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Shivarov et al. published their work using BNA-NC probes allowed for the quantitative and sensitive detection of different mutant alleles. This rapid, easy and reliable diagnostic method is expected to allow the detection of myeloid malignancies. View Video
Lab Associate

Peptide epitope mapping, and design of peptide sequence, protein or special materials for antibody project. MS in Microbiology, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Science, or a related field. Proficient in performing lab research, cell culture models, and enzymatic related test. Job Loc: Lewisville, TX. Send resume to BioSynthesis, Inc.
March 31, 2013
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Bio-Synthesis Inc. Announces a Superior IQ4 quencher for Dual Labeled Oligonucleotides

Bio-Synthesis, Inc., a leading biotech supplier of chemical biology reagents, is proud to announce Instant Quenchers™, a better alternative to BHQ 1, 2 and 3 for oligonucleotides.

Dual labeled oligonucleotides are commonly used to monitor the kinetics of PCR amplification and other biological processes in real time. In one version of this method, the oligonucleotides are designed to hybridize to the 3’ side (“downstream”) of an amplification primer so that the 5'-3' exonuclease activity of a polymerase digests the 5’ end of the probe, cleaving off one of the dyes. The fluorescence intensity of the sample increases and can be monitored as the probe is digested during the course of amplification.

In recent years TAMRA, as well as other fluorescent acceptor molecules in dual labeled probes, have been replaced with a growing family of dark quencher molecules such as our IQ™, Instant Quencher™ family of dyes. Quenchers are a class of chromophores which, instead of emitting absorbed fluorescence resonance energy as light, have the useful property of transforming the light energy into heat. This type of probe design can greatly simplify many fluorescence assays since there is no background fluorescence.

Fourth generation Instant Quenchers™, or IQ4™, have unique fluorescence quenching properties with an operational range between 500 nm and 700 nm and can therefore be utilized in multiplexed assays pairing IQ-4 quencher dye with different fluorophores. IQ4 can be used at either end, as well as an internal substitution during standard oligo synthesis. Bio-Synthesis offers customized oligonucleotides using IQ4, as well as other modifications, for researchers worldwide.

For more information, please contact Bio-Synthesis, Inc.
 

Bio-Synthesis Inc. Introduces "BNA-NC" - A Third Generation Multi Functional Bridged Nucleic Acid

Bio-Synthesis is proud to announce that it has acquired a license from BNA Inc. of Osaka, Japan for the manufacturing and distribution of BNA-NC, a third generation of BNA oligonucleotides. This agreement is valid worldwide and is meant for research use only at this time  (Patents JP: 4731324(2011.4.28), USP: 7427672(2008.9.23), EP: 1551905(2012.4.25)).

In 1997, the first generation BNA (2'-O ,4'-C-methylene-bridged nucleic acid, 2',4'-BNA, also known as LNA) was developed by Prof. Takeshi Imanishi of Osaka University (now, Emeritus Professor and CEO of BNA Inc.) and co-workers. This was followed by development of second generation BNAs such as 2',4'-BNA-COC, 5'-amino-2',4'-BNA.

The third generation of 2',4'-BNA-NC contains a 6-membered ring with a N-O bond between the 2'-hydroxyl and the 4'-carbon of the ribose moiety. It exhibits very strong binding affinity to complementary single stranded RNA, DNA, and double stranded DNA with a highly sequence-selective mode. In particular, the binding ability to complementary RNA is significantly high. BNA-NC also possesses great stability due to its nuclease resistant properties. (Follow the full Press Release here.)

BNA Features

  • Improved hybridization selectivity and specificity
  • Increased thermal duplex stability
  • Enhanced allelic discrimination
  • High biological stability to nuclease and protease
  • Superior antisense inhibition and potency
  • Flexible probe designs regardless of GC content
  • Easily adaptable to many DNA or RNA detection system

Applications

  • Antigene inhibition
  • Inhibition of RNA function
  • Real-time/ qPCR
  • SNP detection /allele specific PCR
  • In situ hybridization
  • DNAzymes and Ribozymes
  • Biosensor and more

Contact us now to get your project started!
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Like Curry? New Biological Role Identified For Compound Used In Ancient Medicine

Friday, May 25, 2012

Source : Oregon State University

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Scientists have just identified a new reason why some curry dishes, made with spices humans have used for thousands of years, might be good for you.

New research at Oregon State University has discovered that curcumin, a compound found in the cooking spice turmeric, can cause a modest but measurable increase in levels of a protein that's known to be important in the "innate" immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans and other animals.

This cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, or CAMP, is part of what helps our immune system fight off various bacteria, viruses or fungi even though they hadn't been encountered before.

