Invitrogen introduced the newest member of its free online scientific resource collection, iGene, a platform that allows researchers to conveniently search for experimental reagents by gene or protein
This announcement, as well as the launch of the Premo cameleon calcium sensor, which uses fluorescent protein color emission to detect calcium levels in live cells for cell signaling studies, was made during the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 2006 annual meeting this week.
Invitrogen developed its suite of online bioinformatics solutions - including the iProtocol Online Library, the iPath Online Bioatlas, and the iGene gene or protein search engine resource - to simplify the transition from experimental planning to selecting optimal research products.
By integrating all known human, mouse, and rat genes and proteins into one database, the iGene search engine helps scientists quickly filter through more than 250,000 products related to their gene or protein of interest.
Researchers can search using several criteria, including keyword, gene accession number, gene symbol, or batch search to find all of the antibody, assay, protein, cloning, qPCR, or RNAi products available for their specific experimental needs.
Search results also link to external resources at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and to relevant signaling and metabolic pathway maps on the iPath Online Bioatlas.
"As the leading provider of integrated research solutions, Invitrogen's goal is to drive standardization of technologies and methods by making available to scientists worldwide a series of top-quality, application-based bioinformatics tools completely free of charge," said Michael Stapleton, vice president of marketing/e-business at Invitrogen.
"Invitrogen's rapidly expanding online scientific efforts are at the forefront of the internet revolution, taking advantage of the most effective medium for promoting best practices in research." Invitrogen also announced the launch of its Premo cameleon calcium sensor, which will provide advantages in imaging applications as well as in compound screening employing HTS methodologies.
Premo cameleon is a genetically encoded fluorescent protein-based sensor for cellular calcium signal measurements.
It provides a ratiometric read-out at visual excitation wavelengths in the presence of calcium and interferes minimally with cell physiology.
Conveniently pre-packaged in the biosafe and nontoxic BacMam insect virus delivery format, Premo cameleon is designed for live-cell application to a broad range of mammalian cells, including neuronal, primary, and stem cells.
