Articles

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    Retrieval buffers: Citrate vs. Tris-EDTA
    Article
    Antigen retrieval is an important step in immunohistochemistry performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. When tissue is fixed, the antigens get cross-linked to preserve the cells and tissue in as close to a native state as possible. Fixation increases the longevity of cells and tissue but are chemically modified in the process. These chemical modifications that stabilize and strengthen the tissue can mask antigens and result in poor antibody detection. To combat this, antigen retrieval is performed in one of two main ways: Proteolytic-Induced Epitope Retrieval (PIER) or Heat-Induced Epitope Retrieval (HIER). In this feature we are going to discuss two different buffers used in HIER: citrate and Tris-EDTA.
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    Human Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Sheets for Clinical Use
    Amber Miller, Ph.D.
    Article
    With the incredible therapeutic potential of human umbilical derived mesenchymal stem cell sheets, manufacturing, preservation, and quality standards needed to be developed to ensure patient safety. Researchers developed culture and preservation methods that were able to be scaled up into a two-tiered cell bank system that maintained quality, integrity, and functionality of the mesenchymal stem cells.
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    Targeting cancer stem cells with dendritic cell vaccines in melanoma
    Amber Miller, Ph.D.
    Article
    Dendritic cell vaccines targeting aldehyde dehydrogenases via peptides to ALDH1A1 and ALDH1A3 were able to reduce cancer stem cell numbers, decrease tumor growth, and increase T-cell infiltration and cytotoxic activity. This activity was enhanced with the addition of PD-L1 blockade providing additional therapeutic strategies to improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade.
  • How to Interpret Flow Cytometry Data
    Article
    The experiment is complete. The samples have been run through the flow cytometry machine. Now it’s time for the fun part, examining the results of your experiment!
  • Flow Cytometry Controls
    Article
    Flow cytometry is a multiparametric analysis of single-cell suspensions in which a large amount of data can be collected for each sample. To make sense of all this data and to accurately draw conclusions, it is essential to include proper controls. These controls can be divided into two main categories: instrumental controls and experimental controls.