Unlike Northern blots, which require blot stripping and reprobing to detect multiple targets, RPAs let the user detect multiple targets simultaneously in the same reaction tube by varying the size of the different probes used, thereby greatly increasing the assay's speed. Unlike RT-PCR, RPAs do not require extensive optimization and can be used for relative or absolute quantitation experiments without worrying about amplification-induced errors.
But RPAs can be time-consuming, and most scientists use radiolabeled probes, which are both hazardous and short-lived. However, a recent collaboration between Pierce Milwaukee LLC and Austin, Texas-based Ambion overcomes these limitations. The new SuperSignal® RPA III™ Chemiluminescent Detection Kit (distributed by Pierce) combines Pierce's rapid SuperSignal chemiluminescent detection technology with Ambion's highly sensitive RPA III Kit. The result, according to Pierce product manager Travis La Favor, is "the fastest, most sensitive RPA on the market."
The kit, which uses biotinylated probes, allows detection of femtogram ...
