Author: Promega

Sitting on the Moon

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Today’s blog is from BTCI Instructor and guest blogger Jackie Mosher.

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. —Norman Vincent Peale

mosher_a_editThis motivational quote has echoed throughout my life from childhood.  It has inspired me to be fearless in dreaming, to be ambitious and to reach for those goals without fearing failure. So, naturally at the ripe age of 10, my goal was to become a scientist and discover a cure to both AIDS and cancer with a secondary plan of becoming this nation’s first female President. However, as I grew older, I realized my genuine interest and excitement for science and that I enjoyed not only learning about various scientific concepts but also sharing this information with others. Therefore, I completed a Bachelor’s of Science degree with a major in Molecular Biology and minor in Chemistry and decided to continue my studies as a graduate student at UW-Madison in the Cancer Biology graduate program.  My goal was to graduate and aid in disseminating scientific knowledge.

Why teach and not become a scientist? 

Continue reading “Sitting on the Moon”

Travelogue Galapagos Part I: Realizing a Lifelong Dream

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In 2014, Promega created a special incentive to reward field science consultants who help the scientific community take advantage of our on-site stocking program. The winners had to meet ambitious criteria to receive 2 round-trip tickets to anywhere in the world, a week of paid vacation and spending money. Our four winners will share photos and stories about their journeys on the Promega Connections Blog.

Today’s travelogue is Part I of the adventures of Amy Parman, a regional sales manager, who used her award to travel to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.32178451-dec-12-image-1-600x400-web

Day 1: Seattle to Miami – Today we tied up a few last minute details, tested the satellite phones, checked that Grandma and Grandpa had all the info and resources they needed for anything that should arise while we were inaccessible (the manual we left was slightly thicker than War and Peace, and way less interesting), loaded up the car, put on the out-of-office alerts, kissed the kiddos good-bye and headed to SeaTac for a red-eye flight to Miami. We’re off!

Day 2: Miami to Guayaquil, Ecuador – Today (Was it day? After a red-eye, who knows?) we arrived in Miami in the very wee hours. We snagged a quick breakfast and a hotel right in the Miami airport which rents rooms for the day, which was our first experience with an hourly hotel—ahem! Our nine hour layover included lunch, mani/pedis and a much needed nap. We boarded our flight to Guayaquil and made full use of some particularly goofy-looking, newly-purchased neck pillows. My husband created a little excitement as we boarded the plane—he couldn’t find his passport as the flight attendant was readying the flight doors for departure. Our local seatmates and two flight attendants helped to find it quickly as it had slipped between the window seat and the floor. Phew! The flight was smooth as a wet seal and we arrived in Guayaquil to find the Hilton shuttle waiting for us. We checked into our room and grabbed some midnight sangria and flautas while we listened to an awesome Ecuadorian jazz band in the hotel bar. This trip is off to a fabulous start! Continue reading “Travelogue Galapagos Part I: Realizing a Lifelong Dream”

The Art of Eating: Embrace the Nap

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Celebrating Thanksgiving Copyright: rawpixel / 123RF Stock Photo
Celebrating Thanksgiving Copyright: rawpixel / 123RF Stock Photo

In the United States, Thanksgiving Day originated as an opportunity to give thanks for blessing of the harvest and to toast to a plentiful harvest the next year. Fitting with its origins, the modern Thanksgiving holiday is centered on food. Although we are grateful for this day of eating, why does it have to make us so sleepy?

L-tryptophan, commonly known as just tryptophan, is an amino acid found in many of the foods typically found at a Thanksgiving feast. You’ve probably heard one of your relatives cite it as the reason they fell asleep during the football game. Tryptophan is essential for the normal growth in infants and to balance nitrogen levels in adults. It is mostly found in proteins like turkey, chicken, dairy products and brown rice. Once the amino acid is consumed, the body converts it to 5-hydroxy-tryptophan (5-HTP), which is then turned into serotonin. Serotonin is the biochemical messenger that is associated with naps.

But tryptophan can’t do it alone. Tryptophan is not an essential amino acid, and it has to compete to get to the brain. Most of the time it gets kicked out of the way by other essential amino acids also traveling to the brain. So, why does it zip up to the brain on Thanksgiving? Carbohydrates. Continue reading “The Art of Eating: Embrace the Nap”

Research Teams Demonstrate Bivalent Binding of a Novel Bromodomain Protein Inhibitor

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Today’s blog is written by guest blogger Kristin Huwiler from our Cellular Analysis and Proteomics Group.

Two research collaborations, one in Europe and a second in the US, have just published in Nature Chemical Biology (1,2) on the identification of BET inhibitors (bi-BETs) that bind via a bivalent mechanism to both bromodomains of BRD4. These bivalent chemical inhibitors exhibit high cellular potency and affinity relative to their monovalent predecessors. By developing high-affinity ligands that engage both bromodomains simultaneously within BRD4, the authors illustrate a concept that may be applicable in the development of selective, potent ligands for other multi-domain proteins. Here we review the work presented in the Waring et al. paper using the Promega NanoBRET™ Technologies to characterize the mechanism of action of their bivalent probe.

The bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) sub-family are some of the most studied bromodomain-containing proteins (3). The BET subfamily of proteins contain two separate bromodomains. BRD4 is one well studied member of the BET sub-family. Several small molecule inhibitors that target BRD4 have been developed as potential therapeutics for various cancers with promising initial studies, but to date are all monovalent, binding each bromodomain of the BET family members separately (2).

Continue reading “Research Teams Demonstrate Bivalent Binding of a Novel Bromodomain Protein Inhibitor”

Exploring the Land of the Silver Fern—Part II

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In 2014, Promega created a special incentive to reward field science consultants who help the scientific community take advantage of our on-site stocking program. The winners had to meet ambitious criteria to receive 2 round-trip tickets to anywhere in the world, a week of paid vacation and spending money. Our four winners from 2014 will share photos and stories about their journeys in a semi-regular Friday feature on the Promega Connections Blog.

Today’s travelogue is Part II of the adventures of Sarah Theos, a client support consultant, who used her award to travel to New Zealand. You can read Part I here.

Day 7: Queenstown to Te Anau

My husband surprised me that morning by booking a massage appointment at the spa to soothe my aching muscles. It was a rainy morning and we had a long drive ahead of us to the town of Te Anau, the stopover town on the way to the Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound.  We also saw that we had lucked out on our itinerary as it was supposed to be a beautiful day in Milford the next day (a place that gets over 300 days of rain each year).  Therefore, we didn’t mind one more day of rain if it meant the next day would be amazing.  We drove through the Canterbury plains, passing tons of sheep and dairy farms along the way.  We also found it interesting that they farm deer in NZ.  We drove past a lot of deer farms.  When we arrived in Te Anau, we grabbed some food and went to the local grocery store to stock up on snacks and more wine.  New Zealand has a booming wine industry and we thought that it was worth sampling as many wines as we could.  The day was gray and cold but we decided to walk along Lake Te Anau anyway.  It is a beautiful, massive lake but we didn’t see very much of the surrounding mountains because of the fog.  We stopped briefly at the bird sanctuary to see the Kaka, the Crested Grebe, and other beautiful birds.  That evening, we had the most amazing 5 star dinner at the Redcliff Café and loved it so much that we booked a table there for the next evening!  Since we were getting up super early the next day to drive to Milford, we went to bed early.

Day 8:  Drive through the Fiordland to Milford Soundnew-zealand1a

This had to be my most favorite day of the entire trip.  Not only was the weather amazing, the entire drive to and from Milford Sound was mind blowing.  The New Zealanders call Milford the 8th Natural Wonder of the World and it is easy to see why.  It is in a remote part of the island and 99% of the Fiordland will never see a human.  The Fiordland has waterfalls aplenty, sweeping, colorful landscapes with millions of gorgeous lupin flowers and gigantic, snow covered mountains.  It truly feels as though you have entered another world.  We left early so we would avoid the dreaded crowds and tour buses that clog the two lane road from 10am-4pm. We stopped constantly as the views just kept getting better and better around every twist and turn.  One notable stop was The Chasm.  The Chasm is where the raging Cleddau River has worn a path straight through the mountain so it virtually disappears into the rock.  There are many massive, perfectly round pothole formations in the limestone where pebbles have worn their way through the rocks.  We were the only two people there at that time of the morning.  It felt majestic just to stand there and listen to the tremendous sound of the powerful river disappearing into the mountain and reappearing on the other side. Continue reading “Exploring the Land of the Silver Fern—Part II”

Catching a Child Abuser in Five Days

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Next week, forensic analysts from all over the world will gather in Minneapolis for the 27th  International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI). So today, we’d like to share one story from a forensics lab that highlights the importance of collaboration, knowledge-sharing and technology development–since that is what ISHI is all about. 

Crimes against children are especially heinous, and it is vitally important that the offenders are removed from the streets as soon as possible. In today’s blog, Sarah Chenoweth from the Anne Arundel County Crime Lab in Maryland describes a sexual assault case that was solved in just five days. Key to this speed were the collaboration between lab staff and state police, and the ability to quickly and reliably amplify DNA profiles from low-DNA samples. Thanks to the efforts of the investigators involved, parents in Maryland, and possibly nationwide, can sleep a little easier.

On Friday, February 5th, the Anne Arundel County Crime Lab was notified of a sex offense involving a 7-year-old victim. With our efficient DNA workflow, including use of the Fusion amplification kit with our 3500 Genetic Analyzer, we were able to identify the perpetrator in only five days. Continue reading “Catching a Child Abuser in Five Days”

Ten Validation Tips You Need to Know

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Forensic lab validations can be intimidating, so Promega Technical Services Support and Validation teams shared these tips for making the process go more smoothly.

