Protocol Primers

Technical briefs on current and emerging biotech protocols.

Primer

Challenges of Organoid Culture

Dec 20, 2021

Complex patient models, including organoids and organ-on-a-chip devices, have been developing tremendously fast over the last decade.1 Organoids are 3D multicellular in vitro tissue constructs that functionally and genetically mimic portions of in vivo organs. Properly supplemented media allow the c... More

Primer

Separating Blood into Cellular and Non-Cellular Components

Nov 30, 2021

A key diagnostic step in disease detection is analyzing blood components. Accurate separation of blood cells from plasma, which holds proteins and other constituents, is crucial in many assays.First introduced in the late 1980s, lateral flow devices, also referred to as lateral flow immunoassays, ar... More

Primer

Saliva, Nasal Swabs, or Blood: Best Samples for Pathogen Detection

Nov 22, 2021

Most immunodiagnostic protocols and commercially available kits require serum, plasma, or blood samples. Collecting such samples requires the skills of a phlebotomist. For pathogen detection, particularly in largescale field studies, the collection of noninvasive samples such asnasal swabs, tears, o... More

Primer

Qualitative, Semi-quantitative, and Quantitative Immunodiagnostics for COVID-19

Nov 10, 2021

While qualitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) are used to diagnose COVID-19, serologic tests for antibodies specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus are used to detect past infection. Most serologic assays are qualitative and semi-quantitative but quantitative serologic assays ... More

Primer

Benefits of Using an Electronic Laboratory Notebook

Oct 30, 2021

Electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) were developed to keep track of experiments and data so that scientists could review their work in a single place and easily reproduce experiments. Many ELNs started out as electronic versions of paper lab notebooks. Now, the most advanced ELNs offer an extensi... More