
You can read the full thing: Press Release-Ahram Biosystems-23 APRIL 2012.
