Guide: Optimizing ChIP Seq for FFPE SamplesFebruary 25, 2016Inside the world’s formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue repositories exists an enormous store of biological information. This valuable preservation technique allows researchers to perform histological and even genetic analysis years after sample collection. Although the FFPE process is a valuable preservation process, it presents challenges to researchers seeking to apply epigenetic techniques such as chromatin immunoprecipitation […]
MeRIP-seq, N1-methyladenosine (m1A), and the Expanding EpitranscriptomeFebruary 23, 2016There’s no denying that understanding a new language can be tricky. Without a complete alphabet, the most important messages can be lost in translation. When it comes to complex languages, the epigenome is no exception. There are a number of RNA base modifications involved in post transcriptional regulation, including pseudouridine (Ψ) and 5hmC, and there’s […]
SynNotch: A USB Cord For CellsFebruary 23, 2016If synthetic biology is trying to make cells more like computers, one thing that has been sorely lacking is input-output. It’s hard to get arbitrary information about the outside environment into cells. We do have some sensors that we can modify to sense different inputs, like chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) for T-cells, but they only […]
Gut Cells Control Microbiome With miRNAsFebruary 13, 2016Out on the cutting edge of biology lies talk of manipulating our gut microbiome. This sounds like a bold idea, but it looks like we may already be hacking our microbiomes without even realizing it. A new paper from Shirong Liu in Howard Weiner’s lab at Harvard suggests that our gut cells have already figured […]
Towards Blood DNA Methylation as a Pan-Cancer Surveillance ScreenFebruary 5, 2016Early and less tedious cancer diagnosis can prevent future complications and improve patient outcome, however past studies have revealed that the markers of most cancers are as unique as snowflakes. An enticing solution for this heterogeneity would be to screen for any type of cancer using one detection system to ‘rule them all’. Differential DNA […]
