Latest Application Notes

This application note shows the methodology for viewing and evaluating captured cells on screen.

In many countries, routine workplace drug testing involves screening for the free THC-COOH metabolite obtained by hydrolyzing THC-COOH glucuronide. Tecan’s AC Extraction Plate with TICE technology enables a straightforward workflow that is reproducible and cost efficient. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS) provides an easy and cost-effective means for fast, sensitive and precise analysis of THC and its metabolites.

For accurate, reproducible quantification of testosterone, a growing number of laboratories are shifting from immunoassay to liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. This application note describes the preparation of serum samples for subsequent LC-MS analysis of testosterone, focusing on a streamlined workflow suitable for automation.

Housekeeping proteins (HKP) are typically used as loading controls because it is assumed that the HKP expression level remains consistent across samples. However, there is evidence that HKP expression levels change in many scenarios, including siRNA treatment, cell death, cell differentiation, etc.

Reliable assessment of changes in target protein levels by western blot requires measurement of both the target and loading control proteins in the linear dynamic range. Stain-free technology is a novel method introduced by Bio-Rad to visualize and quantify proteins in gels and blots.

Western blotting is a very useful and widely adopted lab technique, but the traditional procedure can be long and tedious. Researchers can assess only whether a blot image is captured at the end of the long procedure and the quality of western blot data is sometimes challenged due to poor loading controls.

Traditional western blot workflows require an appropriate sample load to detect both target proteins and loading control proteins. The discrepancy between these quantities often leads to oversaturated protein bands, forcing researchers to sometimes run two duplicate gels or titrate down the antibody concentration in order to get quantitative results.

Reliable western blot data can be generated only when the proper sample amount of protein is used. Loading too much protein leads to signal saturation in western blots, yet too little produces weak signals.

Reliable western blot data require detection of the target and loading control proteins in the linear dynamic range. Many published western blot images show saturated protein bands, indicating that they were not measured in the linear dynamic range. Quantitative analysis based on this type of data is not reliable.

In the following studies, we have demonstrated the high precision of the automated TruTip extraction technology in processing genomic DNA from low-volume saliva samples and its advantage over competitors.