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Elucidate the underlying mechanisms of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating, chronic, and progressive neurological disease that affects around 10 million people worldwide. PD is accompanied by loss of motor function and, without a curative treatment, care remains palliative. Early diagnosis of PD and similar neurodegenerative diseases is difficult because of their common symptoms and pathophysiology and the lack of understanding of their distinguishing molecular characteristics. Thermo Fisher Scientific is committed to developing research tools for neuroscientists investigating the molecular mechanisms of PD and other neurodegenerative diseases using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experimental systems.

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 Download the full issue, BioProbes 80 PDF (2.9 MB)

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Immunofluorescence analysis of ZO-1 (red) and SOX2 (gray) in human iPSC–derived forebrain organoids. At day 40, organoids were fixed with 4% formaldehyde for 1 hr at room temperature and incubated in a 30% sucrose solution overnight at 4°C. The organoids were then embedded, cryosectioned at 5 μm, permeabilized with 0.2% Triton X-100 for 20 min, and blocked with 10% donkey serum in PBS for 30 min at room temperature. Organoid slices were incubated with a 1:500 dilution of Invitrogen ZO-1 mouse monoclonal antibody (clone ZO1-1A12) and Invitrogen SOX2 rabbit polyclonal antibody, and a 1:1,000 dilution of a MAP2 chicken polyclonal antibody in blocking buffer overnight at 4°C. Samples were then stained with a 1:1,000 dilution of Invitrogen Alexa Fluor 568 donkey anti–mouse IgG (red), Invitrogen Alexa Fluor 647 donkey anti–rabbit IgG (gray), and Alexa Fluor 488 donkey anti–chicken IgG (green) secondary antibodies, as well as DAPI (blue), in blocking solution at room temperature for 1 hr. Images were taken on a Nikon Inverted Eclipse Ti-E Microscope at 20x magnification. Scale bar: 50 μm. Used with permission from Zhexing Wen, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.

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Parkinson's disease research

Elucidate the underlying mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders
Fixed and live cell research tools for neuronal protein and structural analyses

Antibodies and immunoassays

Characterize immune cell identity and purity
eBioscience Essential Phenotyping antibody panels and PureQuant qPCR-based assays

Enhance immunodetection in neurons and other complex samples
Development and optimization of Alexa Fluor Plus secondary antibodies

Validated RBP antibodies: Enliven your RIP protocols
RNA-binding protein antibodies validated for RNA immunoprecipitation

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Investigate neuronal cellular senescence in age-related diseases
CellEvent Senescence Green Probe for fluorescence imaging and flow cytometry

Acquire and analyze microplate data more quickly and easily
Enhanced SkanIt Software 6.0.1 for microplate readers

Journal club

Modeling antitumor responses with spheroid–immune cell cocultures


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Request the poster "5 steps to multiplexed fluorescent western blotting"

Now available upon request, the "5 steps to multiplexed fluorescent western blotting" poster features tips for optimizing each step of multiplexed western blotting to achieve publication-quality results. Each step in the workflow—from protein sample preparation, to electrophoresis, transfer, antibody incubation, and imaging—is covered on this 24 x 20 inch poster. You can find advice on antibody and fluorophore selection, as well as links for downloading helpful application articles. The reverse side offers troubleshooting tips for avoiding pitfalls that can produce less-than-perfect blots.

Request the "5 steps to multiplexed fluorescent western blotting" poster

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Spheroid cell culture: Practical solutions for frequently asked questions

3D cell models—including spheroids, tumor spheroids or tumoroids, and organoids—have become important experimental tools for cancer biology and immunology, as well as for drug screening, discovery, and development. 3D models are relevant for many different application areas because their microenvironment can resemble the microanatomy of in vivo systems better than traditional 2D models. The formation and growth of these 3D cell models, however, can be more difficult because of the increased complexity that comes with spheroid culture.

