11/01/12: Video of Integrated DNA Technologies’ (IDT) European Facility
January 11, 2012 by Peter · Leave a Comment
It is great to be able to find further information on IDT available on the internet. I think that the following will be interesting to a lot of customers who are currently using IDT: A video of the IDT European facility in Leuven, Belgium. The US sites will have a lot of similarities of course. Have you ever wondered what a world-class oligonucleotide synthesis facility looks like? Wonder no more…
04/10/11: Information on Agilent’s Autumn Promotions for Genomics Researchers
October 4, 2011 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent are running a bunch of promotions on genomics-related product this Autumn (actually it’s turning out to be the nicest time of year, given the wet Summer). They are summarized here:
- Bioreagents: Buy 3 Stratagene products, get the cheapest one for 1 DKK
- Brilliant III: Buy 1 kit of Brilliant III qPCR reagents, get a second one for free
- Genespring & microarrays: Get 50% off your Genespring data analysis software annual licence when you order > DKK 112K of genomics products
- SureSelect: Buy 1 SureSelect target enrichment kit and get a second one for free (valid for 5 to 25 reaction kits)
- SureCycler bundles: Combine our SureCycler 8800 PCR instrument with our Mx 3005P real-time PCR instrument or with our microchip electrophoresis system (Bioanalyzer 2100 or Lab 901 TapeStation) and get 30% off your bundle
You can also go to the Official Agilent Autumn Promotion page.
Save time by contacting me directly if you are interested.
09/09/11: Using PrimeTime qPCR Assays in Multiplex Experiments
September 9, 2011 by Peter · Leave a Comment
IDT have posted a short article on their website about using their PrimeTime qPCR Assays in multiplex assays. The PrimeTime assays themselves allow researchers to change the primer:probe ratio and use well-separated fluorescent dyes on the probes. Read the article to get further insight.
07/09/11: Alert: MIQE Seminars in Copenhagen and Aarhus, September 27th and 29th
September 7, 2011 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Just a short post to inform researchers in Denmark about the upcoming MIQE Events in Copenhagen and Aarhus.
I am very lucky in being able to get Raza Ahmed from Agilent’s genomics team over for a few days. Raza has tons of experience in qPCR, having worked for Stratagene before they became part of Agilent. Raza has agreed to give an introduction to MIQE (read more on the Events page) that should serve to educate and inform researchers about the guidelines. There will be plenty of time to ask Raza about qPCR subjects not related to MIQE as well.
Please come along, say “hej”, listen and learn and enjoy a coffee.
29/06/11: Agilent’s Summer Promotion on Genomics Products
June 29, 2011 by Peter · Leave a Comment
I am pleased to inform you (well, if you are a researcher in Denmark at least) of Agilent’s Summer promotion on genomics products. The promotion is valid from now(28 June 2011) until August 31st 2011. Headlines below, with a bit more detailed information beneath each heading
Contact me if you are interested.
Update 12 July: Agilent have a Summer Promotion webpage now live.
Purchase the New SureCycle PCR Instrument Together with the Mx3005P qPCR Instrument and get 30% off the Bundle
This is possibly the best offer of the whole promotion. The SureCycler is the hottest new instrument from Agilent, very cool (connect to it from a mobile device) with great specs. The Mx3005P is a well-proven and robust qPCR instrument that won’t let you down.
Purchase the Bioanalyzer with Agilent SureCycler 8800 or with >5000€ of Bioreagents and get 30% off the Total Bundle
Hmm. On second thoughts, perhaps this the the best of the Summer Promos. It really depends on what you are after. Of course, Bioreagents can mean a lot of things: PCR enzymes/kits, nucleic acid sample prep and qPCR reagents would be the most obvious. The combination of the Bioanalyzer with qPCR reagents sounds like a good combination to me, given that the Bioanalyzer is great for doing QC on RNA.
Get 50% off Absolutely RNA extraction kit when you purchase Bioanalyzer reagents
For those of you who are reguarly ordering Bioanalyzer kits (and that means lots of you), this is a great opportunity to try out one of Agilent’s best nucleic acid purification lines. The Absolutely RNA extraction kits come in a number of size options (mini-, micro- and nano-prep) and there are kits for miRNA and FFPE samples too. This is really a great excuse for you to try out these kits, especially if you haven’t had a lot of success with what you are currently using.
10,000€ discount on your genomics consumables order when you purchase an Agilent Bravo Automated Liquid Handling Platform
OK, so not everyone has the money available for an Agilent Bravo. However, if you are in the market for a small-footprint, very fast and accurate pipetting workstation, you really have to consider the Bravo. You will save many many days of work by having a Bravo in your lab, not to mention saving your pipetting thumb!
10,000€ (about DKK 75K) will get you a lot of genomics consumables.
Genespring and exon arrays: buy 5000€ of exon arrays and get 25% off your Genespring annual license, buy 10k€ of exon arrays and get 50% off the annual license.
