Despite their biological simplicity, viruses are powerful pathogens with the demonstrated ability to greatly affect human society. Viral pandemics, such as the most recent COVID-19 pandemic, have the capacity to cause millions of deaths.¹ Infectious viral diseases are difficult to study and treat because many viruses present clinically in a similar manner despite having significantly different genomic structures, modes of infection, and transmissibility. Furthermore, viruses can mutate regularly, resulting in novel strains that evade or attenuate the effectiveness of existing vaccines and treatment strategies.²

At the same time, the threat posed by viruses is fueling research into how they work and how to combat them. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the impetus for many landmark breakthroughs, ranging from new monoclonal antibody therapeutics to pioneering mRNA vaccine technology. It also spurred researchers to look for approaches with broader tropism, such as pan-coronavirus agents.¹  

These initiatives are powered by highly specialized biochemical tools necessary to unravel the unique biochemistry physiology, and pathology of viruses. These tools, sourced from companies like Sino Biological, include recombinant viral proteins, antibodies, antibody pairs, ELISA kits, and cDNA clones,
and support antiviral drug discovery, vaccine research, and diagnostics development. Sino Biological, in particular, offers scientists one of the largest recombinant viral antigen libraries and can also provide custom services to create tools to answer new questions.

Viral outbreak frequency and magnitude is expected to increase as the 21^st century continues.¹ Scientists rely on companies such as Sino Biological to provide a comprehensive array of solutions as they prepare to meet this challenge.

Learn more about how the latest reagents and tools can accelerate infectious disease research.

What reagents do you use to study viruses in your lab?

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Since the 1960s, researchers have turned to chemiluminescence-based techniques for biologically relevant assays with high sensitivity and broad adaptability.¹ The ease and dependability of such techniques has contributed to their widespread adoption across applications, however conventional detection methods often rely on manual imaging approaches, which can be time consuming, tedious, and prone to user error. Novel detection tools that streamline image acquisition and analysis promise to progress a multitude of robust methods into the automated assay realm.²

Common chemiluminescence applications include assays that use chemical dyes to stain and illuminate DNA or proteins, such as gel electrophoresis-based methods and immunoblotting analyses. After a chemical reaction excites electrons in the dye, the electrons return to ground state and emit photons of light from the sample. Scientists then detect chemiluminescence through sensitive cameras that capture different light wavelengths.^1,2

New detection technologies, such as the UVP ChemSolo Auto from Analytik Jena, are essential tools for life science researchers. The UVP ChemSolo Auto is a versatile bioimaging system designed to streamline a variety of applications, including DNA and protein gel analysis, western blotting, and even colony counting. With a user-friendly interface, precise control, and rapid imaging capabilities, it allows researchers to obtain high-quality results with ease and confidence. The intuitive and fully automated modular system empowers scientists with image acquisition and analyses accessible from their computer screens. From auto and manual image capture modes to customizable exposure settings and image saving options, researchers can achieve accurate detection and quantification, and reliable and reproducible results.

Learn more about automated chemiluminescent detection.

What membranes and reagents do you prefer for chemiluminescence?

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Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is an exquisitely sensitive technique for bulk parallel sequencing of genetic material. The speed and overall efficiency of NGS workflows enable high-throughput processing and cost reduction. Sample preparation is critical for achieving reliable and reproducible downstream extraction results. Consequently, researchers must take great care during this critical step, which can often be complicated and cumbersome.¹ 

The ability to navigate the challenges of manual NGS sample preparation can make or break an experiment. For example, preparing NGS libraries, performing hybridizations, and following protocols for sample processing, target enrichment and long-read sequencing often requires troubleshooting that can further delay experiments and confound results. There are many steps involved, including mixing, running the PCR and cleaning up beads, and the overall process is labor and resource intensive, increasing the chances of human error. Researchers seek alternatives to manual NGS sample preparation that can simplify workflows, save time, minimize reagent use, reduce costs, and improve experimental flexibility. Automated devices are game changers, and are increasingly becoming laboratory equipment staples.

INTEGRA Biosciences’ MIRO CANVAS instrument is a small footprint digital microfluidics platform that provides researchers with an affordable, gentle, and completely automated sample preparation solution. It also minimizes reagent use, as all liquid handling is achieved using one disposable cartridge. The MIRO CANVAS transforms time-consuming, multi-step, error-prone manual sample preparation into a fully automated, straightforward process. The instrument significantly reduces hands-on time to several minutes, freeing up scientists to engage in other tasks. 

Learn more about devices for NGS sample preparation. 

What is the biggest challenge you encounter when preparing NGS samples?

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