Spheroid size and uniformity across culture wells and plates and the expression of subcellular molecular markers are key concerns that can be addressed with the appropriate cultureware, media, fluorescent reagents and assays, and instrumentation. Thermo Fisher Scientific offers Invitrogen, Gibco, and Thermo Scientific products across the entire 3D workflow, in addition to resources, tip and tricks, and support for frequently asked questions.

Download the free 3D product resource guide

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Watch the on-demand webinar "Best practices: 5 steps to live-cell imaging"

Fluorescence imaging of live cells is a powerful approach for the study of dynamic cellular processes and events. Recent advances in fluorescent dye development and imaging technology have led to the application of live-cell imaging in diverse fields, including developmental and stem cell biology, drug discovery, and environmental studies.

The webinar "5 steps to live-cell imaging" from Thermo Fisher Scientific summarizes what we have learned from over 40 years of cell imaging research and expertise. Designed for those new to live-cell imaging as well as experienced researchers, this webinar demonstrates how to obtain publication-quality live-cell images routinely and efficiently, while minimizing waste and avoiding costly mistakes. We also discuss long-proven tools and protocols for achieving the best possible results in your live-cell imaging workflow.

Access the "5 steps to live-cell imaging" webinar

Download this Nature booklet to learn more about antibody validation* and reproducibility

In collaboration with Nature, we have compiled a series of three articles that explore the antibody reproducibility crisis, antibody protocols and standards, and Thermo Fisher Scientific’s specificity testing methodology, including data acquired using numerous antibodies against proteins in a variety of signaling pathways. Find out about the stringent measures Thermo Fisher Scientific uses to ensure that its antibodies are consistently of the highest quality—download this 8-page Nature booklet

* The use or any variation of the word “validation” refers only to research use antibodies that were subject to functional testing to confirm that the antibody can be used with the research techniques indicated. It does not ensure that the product(s) was validated for clinical or diagnostic uses.

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Behind the Bench blog: What’s new with antibodies

We are continually updating our Invitrogen antibody portfolio with verified primary antibodies for use in flow cytometry, IF/ICC/IHC, western blotting, and ELISAs. See what’s new in two blog posts:

  • Let’s get ‘specific’ about the TNFR pathway!” focuses on the TNFR pathway and recommends CRISPR-validated Invitrogen antibodies for key proteins in this pathway
  • DIY neurons for antibody validation” describes our use of stem cells to generate several different types of neuron progenitor cells, which can then be employed for antibody validation*
  • Find more in the Behind the Bench blog

    Or go directly to our antibody search tool

    * The use or any variation of the word “validation” refers only to research use antibodies that were subject to functional testing to confirm that the antibody can be used with the research techniques indicated. It does not ensure that the product(s) was validated for clinical or diagnostic uses.

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5th Annual Thermo Scientific Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) Research Awards: Winners announced!

Isobaric chemical tags are powerful tools that enable multiplexed identification and quantitation of thousands of proteins from different samples, using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling reagents contain up to 18 (TMTpro) different isobaric compounds for labeling protein samples in parallel and then combining them for analysis on high-resolution MS/MS platforms such as the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Tribrid series, Orbitrap Exploris series, Q Exactive series, and Orbitrap Astral Mass Spectrometer, each supported by Proteome Discoverer Software.

We are pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Thermo Scientific TMT Research Awards, given annually to three researchers selected by a panel of judges from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Proteome Sciences in recognition of the innovation and potential impact of their use of TMT labeling reagents in conjunction with other Thermo Scientific MS reagents. These recipients were recognized at the 2019 American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) annual meeting:

  • Gold Award—Dr. Amirata Saei Dibavar, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
  • Silver Award—Dr. Anja Andrejeva, Cambridge Centre for Proteomics, University of Cambridge, UK
  • Bronze Award—Dr. Paula Díez, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands

Learn more about applications for the 6th Annual TMT Research Awards

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.