Before waxing nostalgic about the "good old days," remember: They weren't always good. Take, for example, the task of DNA sequencing. Years ago, sequencing was a laborious day-long affair of performing reactions, pouring and running gels, and scrutinizing autoradiograms. But the process has evolved into one in which scientists simply ship off a few micrograms of sample to the local core facility and wait for the data to roll in. This outsourcing of labor is possible thanks to the emergence and

In the past decade, bioarray chips have revolutionized the way researchers study changes in gene expression and identify novel genes. A number of complete systems (premade library slides, spotters, and detectors) are available, and a variety of custom chips can be ordered, but the initial investment is large and many systems have a high rate of false-positives.1 Now Thermo Hybaid of Franklin, Mass., is giving researchers another alternative. The company's XNA on Gold™ is a new array plat

Courtesy of BioCrystalThe OptiCell culture systemDespite the explosion in cell biology research, the practice of cell culture has changed very little since the 1940s. However, with the OptiCell™ system, BioCrystal Ltd. of Westerville, Ohio, takes a bold step to simplify and streamline the cell culture process. OptiCell offers a complete cell culture system built around the OptiDyne™ membrane, a novel gas-permeable, optically clear substrate. Each sterile OptiCell is composed of two m