SpeakEasy Science Blog

Bioconjugation offers a way to chemically link two molecules to form a single hybrid, where at least one of the molecules in the partnership is a biomolecule. The resulting product retains the activity of each component, yet also gains novel functionality that is not possible with either molecule alone. In a recent webinar, Dr. Craig Pow, Director of Technical Services at Vector Laboratories provided an introduction to bioconjugation and its applications, as well as key factors to success.

When everything goes right, looking through the microscope at your immunofluorescence-stained tissue is no less beautiful than peering through a telescope at the night sky. Unfortunately, experimental issues can obscure that pristine view of your microscopic “galaxy” so much that that you can’t tell the difference between Halley’s Comet and the Big Dipper! Never fear, we're here to help.

There’s nothing worse than toiling away all week to repeat an experiment only to have your staining turn up blank. You’re left scratching your head trying to figure out why you’ve got nothing. Recently, Vector Laboratories’ very own Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Craig Pow, joined The Scientist University to discuss Improving IHC and IF Staining Results.

Scientists facing a research problem often look for innovative ways to challenge the status quo to drive change. For Shuying (Linda) Xu, a third-year PhD candidate at Tufts University in Boston, that involves a focus on neutrophil cell therapy as an option for treating pneumonia, which can have severe complications after an active infection.

Although Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) are well established and widely adopted techniques, when working with biological specimens, you can encounter common problems, such as background interference, lack of specificity, weak signal, or poor reproducibility.

The spark of creativity that inspires a lifelong passion for research can originate from many places.

Carolyn Jones embarked on her academic science career as a mature student in 1967, continues to work in the field of electron microscopy and lectin histochemistry, and describes herself as a microscopist and glycobiologist.

As a child, Andrea Jeffers Wellington was fascinated with all the life forms in the ocean and secretly wished that all the water would disappear so that she could walk on the sea floor and observe all the cool creatures.

Nathan Martin studies developmental neurotoxicology, using a variety of techniques to examine the effects of persistent and emerging toxins on hundreds of zebrafish each week, often using live imaging to visualize their early development in vivo.

As Natalie Chen closes in on the end of her PhD studies in Molecular Cellular Integrative Physiology at UCLA focusing on the nuclear lamina meshwork, she has learned to hope for the best but also be prepared to expect the worst.