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Applications of Metabolomics

The field of metabolomics has the potential to be applied in a number of settings to offer practical use. It remains a relatively young field of research and, therefore many of its applications of metabolomics are still only becoming evident. Nonetheless, this article covers some of the present and future ways in which metabolomics could be applied.

8 Mar 2017

Genomics Research

Genomics is a relatively new field of research, which began in earnest late in the twentieth century, although the basis of DNA was discovered more than a century earlier. The recent progressions made in genomics research have opened up exciting possibilities for genomics applications in other fields, some of which may offer health and medical benefits.

7 Mar 2017

What is the Genetic Code?

The genetic code is a set of instructions that direct the translation of DNA into 20 amino acids, the basic units of proteins in living cells. The genetic code is made up of codons, which are three-letter chains of nucleotides. Each codon codes for one specific amino acid.

7 Mar 2017

Genome Analysis

Genome projects typically involve three main phases: DNA sequencing, assembly of DNA to represent original chromosome, and analysis of the representation.

7 Mar 2017

DNA Sequence Assembly

DNA sequence assembly is a process that involves aligning and merging fragments of a DNA sequence to reconstruct the original structure of the DNA. This is an essential step of the genome analysis process because the entire genome cannot be interpreted in one step with current sequencing technology.

3 Mar 2017

DNA Sequencing

DNA sequencing is the process used to determine the order of nucleotides in a specific DNA molecule. This information is useful for researchers in understanding the type of genetic information that is carried in the DNA, which may affect its function in the body.

3 Mar 2017

History of Genomics

Although DNA was first isolated in 1869, it was not until more than a century later that the first genomes were sequenced, making genomics a relatively new discipline. Genomics, as we now know it, truly began in the 1970s, although there were several significant milestones that shaped the field in the preceding century.

3 Mar 2017

Protein Folding

Protein folding is a process by which a polypeptide chain folds to become a biologically active protein in its native 3D structure. Protein structure is crucial to its function. Folded proteins are held together by various molecular interactions.

22 Feb 2017

The 1968 Nobel Prize in Medicine

The 1968 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded jointly to Marshall W. Nirenberg, Har Gobind Khorana, and Robert W. Holley. These scientists were recognized "for their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis."

3 Feb 2017

RNA Codons and DNA Codons

The genetic code is made up of a total of 64 base triplets or codons. At least one codon encodes the information for each of the 20 amino acids used in the synthesis of proteins during translation. While one codon can code for only one amino acid, more than one codon can code for the same amino acid, which is described as the degeneracy of the code. The majority of amino acids are encoded for by more than one codon.

3 Feb 2017

Chromatography Media Selection

Chromatography is a technique that is used for separation of mixtures. The name combines the Greek word chroma, or “color,” with graphein, “to write.” The technique was invented in 1900 by Mikhail Tsvet, who used it “to write the colors” of plant pigments, like chlorophyll carotenes and xanthophylls. He did this by dissolving the plant mixtures in a fluid, or mobile phase, and allowing it to flow through a solid material called a stationary phase.

2 Feb 2017

Histone Modification

Histones are proteins that condense and package DNA neatly into chromosomes. Modifications to these proteins affect different processes in the cell such as the activation/inactivation of transcription, chromosome packaging, DNA damage and DNA repair.

2 Feb 2017

Ribosome Function in Cells

A ribosome is a cell organelle that makes proteins from messenger RNA (mRNA) by linking amino acids together. This process is called translation. When the amino acid chain is complete, the ribosome releases it into the cellular cytoplasm to be folded into a functional protein.

2 Feb 2017

Epigenetics and Epigenomics

Epigenetics is the study of chemical reactions that influence gene expression, through activation or deactivation of genes at specific times and locations. These changes in gene expression do not involve a change in the DNA sequence, meaning there is a change in phenotype, without any change in genotype.

1 Feb 2017

Virus Purification Methods

Virus purification methods include ultracentrifugation, chromatography, precipitation, nanofiltration

23 Jan 2017

Combined PET-MR Principles, Strengths, and Weaknesses

The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a unique clinical imaging tool with significant applications in biomedical research in small animals. PET/MRI systems for use in humans were first introduced in the year 2010.

9 Jan 2017

Combined SPECT-MR Principles, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is combined with MRI to form a hybrid technology used in preclinical applications mainly in tumor and neuroscience imaging. SPECT integrated with MRI enhances SPECT quantification

9 Jan 2017

Micro-MRI in Cancer Research

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) generates images based on the nuclear magnetic behavior of atoms in a sample in a magnetic field. It is a non-invasive imaging tool that offers 3D tissue images without using radiation.

9 Jan 2017

Micro-PAT in Cancer Research

Micro-photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is an emerging technique for full-body imaging of small animals in preclinical research. As small animals are being increasingly used for biomedical studies, in vivo whole body imaging of these plays a key role in these studies.

9 Jan 2017

Using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) for Liposome Size Analysis

Dynamic light scattering (DLS) is a technique that is used to measure the size of particles, generally particles that are in the sub-micron region. The technique is also referred to as photon correlation spectroscopy and quasi-elastic light scattering.

5 Jan 2017