Yes, it is that simple. Purchase Agilent’s high-quality exon arrays and get a big saving on the GeneSpring license (which you can then use to analyse all that lovely data and put into a biological context).
The Exon arrays are available for human, mouse and rat.
So that is the summary of Agilent’s Summer Promotion on genomics products. It looks pretty good to me and will mean that you come back from your Summer holiday with new gear to get into your research again after the break.
12/04/11: Developments in Real-Time Symposium, June 13-17 2011, Prague
April 12, 2011 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Just a little reminder about TATAA Biocenter’s great qPCR event in Prague (comprising conference, exhibition and workshops), June 13th-17th. As usual, it has the highest quality speakers and training and is a must for both experienced and novice users.
Learn more and register at http://www.qpcrsymposium.eu/content/view/1/4/
By the way, students who attend the workshop event will get to go to the conference free of charge!
12/04/11: Agilent Easter Promotions on Bioanalyzer and Bioreagents!
April 12, 2011 by Peter · 1 Comment
Enjoy Easter with Agilent’s special promotions!
Spring is coming (yes, even though this is Denmark – I just looked out of the window and it is definitely there, hiding around the corner). To celebrate, Agilent are offering two special promotions:
20% off the Bioanalyzer and one free kit
25% off or more on your Bioreagents order
To benefit from these great offers, contact Agilent before April 30th, 2011 and mention promotion code S_EASTER11 when you place your order.
To simplify your choices when it comes to Bioreagents, I have written a short post on tried and tested Agilent products in ten application areas here.
02/03/11: Agilent’s Nordic Genomics Roadshow Comes to Denmark
March 2, 2011 by Peter · 1 Comment
Agilent Technologies invites you to their Genomics Roadshow.
Come along and find out more about Agilent’s microarray & qPCR platforms and get the latest update on SureSelect - target enrichment for Next Generation Sequencing and GeneSpring 12 – analysis software for microarrays, MS and Next Generation Sequencing data.
The Dates and Locations for Denmark are:
Copenhagen – March 30, 12:30-17:00, DTU
Aarhus – March 31, 12:30-17:00, Aarhus University
AGENDA highlights:
· Microarray applications – Gene Expression, Exon, CGH+SNP, miRNA & Custom array
· Genespring – Data analysis in Multi Omics Research – Analyzing MS, microarray and NGS data.
· SureSelect – Target Enrichment for Next Generation Sequencing
· Automation in genomics
· Improved detection and quantification in Real-Time PCR
> Register now, seminar is free but seats are limited!
26/01/11: Agilent Genomics eSeminar Series (looks interesting)
January 26, 2011 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent are running a whole series of online eSeminars, starting in February and running through to April. I think that Agilent have chosen some interesting subjects to cover here (based on the titles). Subjects include cytogenomics, SureSelect, qPCR, Bioanalyzer and GeneSpring.
> Take a look at the upcoming seminars, or
> View abstracts and register at www.agilent.com/genomics/eSeminarSeries
26/01/11: Agilent Real-Time PCR Course,17-18 March 2011
January 26, 2011 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent Technologies invites you to a two day Real Time PCR training course conducted by Dr. Kristina Lind at the TATAA Biocenter.
Please note: place numbers are limited to 12, so you are encouraged to register early to avoid disappointment.
Highlights include:
· A mixture of seminars and laboratory practicals
· The principles of Real Time PCR
· An explanation of absolute and relative quantification
· Applications for quantitative and qualitative analysis
· The principles of primer/probe design
· Optimization and Validation
· Quality control of template
· Introduction to MIQE guidelines
· Data Analysis
> To register: send a mail to customercare_sweden@agilent.com
When & Where:
TATAA Biocenter, Gothenburg, Sweden
Thursday 17th and Friday 18th March 2011, 9:00am-5:00pm
Cost:
2-day course is 5000 SEK/4200 DKK/480 Euros (+VAT) per person.
Fee includes course material, lunch and refreshments (accomodation cost not included)
20/01/11: IDT now offers pre-designed qPCR Assays
January 20, 2011 by Peter · Leave a Comment
IDT now offers PrimeTime Pre-designed qPCR Assays that are guaranteed to work for human, mouse, and rat transcriptomes. All PrimeTime qPCR Assays consist of two primers and a hydrolysis probe. All three components are combined into a single tube and shipped in 2–4 business days. Each oligo undergoes 100% QC by mass spectrometry, with all QC results provided free of charge on the IDT website.
Download detailed information about these assays here (PDF file).
This looks like a great product to me. If you are interested in trying out one of these assays, please contact You Do Bio.
18/01/11: Reminder: “Developments in Real-Time PCR” symposium, June 13th-17th, Prague
January 18, 2011 by Peter · Leave a Comment
TATAA Biocenter (represented in Denmark by You Do Bio) will be running the symposium in Prague. You can take a look at the symposium homepage here: http://www.qpcrsymposium.eu/.