Prior to this, it was known that CAMP levels were increased by vitamin D. Discovery of an alternative mechanism to influence or raise CAMP levels is of scientific interest and could open new research avenues in nutrition and pharmacology, scientists said.

Turmeric is a flavorful, orange-yellow spice and an important ingredient in many curries, commonly found in Indian, South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It has also been used for 2,500 years as a medicinal compound in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in India – not to mention being part of some religious and wedding ceremonies. In India, turmeric is treated with reverence.

The newest findings were made by researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU and published today in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

"This research points to a new avenue for regulating CAMP gene expression," said Adrian Gombart, an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the Linus Pauling Institute. "It's interesting and somewhat surprising that curcumin can do that, and could provide another tool to develop medical therapies."

The impact of curcumin in this role is not nearly as potent as that of vitamin D, Gombart said, but could nonetheless have physiologic value. Curcumin has also been studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

"Curcumin, as part of turmeric, is generally consumed in the diet at fairly low levels," Gombart said. "However, it's possible that sustained consumption over time may be healthy and help protect against infection, especially in the stomach and intestinal tract."

In this study, Chunxiao Guo, a graduate student, and Gombart looked at the potential of both curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids to increase expression of the CAMP gene. They found no particular value with the omega-3 fatty acids for this purpose, but curcumin did have a clear effect. It caused levels of CAMP to almost triple.

There has been intense scientific interest in the vitamin D receptor in recent years because of potential therapeutic benefits in treating infection, cancer, psoriasis and other diseases, the researchers noted in their report. An alternative way to elicit a related biological response could be significant and merits additional research, they said.

The CAMP peptide is the only known antimicrobial peptide of its type in humans, researchers said. It appears to have the ability to kill a broad range of bacteria, including those that cause tuberculosis and protect against the development of sepsis.
Removing endotoxins has become a pivotal step for advancing research. As contamination threatens to invalidate data, the need for endotoxin removal kits is ever growing. Bio-Synthesis now provides kits for rapid and efficient endotoxin removal from proteins and peptides. The kits are available in a convenient spin column format. The columns bind proteins of interest while the endotoxins flow through, with a protein recovery rate of over 95% of input.

This kit works by binding proteins to the spin column matrix while endotoxins and other contaminants are washed away. The purified proteins and peptides are then eluted and ready for downstream applications. A unique feature of the kit is that the endotoxins can be washed away repeatedly until desirable levels of endotoxins are obtained. Other commercially available kits employ membranes to bind the endotoxins and therefore can quickly become saturated with endotoxins, however, Bio-Synthesis's columns do not become saturated as the endotoxins are not bound on the column. In addition, no further purification steps are required with Bio-Synthesis's kit to clean-up the sample prior to use in downstream applications.

Bio-Synthesis's kit will desalt, remove detergents and allow for buffer exchange while simultaneously removing endotoxins, therefore saving considerable time and expense. The purified protein is suitable for in vivo and in vitro introduction into cells and organisms, monoclonal and polyclonal antibody generation, and other applications such as mass spectrometry, gel electrophoresis and immunoassays and western blots. Purification is based on spin column chromatography using Bio-Synthesis's proprietary resin as the separation matrix.

The endotoxin kits offer several key benefits. The protocol allows for fast and efficient processing of multiple samples in 20 to 30 minutes. Columns are provided ready-to-use out of the box. Unlike other endotoxin removal methods, there is no need for lengthy column or resin preparation.

Researchers will now be able to use their time and money more efficiently while advancing their research simultaneously.
RNA purification is of critical importance in the preparation of samples for use in several applications including cDNA library construction, gene expression assay, in vitro translation, microarrays, Northern blot analysis, nuclease protection assays, real-time quantitative PCR, reverse transcription PCR, RNA mapping etc. Low quality RNA may strongly compromise the experimental results of these applications which are often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and highly expensive.

However, RNA purification faces lot of challenges such as extracting high quality RNA from different types of cells and tissues, extracting RNA from scarce samples, especially in clinical settings. The most common method of RNA purification is phenol extraction. Even most of the kits currently available use a preliminary phenol extraction before further purification steps. However, the major drawback of phenol extraction is that, the RNA is contaminated with significant amounts of both DNA and polysaccharides as both can be present in the aqueous layer after phenol extraction. Both contaminants are precipitated along with RNA using ethanol or isopropanol and depending on the subsequent use of the RNA, they may affect further analyses.1 Moreover, phenol extraction is also cumbersome and hazardous to use.

