Posters

Recent advances in genomics demands to look at a wealth of genetic information in a short period of time. DNA analysis using slab gel electrophoresis and capillary electrophoresis are widely being used as a QC step in next generation sequencing and microarray studies. However, often these techniques lack the speed and involve more manual steps to perform the assay.

Ligases are gaining utility in molecular biology applications, such as nucleotide sequence detection, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection, protein detection and “next generation” sequencing by ligation.

This study looks at off-target cleavage of Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZNFs) in Drosophila in an attempt to analyze potential cleavage spots, with a view to designing more efficient ZFNs.

The ability to determine the specific pattern of base pairs in DNA molecules is an indispensable part of contemporary molecular biology. This poster demonstrates how the vacuum filtration module available on the BioTek 405 Touch effectively cleans contaminating artifacts from DNA sequencing reactions, which wil contribute to the genomic workflow typical of many molecular biology laboratories and core facilities.

We demonstrate that DNA methylation patterns can serve as characteristic markers to distinguish different cell types. We have identified panels of methylation markers that are specific to mesenchymal stem cells or various differentiated cell types in the mesenchymal lineage. This method of cell type identification has a number of advantages over conventional markers in that it is robust, is both qualitative and quantitative.

The EasyBeacons™ presented here are based on the novel technology Intercalating Nucleic Acid, INA®, linked to a fluorophore and a quencher. INA® is composed of normal DNA nucleotides and Intercalating Pseudo Nucleotides (IPNs). The fact that the EasyBeacons™ are mostly composed of normal DNA nucleotides means that in many respects EasyBeacons™ behave like DNA based probes, allowing use of standard buffers, primers and enzymes and hence reduces the optimisation efforts.

In this study we use high-speed photography as a feedback mechanism for adjusting the Nanodrop instrument dispense settings to improve the positional dispense accuracy of low volume (nanoliter) drops. These same parameters can be investigated, with various fluid classes, to reduce deleterious effects on dispensing performance such as deflected streams, satellite formation, secondary pulses and drop deformation.