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Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a form of non-invasive nuclear imaging used in order to determine how organs inside the body work. The scan can be used to illustrate how, for example, the blood flows into the heart and chemical reactions that are happening in the body.

4 Jan 2017

Optical, Electron and Scanning Probe Microscopy

Microscopes are of three basic types: optical, electron (or ion), and scanning probe. The modern optical or light microscope was developed in the mid-19th century. Optical microscopes use transparent lenses and visible light to enable viewing of objects in the micrometer scale, e.g., red blood cells

4 Jan 2017

Micro-PET Principles, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear imaging tool for molecular and functional imaging of biological processes. While functional imaging is used to monitor parameters such as perfusion and metabolic rate, molecular imaging is done to study and measure cellular events like gene expression and receptor binding.

4 Jan 2017

Micro-PAT Principles, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is a sensitive and rapid imaging tool. PAT is a hybrid technique that involves acoustic detection of light absorption by endogenous chromophores like oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin or exogenous contrast agents like nanoparticles and organic dyes. It is an emerging tool that finds widespread applications in preclinical research.

3 Jan 2017

Micro-MRI Principles, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a technique that generates images by exploiting the nuclear magnetic behavior of different atoms in a sample tissue placed in a magnetic field. It is a non-invasive technique that produces detailed 3-dimensional (3D) images of tissues without the use of harmful radiation. It finds applications in diagnostics and in the treatment of various diseases.

3 Jan 2017

Microfluidics Applications

Microfluidics technology has contributed to powerful tools that have helped advance many areas of biology. The applications of microfluidic systems in chemistry and biochemistry have increased in number over the years with the development of new components and processes for the injection, mixing, pumping, and storing of fluids in the microchannels.

3 Jan 2017

What is Microfluidics?

Microfluidics is the study of systems that can process small quantities of fluids by using tiny channels having dimensions at the microscale – typically tens to hundreds of micrometres. Although in the nascent stage, microfluidics is rapidly emerging as a breakthrough technology that finds applications in diverse fields ranging from biology and chemistry to information technology and optics.

3 Jan 2017

Micro-CT Principles, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Computed tomography (CT) is a non-invasive imaging tool that provides 3-dimensional (3D) images of the internal organs. CT offers very good contrast of bone to soft tissue and thus can have novel applications in bone research.

3 Jan 2017

Gibbs Free Energy and Metabolism

Josiah Willard Gibbs, an American mathematician, first described Gibbs free energy in the 1870s. According to Gibbs, free energy is the total energy of a system that is available to perform useful work. It is expressed in kilojoules (kJ) and is also called “available energy.”

3 Jan 2017

Electrochemical Analysis

Electrochemistry is the study of techniques that use electrical stimulation to analyze the chemical reactivity of a system. More specifically, it analyzes the loss and gain of electrons i.e. the oxidation and reduction mechanisms in a reaction.

3 Jan 2017

Micro-Ultrasound in Cancer Research

Cancer angiogenesis is a key focal point in biomedical research. However, lack of a high resolution and portable imaging technique that helps in non-invasive, real-time quantification of various parameters is a huge challenge facing cancer research studies in animals.

23 Dec 2016

Micro-Ultrasound Principles, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Micro-ultrasound is a miniaturized version of ultrasound with a wider range of applications, especially in research pertaining to small animal models. Smaller versions of imaging techniques boost the efficacy of the techniques, and also reduce the number of animals required for a particular study.

23 Dec 2016

What is Transmission Electron Microscopy?

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a technique used to observe the features of very small specimens. The technology uses an accelerated beam of electrons, which passes through a very thin specimen to enable a scientist the observe features such as structure and morphology.

20 Dec 2016

What is cytopathology?

Cytopathology is the use of specialist diagnostic techniques to examine individual cells extracted from tissues to determine the cause and nature of a disease.

20 Dec 2016

Clinical Chemistry Tests

Clinical chemistry refers to the biochemical analysis of body fluids. It uses chemical reactions to determine the levels of various chemical compounds in bodily fluids. Several simple chemical tests are used to detect and quantify different compounds in blood and urine, the most commonly tested specimens in clinical chemistry.

19 Dec 2016

Amino Acid Biosynthesis

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which control practically all cellular processes within our bodies. The roles of proteins are critical for the function, structure and regulation of our tissues and organs.

2 Dec 2016

Function of Amino Acids

Like differently shaped individual beads in a chain, amino acids are joined together to form proteins. The main function of amino acids is to serve as building blocks for proteins. Proteins tend to be typically comprised of between 50 to 2000 amino acids joined end-to-end in many different combinations.

2 Dec 2016

ATP Biosynthesis

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a high-energy molecule present in living cells. It is a nucleoside triphosphate that provides energy within cells for metabolism and is used in several cellular processes including the synthesis of key biomolecules.

2 Dec 2016

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) Function in Cells

ATP is the main source of energy for most cellular processes. The building blocks of ATP are carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus. Because of the presence of unstable, high-energy bonds in ATP, it is readily hydrolyzed in reactions to release a large amount of energy.

2 Dec 2016

What is Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE)?

Electrophoretic techniques separate charged molecules in an electric field. The mobility of a molecule is inversely proportional to its size and directly proportional to its charge.

2 Dec 2016