Bio-Synthesis Inc. has launched the RNATotalTM Purification kit which can alleviate all challenges faced by researchers in obtaining quality RNA purification at unbelievably low price.
  • RNATotal TM does not require phenol extraction step.
  • It can extract total RNA including large messenger RNA (mRNA), small interfering (siRNA) RNA and microRNA from all samples.
  • It can extract RNA from as little as a single cell and does not require a carrier to extract RNA.
  • It can extract total RNA from all kinds of specimens including cultured cells, tissues, blood, serum, plasma, bacteria, yeast, fungi, plants and viruses.
 This kit uses a proprietary resin-based technology. The kits are available in both columns as well as 96-well format.

Besides RNATotalTM Purification kit, Bio-Synthesis also has several other sample purification kits that are suited for different applications. There is also a composite kit for RNA, DNA and protein purification.
ABRF Abstract

Authors: Eunice Murage, Ph.D., and Miguel Castro, Ph.D., Affiliations: Bio-synthesis, Inc.  800 Mario Court, Lewisville, TX 75057 USA

Peptides are attractive therapeutic agents for many diseases. However, poor cell permeability, short half life in vivo due rapid enzyme degradation has long been a major drawback in their clinical application. In order to overcome this, modification of peptides backbone has been of most interest. In particular, synthetic cyclic peptides are being investigated as potential drug candidates due to their improved cell permeability, enzyme stability, high receptor affinity and selectivity.

For instance, hydrocarbon stapled peptides has been shown to bind and inhibit the NOTCH1 transcription factor. NOTCH proteins have been shown to play a pivotal role in cellular differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. Mutations in NOTCH1 have been linked with diseases like T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.1

Thus constrained peptide assemblies would provide a good opportunity to explore the protein-protein interactions due their increased binding affinity compared to their linear counterparts. Due to the attractive biological properties offered by these modified peptides there is a growing demand in the current research in drug discovery,. In order to meet this demand Biosynthesis Inc. is now offering constrained peptides in form of stapled peptides and lactam bridge constrained peptides.

  1. Raymond E. M., Melanie C., Tina N. D., Cristina Del Bianco, Jon C. A., Stephen C. B., Andrew L. K., D. Gary G., Gregory L. V., James E. B., Nature 2009, 462, 182-188.

For more details, please contact us or meet as at the ABRF 2011 conference in San Antonio, Texas from February 19 - 22.
Bio-Synthesis is pleased to announce a new human cell line authentication service (called "tissue authentication" or "tissue validation" in oncology) for laboratories working with HLA, cancer cell and other cell lines.

Cell line contamination has interfered with scientific studies for years, but only recently has it come to the community's attention. In 2007, the NCI/ADR-RES breast cancer cell line was found to be contaminated with OVCAR-8, sparking the retraction of over 300 academic papers and compromising years of work.1 Only months later, the NIH called for all grant applicants to address the threat of cross-contamination with cell line identification measures.2 Increasing numbers of journals, notably Biotechniques, Cancer Research, and In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology now require authentication on all cell lines used in studies submitted for publication. The FDA is even more strict, requiring cell line authentication as a condition for drug approval.3

Over the years, several different teams of researchers have noted the failure of phenotype and provenance to provide reliable information:
  • Of 1211 cell lines published between 1989 and 2007, 23 percent were found to have discrepancies in p53 status (Berglind et al).4
  • Of 40 ostensibly thyroid cancer cell lines, 17 were found to lack unique genetic profiles, and some were confirmed as having come from colon cancer or melanoma sources (Schwepp et al).5
  • Among hematopoietic cell lines, 14.8 percent were found to be contaminated with other hematopoietic cell lines (Drexler et al).6
Bio-Synthesis employs short tandem repeat analysis, the technique most highly recommended by the ATCC SDO, to confirm the identities of clients' submitted samples. Standard cell line authentication services start as low as $95 for a profile of preextracted DNA. Complete cell line identification packages, however, include not only AmpFℓSTR Identifiler profiling but PowerPlex 1.2, StemElite, and High-Resolution Luminex HLA DNA Genotyping. In-depth services include comparison of the client's cell line to a known sample, blind analysis of the client's cell line without any preexisting knowledge of its purported origin, comparison of the client's sample to a DNA database and and cross-contamination detection covering nine species.

Bio-Synthesis' accredited cell line testing facilities have been the home of many successful projects. Bio-Synthesis invites readers to visit www.BioSyn.com for more details on this and other services.

