Techniques

Agarose gel

Reasons Why Your PCR Reaction Does Not Work

We have all been there. You have been performing PCRs perfectly for weeks/months on end but now, for some bizarre reason, you see …...
Agarose gel comparison different concentrations

What Percentage Agarose Is Required For Electrophoresis?

In this article, I will explain how an agarose gel works to separate nucleic acids during electrophoresis. Also, I will discuss how to select...

How To Calculate DNA Copy Number For qPCR

In this article, I will show you how to calculate the DNA copy number for qPCR, by using the known amount and length of...

The Features Of A Good QPCR Primer Pair

In this guide, I will give you some of my thoughts on features of a good qPCR primer pair. I will explain what to...
GC clamp example

What Is A GC Clamp In PCR Primers?

In this article, I will explain what a GC clamp is in relation to PCR primer design and why they may be useful to...

How To Analyse qPCR Results With Multiple Reference Genes

A question that I often come across for those who are calculating relative gene expression values in qPCR is, how to go about using...

The Nanodrop Results Explained

The Nanodrop is one of my favourite pieces of equipment in the lab. In exchange for just 1 μL of sample, not only do...
Qubit vs Nanodrop featured image

Qubit vs Nanodrop: Which Is Better?

When it comes to quantifying nucleic acids, there are two preferred main platforms: the Qubit and the Nanodrop. Both work slightly differently and have...

What Is ROX And Why Use It In qPCR?

To ROX or not to ROX? That is the question. I frequently see people confused about what ROX is and why it is used...

qPCR Primer Efficiency Calculator

Below is a PCR primer efficiency calculator. All that is needed for the calculator is the slope of the standard curve during the serial...