May 2019—Scientific Trailblazers | Thermo Fisher Scientific

Cover image for Life in the Lab—Scientific Trailblazers

Blazing new paths toward discovery

Many of us are familiar with famous scientists like Pasteur, Einstein, Crick, and Franklin, but life sciences are ever-evolving. The latest issue of Life in the Lab highlights the accomplishments of new scientific pioneers as well as advances in technology. Stories like these continue to inspire us to break limits and propel scientific discovery.

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Featured articles

Another Researcher Increases Cell Counting Efficiency

Dr Brian Wong tells us how the Countess II Automated Cell Counter contributes to the efficient operation of his organ transplant research lab.

Multiple technologies for gene expression

A typical workflow might consist of a transcriptome-wide analysis, such as biomarker discovery mediated via gene expression microarrays or RNA-Seq. Our customers explain why this is an important aspect of their research.

Elevate the “everyday” with protein expression and transfection solutions

Read up on cell biology solutions you may be missing out on.

The secret lives of proteins (and scientists)

The path to proteomics research wasn’t a straight one for this trailblazer with unexpected talents.

Road to success with CRISPR-Cas9

Peek into what it’s like for this cancer researcher’s pioneering efforts in gene editing with stem cells.

Essentials for direct-to-consumer testing

As direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing broadens, the need for reliable and agile lab essentials grows.

Behind the lab coat: First-generation college graduate studies treatments for Alzheimer’s disease

Meet Lab Manager, Joshua Leitao, ScM, and learn about his pursuit of science.

Beyond the Lab: Advocating for Science

Read a Q&A with Catharine Young, PhD—the senior director of science policy for the Biden Cancer Initiative, championing scientists and their impactful work in cancer research.

Using flow cytometry to create biologics

Read our interview with Amy Twite, PhD, director of chemistry for Valitor, Inc., about how she is working to improve the availability of biologics to treat diseases such as wet macular degeneration and cancer.

Advancing spinal cord therapy research block by block

Discover how Dr. Sandeep Gupta leverages molecular biology building blocks to help understand neuronal growth in the dorsal spinal cord.

SNAP-ChIP: A big leap forward for epigenetics research

Learn what makes this new technique unique, innovative and powerful for epigenetics research.

Trailblazer approved

Checkout other innovations that make your next discovery fantastically attainable

cartoon of scientist ordering oligos online

Oligo order–sharing feature

The easy way to share your ordering details with your labmates

If you’re a lab manager who places the oligo orders for your lab, this feature will make your life a lot easier. Instead of everyone being in the dark about when an oligo order has been placed or when you expect it to arrive, this tool will share the information with anyone you designate. No more questions about the order that you made for the team—and you can even go on vacation.

Simply add up to five email address at the checkout page, and your teammates will receive notifications, too.

Check out this short video on our portal page to see how it works

Explore how to design, create and assemble in our genomics tool hub

Effortlessly productive genes

Get high protein yields with time-saving gene synthesis solutions

Forget tedious traditional cloning techniques that rob you of precious time. Invitrogen GeneArt Gene Synthesis products and services make it easy for you to get maximum protein expression, right from the start. Free up your time to focus on other projects by letting us do the work for you.

Find out more about our products and optimization software that can easily guide you through your first order

Explore the possibilities of genome editing

To aid in your quest to decipher how the genome affects phenotype, we provide a complete tool set of trusted, high-performance solutions for engineering cells. Our genome editing systems are optimized, validated, and designed to work together to help you obtain answers faster and with less effort.

Every lab is unique, so we offer a range of genome editing technologies and products to cater to your needs. Whether you want results fast, you seek full control over every step in designing your gene edit, or you need help with engineering cells, we have a solution that fits.

Visit our genome editing one-stop resource

Making tumor mutational burden more accessible

Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is an emerging biomarker that measures the total number of somatic mutations found within the tumor genome. Evidence suggests that it could also be a predictive biomarker.

The Ion Torrent Oncomine Tumor Mutation Load Assay is a robust, targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay designed for tumor profiling by annotation of cancer driver variants. It offers accurate quantification of TMB from limited FFPE samples. Our streamlined, built-in analysis solution allows you to confidently detect cancer driver variants and assess TMB in ~2.5 days for your research studies.

Learn more about this emerging I-O biomarker

person viewing scientific data on smartphone

Instrument support to keep you up and running

New Smart Remote Support platform uses augmented reality (AR) to help reduce instrument downtime from days to minutes, compared to on-site repair. Benefits:

Instant support: virtually transport one of our specialists into your lab in as little as 20 seconds
See the problem, solve the problem: show our support team exactly what you are seeing
No instrument connectivity requirements: troubleshoot your instrument, even if it’s not online
No special hardware required: connect with specialists using any Internet enabled mobile device
On-screen annotations: skip the guesswork and let us guide you to a fix

We offer full system support, troubleshooting the instrument and its onboard computer. Using IT-friendly remote support access, our engineers can navigate your desktop to better understand and address your computer or software-related questions

Science can’t wait on instrument downtime. Start your AR journey with Smart Remote Support.

Oligo tools

Oligo order–sharing feature

The easy way to share your ordering details with your labmates

Simply add up to five email address at the checkout page, and your teammates will receive notifications, too.

Check out this short video on our portal page to see how it works

Explore how to design, create and assemble in our genomics tool hub

Gene synthesis

Effortlessly productive genes

Instrument support to keep you up and running

New Smart Remote Support platform uses augmented reality (AR) to help reduce instrument downtime from days to minutes, compared to on-site repair. Benefits:

Instant support: virtually transport one of our specialists into your lab in as little as 20 seconds
See the problem, solve the problem: show our support team exactly what you are seeing
No instrument connectivity requirements: troubleshoot your instrument, even if it’s not online
No special hardware required: connect with specialists using any Internet enabled mobile device
On-screen annotations: skip the guesswork and let us guide you to a fix

Science can’t wait on instrument downtime. Start your AR journey with Smart Remote Support.

Life outside the lab: 10 breathtaking trails

Life at the bench can have its challenges. If you’re searching for a way to decompress, connect with nature. Fresh air can reduce stress and even energize you. Here are ten amazing long-distance trails from around the world to inspire you to find balance in your life outside the lab.

Can’t get away for a multi-day hike?

Try doing a segment of one of the longer trails listed above, or just hit a local spot for the day. A Stanford University study found that walking or hiking in a natural area (as opposed to an urban setting) for as little as 90 minutes resulted in reduced neural activity in a part of the brain linked to depression, as well as increased feelings of well-being [1]. So lace up those hiking boots and hit the trail next weekend—you’ll be glad you did.