For further information, please contact:
Heidi Fazeli, [Sales Director]
Bio-Synthesis Incorporated
(800) 227-0627

1. Diamond, P.F. (Jan. 21, 2010). Cancer Cell Line Identity Crisis. Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News. [Electronic 9-22-2010]
2. National Institutes of Health. Notice regarding authentication of cell lines. Retrieved 9-22-2010.
3. Wanjek, Christopher. The problem, policy, history and fix: Cleaning Up Cell-Line Cross-Contamination. The NIH Catalyst. March-April 2008. Web. September 29, 2010.
4. Barrallon, R.; Bauer, S.R.; Butler, J.; Capes-Davis, A.; Dirks, W.G.; Elmore, E.; Furtado, M.; Kline, M.C.; Kohara, A.; Los, G.V.; MacLeod, R.A.F.; Masters, J.R.W.; Nardone, M.; Nardone, R.M.; Nims, R.W.; Price, P.J.; Reid, Y.A.; Shewale, J.; Sykes, G.; Steuer, A.F.; Storts, D.R.; Thomson, J.; Taraporewala, Z.; Alston-Roberts, C.; Kerrigan, L. (Jul. 8, 2010). Recommendation of short tandem repeat profiling for authenticating human cell lines, stem cells, and tissues. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology - Animal. [Electronic 9-22-2010]
5. Barrallon, R.; Bauer, S.R.; Butler, J.; Capes-Davis, A.; Dirks, W.G.; Elmore, E.; Furtado, M.; Kline, M.C.; Kohara, A.; Los, G.V.; MacLeod, R.A.F.; Masters, J.R.W.; Nardone, M.; Nardone, R.M.; Nims, R.W.; Price, P.J.; Reid, Y.A.; Shewale, J.; Sykes, G.; Steuer, A.F.; Storts, D.R.; Thomson, J.; Taraporewala, Z.; Alston-Roberts, C.; Kerrigan, L. (Jul. 8, 2010). Recommendation of short tandem repeat profiling for authenticating human cell lines, stem cells, and tissues. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology - Animal. [Electronic 9-22-2010]
6. Drexler, H.G, Dirks, W.G., MacLeod, R.A.F. (Oct. 1999). False human hematopoietic cell lines: cross-contaminations and misinterpretations. Leukemia, 13(10), p. 1601-1607.

Florentina Marches, Baylor Institute for Immunology Research

Radha Krishnakumar, J. Craig Venter Institute

John Herndon, Washington University School of Medicine

Luann Thompson-Snipes, Baylor Institute for Immunology Research

Zachary Hartman, Duke University   

Congratulations!!
RNA purification is of critical importance in the preparation of samples for use in several applications including cDNA library construction, gene expression assay, in vitro translation, microarrays, Northern blot analysis, nuclease protection assays, real-time quantitative PCR, reverse transcription PCR, RNA mapping etc. Low quality RNA may strongly compromise the experimental results of these applications which are often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and highly expensive.

Bio-Synthesis Inc. has launched the RNATotalTM Purification kit which can alleviate all challenges faced by researchers in obtaining quality RNA purification at unbelievably low price.

RNATotalTM does not require phenol extraction step.
  • It can extract total RNA including large messenger RNA (mRNA), small interfering (siRNA) RNA and microRNA from all samples.
  • It can extract RNA from as little as a single cell and does not require a carrier to extract RNA.
  • It can extract total RNA from all kinds of specimens including cultured cells, tissues, blood, serum, plasma, bacteria, yeast, fungi, plants and viruses.

This has been made possible by a proprietary technology used in manufacturing these kits. The kits are available in both column as well as 96-well format.