  1.  Prepare Your Lab. Make sure all of your all of your instrumentation (CEs, thermal cyclers, 7500s, centrifuges) and tools (pipettes, heat blocks) requiring calibration or maintenance are up to date.
  2.  Start with Fresh Reagents. Ensure you have all required reagents and that they are fresh before beginning your validation. This not only includes the chemistry being validated, but any preprocessing reagents or secondary reagents like, polymer, buffers, TE-4 or H2O.
  3. Develop a Plan. Before beginning a validation, take the time to create plate maps, calculate required reagent volumes, etc. This up-front planning may take some time initially, but will greatly improve your efficiency during testing.
  4. Create an Agenda. After a plan is developed, work through that plan and determine how and when samples will be created and run. Creating an agenda will hold you to a schedule for getting the testing done.
  5. Determine the Number of Samples Needed to Complete Your Validation. Look at your plan and see where samples can be used more than once.  The more a sample can be used, the less manipulation done to the sample and the more efficient you become.
  6. Select the Proper Samples for Your Validation. Samples should include those you know you’ll obtain results with be similar to the ones you’ll most likely be using, and your test samples should contain plenty of heterozygotes. When you are establishing important analysis parameters, like thresholds, poor sample choice may cause more problems and require troubleshooting after the chemistry is brought on-line.
  7. Perform a Fresh Quantitation of Your Samples. This will ensure the correct dilutions are prepared. Extracts that have been sitting for a long time may have evaporated or contain condensation, resulting in a different concentration than when first quantitated.
  8. Stay Organized. Keep the data generated in well-organized folders. Validations can contain a lot of samples, and keeping those data organized will help during the interpretation and report writing phase.
  9. Determine the Questions to Be Answered. While writing the report, determine the questions each study requires to be answered. Determining what specifically is required for each study will prevent you from calculating unnecessary data.  Do you need to calculate allele sizes of your reproducibility study samples when you showed precision with your ladder samples?
  10. Have fun! Remember, validations are not scary when approached in a methodical and logical fashion. You have been chosen to thoroughly test something that everyone in your laboratory will soon be using. Take pride in that responsibility and enjoy it.

Need more information about validation of DNA-typing products in the forensic laboratory? Check out the validation resources on the Promega web site for more information for the steps required to adopt a new product in your laboratory and the recommended steps that can help make your validation efforts less burdensome.

What I Learned at My First Branch Meeting: Gratitude, Service and Collaboration

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Today’s blog post is written by guest blogger Sarah Kolb, Marketing Coordinator for our North America Branch, and new employee at Promega.

As a new member to the North America Marketing team, I was unsure of what to expect going into my first national sales meeting with Promega, but what I took away from this meeting was incredibly eye opening. The North America Branch Sales meeting is an opportunity to get all of the members of the North American branch together to learn about new products, connect with the different strategic business units about product application and network with each other to learn how to better the lives of our customers. The year’s meeting occurred in May in the Ideation room at Promega Headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.

NA branch meeting

The room itself is not your typical conference space. An antique car resides in the space, and you can find art-work from all over world nestled in corners, and on the walls and shelves. All around the room, collections of unique furniture are arranged to stimulate conversation. Ideation created an atmosphere of creativity, community and collaboration, which contributed to the overall success of the meeting.

I felt excitement Monday morning as the 62 attendees gathered in the space. Everyone greeted each other with big smiles and hugs, asking about families, travels and already discussing business. Continue reading “What I Learned at My First Branch Meeting: Gratitude, Service and Collaboration”

Awakened Consciousness in Review: Revisiting What We Learned

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FORUM PRESENTERS Front row l-to-r: Chip Conley, Malynn Utzinger, John Roulac, Bill Linton, Raj Sisodia; Back row l-to-r: Steve Paulson, Mike Mears, Tim Weitzel, Betsy Myers, Martin Kalungu-Banda
FORUM PRESENTERS
Front row l-to-r: Chip Conley, Malynn Utzinger, John Roulac, Bill Linton, Raj Sisodia; Back row l-to-r: Steve Paulson, Mike Mears, Tim Weitzel, Betsy Myers, Martin Kalungu-Banda

Co-coordinated and co-hosted by the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTC Institute) and Promega Corporation, the International Forum on Consciousness – Awakened Consciousness and the Evolution of Business, was held on May 5–6, 2016.

The Forum is designed to bring together people from diverse perspectives and professions to facilitate public dialogue regarding complex and challenging issues.  This year, our intent was to respond to voices of wisdom and action that call for a shift in the consciousness of organizations that affect the lives of so many and planet Earth.  Key among the questions we asked: How does the self-actualized business become a model and advocate for change?

Our sense is that those who joined us left both more knowledgeable and inspired.  Comments from participants illustrate the importance of offering this opportunity, as well as deep appreciation for our presenters’ experience and insights:

audience

Diverse perspective relatable to many – excellent… overall, engaging, fascinating, action oriented…

Thank you so much for the wonderful program.  The diversity of speakers, viewpoints and topic was really enjoyable and provided great room for thought.  It was truly impressive.  Wonderful & kudos to the organizers and all the work and thought to create this program.

panel

An amazing experience, potentially life changing (we’ll see…).  Really top notch, felt like a series of TED talks, but with the added benefit of in-person interaction and a cohesiveness of topics.

Sound interesting?  There are several ways you can learn more about the Forum and get a meaningful taste of what these attendees are describing:

If you’re not on our mailing list and would like to be, just let me know (karin.borgh@btci.org) – hopefully, we’ll be offering a program of interest to you in the days ahead!