Discovery in the Post-Genomic Age
How to use proteomic assays to discover more and publish faster
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 [1]. Currently, the United States has become one of the most impacted regions with confirmed cases totaling more than 5.6 million and with more than 175,000 deaths [2]. The…
In COVID-19 cases of greatest severity, a defective host immune response appears to play a central role. In particular, the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and organ failure that typify a severe disease course are accompanied by elevated levels of IL-2, IL-7, G-CSF, IFN-γ, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP1-α, and TNF-α [1].…
Exosomes are 30-150 nm extracellular vesicles that are endocytically released from cells. Exosomes were previously thought to simply exude unnecessary proteins from cells; however, more recent research has highlighted their importance in cell-to-cell communication by transporting biomolecules such as mRNA, microRNA, and protein through the circulatory system. Recipient cells may…
What are Aptamers? Often described as synthetic antibodies, aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that fold into secondary structures which can bind to target molecules with high affinity and specificity. In 1990, the first aptamer was developed against T4 DNA Polymerase using RNA1. Since then, both aptamer selection methods…