Metal catalysts based on gold or platinum could facilitate the development of lithium-air batteries with up to three times the energy density of any battery that currently exists.

Primary cells or cell lines derived from solid tissue, eg endothelial, epithelial or neuronal tissue, typically grow in adherence when transferred into cell culture.

The importance of recombinant protein expression and production for structural and functional protein studies is constantly growing.

Dissociation and production of rat primary dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells for culture is labour intensive and offers low yield.

Assessment of RNA quality/integrity is key to consistent performance in a variety of uses, including microarrays, RT-PCR, and RTqPCR.

DNA transfer into human embryonic stem cells (hESC), derived from the inner cell mass of a four day old embryo and able to differentiate into derivatives of all 3 germ layers, is limited by their general resistance to common methods used to introduce exogenous DNA.

Cultured human keratinocytes provide a model to study a number of medically relevant topics such as metabolism, nutrition, toxicity, differentiation, various epidermal diseases, and the treatment of serious burns.

Label-free, cell-based assay platforms are innovative tools for assessing the integrated functional responses of cells to drug-like compounds.

The Nordlund Centre for Biomedical Structural Biology at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has purchased Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Maybridge Ro3 500 fragment library to support the establishment of a fragment screening-based drug discovery platform.

According to uncyclopedia, the periodic table was invented in 1974 by Mendeleev, a science teacher in Wellington, New Zealand. (On a related note, Mendeleev also insists he invented the Occasional Table, but this claim occasionally goes into great dispute.)

Enhanced of the OmniExpress BeadChip with more flexibility, to launch in Q2 2010. [ + ]

Skin bacteria left behind on keyboards and computer mice can be used to identify who was using the object. Human microbiome researchers are testing if such leftovers can be used forensically or by law enforcement agencies.

Tecan Australia to provide Tecan laboratory instruments and support in Oceania through AimLab. [ + ]

Two studies in Nature show the power of RNA sequencing in exploring the genetic mechanisms that underpin gene expression. [ + ]

A research team has found three proteins that dismantle ‘bridges’ within brain cells which may explain memory loss.