TATAA’s training and symposia are known for their high standard. If you are a user of qPCR, this conference is well worth checking out.
24/11/10: Special Price when You purchase Bioanalyzer and MX qPCR Instrument Together!
November 24, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
If you are working in the field of molecular biology / genomics, Agilent’s 2100 Bioanalyzer and Mx3005P QPCR Systems are a great combination to enhance the quality of your research.
Both instruments can become an integral part of your work, producing reproducible and reliable data. Take a look at these exciting features:
2100 Bioanalyzer
- Ready to use assays and reagent kits for RNA, DNA and proteins
- Save your precious sample – use just 1-4 µl
- Digital data for convenient analysis, data sharing and archiving
Mx3005 qPCR
- Advanced scanning optical design gives large dynamic range of detection and reproducible results
- Five interchangeable filter options gives ultimate flexibility for the assays you use
- The most user-friendly qPCR software available – MxPro.
Contact You Do Bio to find out about exciting discounts when purchasing a 2100 Bioanalyzer and an Mx3005P.
17/08/10: What’s New from BioCision: Ice-Free PCR Sample Cooler
August 17, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Check out the latest cool product from BioCision! This looks rather good – a means to keep your samples cool for up to 10 hours on the bench, without the use of ice. Read the text below and follow the links to learn more.
Sample set up has never been easier or safer. Easy switch cartridges allow all day cooling—get up to 10 hours of ice-free cooling (0.5°C to 4°C) in a compact, portable system. No more contamination or mess from conventional ice methods. More >
No more re-charging time required. Unlike sealed plastic gel-filled cooling containers which require an extended overnight re-freezing interval, CoolBox performance can be extended indefinitely by simple cartridge switching. No down time, no hassle. More >
True iso-temperature during entire cooling period. The CoolRack thermo-conductive module inside the CoolBox provides unparallelled temperature control for all wells. Unlike gel-filled coolers, well-to-well variation will be < 0.1°C at all times. No more worry about uneven sample processing. More >
16/08/10: Agilent and IDT team up to offer complete and validated qPCR solution
August 16, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent and Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) are working together to provide researchers with new solutions for qPCR that offer:
- Greater flexibility
- Better qPCR efficiency
- Low Cq values
To learn more, take a look at the publication here. This shows data demonstrating the performance of the new Brilliant III qPCR mixes with IDT’s PrimeTime qPCR Assays.
16/08/10: New BioAnalyzer Publication on miRNA Analysis
August 16, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent has released a new BioAnalyzer publication concerning the use of the BioAnalyzer instrument for miRNA quality analysis. View a PDF file of this publication here.
ABSTRACT
It is generally known that total RNA quality has a distinct influence on the validity and reliability of quantitative PCR results. In addition, the recently published MIQE guidelines focus on the pre-PCR steps and state the importance of RNA quality assessment. Various studies showed the impairing effect of ongoing RNA degradation on mRNA expression results. Therefore, the verification of RNA integrity prior to downstream applications like RT-qPCR and mircroarrays is indispensable. A fast and reliable assessment of RNA integrity can be done with the Eukaryote Total RNA Nano Assay of the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer. The importance of RNA quality should also be considered in new applications such as the investigation of miRNA expression profiles. With the Agilent Small RNA Assay, Agilent is offering one of the few possibilities for selectively estimating miRNA before expression analysis. However, by now little is known about factors affecting miRNA analysis. Herein, the important impact of total RNA quality on quantification of mRNA and miRNA should be considered.
30/06/10: 50% off Stratagene Virtual Freezer
June 30, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Researchers: get 50% off your first order when you open a Stratagene Virtual Freezer account with Agilent. Most people will ask the question “what is a Virtual Freezer?” In short, it is like having a departmental freezer, containing various reagents you use regularly, e.g. qPCR reagents, competent cells, cloning kits etc. However, in this case, Agilent keeps your products in a warehouse and ships directly to you when you need them. Delivery is 24 hours with free shipping. You can learn a bit more here, or by watching the video below.
Of course, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
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.
31/05/10: Brilliant III performance on Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast and 7900HT qPCR systems
May 31, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
Agilent’s new Brilliant III Ultra-Fast qPCR reagents sound and look really interesting for any qPCR users wanting higher throughput or fast results. Here are links to two PDF files that show data on the Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast and 7900HT qPCR systems:
Brilliant III 7500 Fast Data Sheet
Brilliant III 7900 HT Data Sheet
If you have any questions relating to Brilliant III, please contact me.
17/05/10: New NGS qPCR library quant kit
May 17, 2010 by Peter · Leave a Comment
This is a brand new product from Agilent that looks great. Designed to complement SureSelect sequence capture technology, it can also be used by any researcher who is working with next generation sequencing. In short, it is a fast and sensitive way to quantitate the amount of DNA in the library. The kit contains a DNA standard to which the library samples are compared.
Since the Agilent website is still being updated, you can get early access to the protocol here (PDF file): NGS Library Quant Kit
