EARLY LESIONS:© 2003 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory PressEarly stage pancreatic lesions in Pdx1-Cre; LSL-Kras; Ink/Arflox/lox animals. (A) A low-grade PanIN lesion. (B) A low-grade preinvasive ductal lesion. (C) A high-grade preinvasive ductal lesion. (D) Early focus of pancreatic adenocarci-noma with both ductal and anaplastic components. (E) A high-grade PanIN lesion with no adenocarcinoma foci. (F) A high-grade PanIN lesion (asterisk) surrounded by anaplastic tumor cells.Aquiet killer, pa

RISCY BUSINESS:Courtesy of Roger J. Pomerantz and the Center for Human Virology and Biodefense ©2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Dicer cleaves exogenous or endogenous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into 21–25-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNA). The siRNAs then form into ATP-containing RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISCs), which in combination with helicase lead to siRNA unwinding. Unwound siRNAs bind target RNAs and prime synthesis of new dsRNA by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (R

Courtesy of BD BiosciencesSan Jose, Calif.-based BD Biosciences Immunocytometry Systems http://www.bdbiosciences.com has introduced a new benchtop high-content analysis system. Designed to handle 96-well plates, the BD FACSArray™ Bioanalyzer uses red and green laser excitation and offers six-parameter detection. Up to 15,000 events can be screened per second, and the system, which features digital signal processing, can run one plate in less than 35 minutes, says Tony Ward, director of pha

Courtesy of TILL PhotonicsRainer Uhl, CEO of Gräfelfing, Germany-based TILL Photonics http://www.till-photonics.com, laments that while the field of microscopy has evolved dramatically over the last century, the classical light microscope itself has not. New applications such as confocal and multiphoton microscopy were adapted to the microscopes rather than vice versa, placing constraints on the user.Uhl and colleagues, in cooperation with the BioImaging Zentrum of the University of Munich,

Every molecular biologist knows about Tris, but few have questioned its suitability as an electrophoretic buffer component. An intrepid pair of researchers at Johns Hopkins' Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center have studied Tris and found it to be lacking.1No paper has ever claimed that Tris was the best buffer, says Scott Kern, professor of oncology and pathology. "It's just something that somebody once used, then somebody else used it, and pretty soon you had a herd mentality." Tris buffe

Courtesy of ThinkGeek, Inc.This week's Gadget Watch features ... watch gadgets. The Antidote Watch, manufactured by Android, features a pill-sized "secret" compartment for storing pharmacologics, breath mints, small insects, or whatever suits your fancy. As an added plus, this analog time piece's face changes color according to body temperature, offering a convenient alternative to bulky, uncomfortable mood rings. A great gift for a tense coworker: an accessory that diagnoses anxiety and treats

Erica P. JohnsonImagine being able to discover the latest blockbuster drug using nothing but a PC and some highly sophisticated software. It's not as far-fetched as it sounds. A growing number of labs – both industrial and academic – are going "in silico," simulating everything from cells to clinical trials. The result is a sea change in pharmaceutical research, with resources once earmarked for bench work now being shunted into central processing unit clock cycles.This shift in focu

Courtesy of ReifyHigh-content imaging systems for cell-based assays have proliferated in the past year, but so far none of the systems available allows users to directly quantify dynamic processes such as muscle contraction or cellular migration. To analyze these events, users generally have to monitor the cells throughout the course of the experiment. But a new imaging system developed by Cambridge, Mass.-based Reify http://www.reifycorp.com promises to change all that."The approaches that are

Courtesy of GenovoxxIn the ever-growing field of new DNA sequencing methods, it's a single-molecule world. By far the bulk of recent efforts to develop cheaper, faster genomic sequencing techniques have analyzed individual rather than populations of DNA molecules.One of the latest contenders is Lübeck, Germany-based Genovoxx's AnyGene™ method http://www.genovoxx.de, in which DNA fragments deposited on a two-dimensional array are subjected to sequencing-by-synthesis. Labeled nucleotide

Determining the identity of a person through a DNA sample is rarely straightforward, especially if the sample comes from a decomposed, burned, or otherwise degraded source. A body that has been submerged under water for months, for example, may contain DNA fragments that are too small to be analyzed by conventional means. Two companies, Foster City, Calif.-based Applied Biosystems http://www.appliedbiosystems.com, and Princeton, NJ-based Orchid Biosciences http://www.orchid.com, have worked out

Figure 1Immunogold labeling is the method of choice for staining cell and tissue sections for electron microscopy, but the manual procedure involves a series of short wash-and-wait steps that can add up to an entire day of tedious bench work. Bannock-burn, Ill.-based Leica Microsystems' new immunogold labeling system solves this problem by automating most of the process.The EM IGL, which lists for $16,000 (US), reduces the amount of time and labor needed for staining by 70% to 80%, says Ann Kors

Unless bombarded with noxious fumes or blowing dust, we don't usually think about the air we breathe. But biologists working with sensitive samples such as anaerobic bacteria don't have that luxury.Essex, UK-based Optiglass' GL14 series of spectrophotometer cells for anaerobic samples offers a convenient way to prevent exposure of samples to the surrounding environment.The cuvettes are sealed with a septum top through which liquid samples or gas can be injected and removed without the need to op