Besides RNA, Bio-Synthesis also has other sample purification kits for DNA and protein.
Bio-Synthesis Inc., a closely held biotechnology company, is pleased to announce an exclusive scientific collaboration with Dr. Dante Marciani, a world renowned expert in immune agonists. Over the last 20 years, Dr. Marciani has pioneered work with proprietary immune stimulatory saponins and their semi-synthetic analogs that have immune enhancing activities. These small molecule constructs have the potential to stimulate Th1 immunity thus become an important element in preventive vaccines as well as active immunotherapy. These plant-derived glycosides and their analogs have the unique ability to stimulate antigen-specific CTL production that will seek and destroy cells carrying abnormal markers, such as viral, intracellular parasites or tumor markers. Previous work by Dr. Marciani has been effective in stimulating a protective preventive immune response in commercial products, against various pathogens, such as retroviruses. These molecules have the capacity to stimulate both humoral and cell-mediated immunity; its inclusion in vaccines may result in a safe and protective immune response against infection. The collaboration between Dr. Marciani and BioSynthesis is focused on proprietary novel glycosides that stimulate innate immunity while taking advantage of the synergistic effects between innate and adaptive immunity. In addition, the collaboration extends to proprietary compounds that down regulate Th1 immunity, an area of significance in the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions.
Bio-Synthesis Inc CEO Miguel Castro attended and formed part of the Collin County College Biotechnology(CCCB) Advisory Board. The mission of the Board is to advise the College in ways to improve the curriculum and to establish cooperative programs where the CCCB students /graduates perform internships with local biotech companies. They will be able to learn valuable hands on experience and give the local companies a chance to observe the performance of the students for possible permanent hiring. A number of local universities faculty form part of the board; these universities include: Texas A&M UT Southwestern,UT Dallas, U. of North Texas Health Science Center and other members are senior officers of local biotech companies. The CCCB campus is located in Collin County; Bio-Synthesis Inc is located in the adjacent county of Denton.
Bio-Synthesis Inc is proud to announce the recent acquisition of a sophisticated Multiple Peptide Synthesizer, the Vantage from ACT, Louisville, Kentucky. This instrument has four dispenser tips, which allows for parallel washings, decreasing cycling times for peptide assembly. The Vantage is also equipped with a heating device which allows us to conduct reactions at 80 degrees Celsius, which expedites coupling times. This unit will help us to prepare a large number of peptides( 96 at a time) for applications such as peptide microarrays and discovery scale peptides; where researchers need small quantities(milligram or less) but in large numbers.
Bio-Synthesis has released an updated description for peptide synthesis; this allows peptide researchers to get a view of the broad spectrum of our capabilities:

Peptides are complex molecules and each peptide sequence is unique with regard to its chemical and physical properties. Peptides are synthesized by the solid-phase method using Fmoc chemistry on an Omega 396 multiple peptide synthesizer from Advanced ChemTech. The Core also uses an Applied Biosystems Model 431A Synthesizer for longer peptides. Synthesis is carried out at 50 µmole, 100 µmole or 250 µmole scales. On an average, a synthesis scale of 100 µmoles will yield about 50-70 mg of a 10-residue peptide and 100-150 mg of a 20-residue peptide depending on the substitution rating of the resin. The peptide synthesis service provides a complete spectrum of services that includes synthesis, cleavage, HPLC purification, peptide modifications, cyclization and mass analysis for quality assurance. Before submitting your peptide sequences to the Core, it is advisable to consider the following:

  • Every peptide sequence synthesized is a unique one. Some peptides sequences are difficult to synthesize although, they attempt to synthesize every peptide sequence.
  • Peptides with multiple cysteines, methionine, arginine and tryptophan residues can often be difficult to synthesize.
  • Avoid a proline residue at the C-terminal of the peptide.
  • The peptide will be de-protected and cleaved from the resin with 82.5-90% trifluoroacetic acid, partially purified, and lyophilized. The lyophilized material will be provided as a "crude" preparation. Turnaround time is about ten days to three weeks depending on the length of the peptide and purity level. When requested, the peptide will be purified further (see below).
Bio-Synthesis is one of the top leaders in the field of Custom Oligos and Peptide synthesis providing high quality, efficient custom DNA and Peptides to the entire Biomedical Community since 1984. Bio-Synthesis manufactures custom peptides, oligos, antibodies, organic synthesis, analytical services and more.

For further questions please feel free to contact Bio-Synthesis at 1-800-227-0627 or visit us at www.biosyn.com.

www.pr.com/press-release/40593
The DNA Synthesis Division of Bio-Synthesis Inc is proud to announce yet another custom service: Mini Gene Synthesis. With the capability to synthesize 100-200 bases long oligonucleotides, BSI can put small genes together. A small gene can be defined as one that encodes for 30-60 residues in length. The ability to chemically synthesize proves very useful to the biomedical researcher that studies control of gene expression. A Mini Gene can code for a peptide that can be an antagonist to a regulatory protein. BSI can deliver mini genes in about 5-7 days.
Trojan Peptides, also known as Cell penetrating peptides (CPP) can be used to translocate peptides, DNA, RNA, small organics, or in general, biomolecules of your interest, across biological membranes by an energy-independent mechanism. These CPP peptides can be directly conjugated to the cargo molecule of your interest indirectly forming bio-conjugates such as peptide-peptide, peptide-DNA, peptide-RNA, peptide-BNA, peptide-oligos, etc.

Contact our technical staff and we will be glad to assist you with the design, synthesis and bioconjugation of these Trojan Peptides to your specific molecule

Please note that creation and use of synthetic oligos for CRISPR applications requires a license from ERS genomics, the holders of IP for CRISPR technology. We do not have a license to provide synthetic oligos used in CRISPR technology from ERSGenomics. Contact ERSGenomics.com for further information.