Every quarter we highlight a subset of the new plasmids in the repository through our hot plasmids articles. These articles provide brief summaries of recent plasmid deposits and we they'll make it easier for you to find and use the plasmids you need. Below you'll find our hot plasmid articles from the first quarter of 2018. If you'd ever like to write about a recent plasmid deposit please sign up here.

TRIM-Away: Targeted Endogenous Protein Degradation

CRISPR and RNAi have helped researchers alter DNA sequence and RNA expression - but what if you just want to change protein levels? Until recently, no such tool existed for rapid, customizable protein degradation. Enter TRIM-Away - an antibody-based system developed by the James and Schuh labs. Clift et al. applied TRIM-away to nine proteins in ten ddifferent cell types, including difficult-to-manipulate primary cells, achieving knockdown within 1-2 hr of reagent delivery. TRIM-Away is suitable for both short-and long-lived proteins, and it can even distinguish between protein variants when used with a variant-specific antibody.

A recent survey of PhDs found that many researchers feel that they lack formal training in a variety of transferable skills. At Addgene we've set out to fill this gap by both highlighting that researchers do learn MANY transferable skills while working in the lab and by offering advice on areas where you might need some help. Today in our transferable skills guide: Collaborating with others outside your organization also known as external collaborations.

The field of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has been around for 10 years. In that time, scientists have used almost all available approaches for generating iPSCs. The generation of iPSCs is relatively simple in concept: ectopically express a cocktail of stem cell reprogramming factors and wait for cells to de-differentiate. However it’s difficult, especially as a newbie reprogrammer, to decide which method to use. This post provides a brief overview of reprogramming methods with the goal of helping readers choose a strategy suited to their research.

In this episode of the Addgene podcast, we sit down with Addgene’s Founders - Melina Fan, Ken Fan, and Benjie Chen. We learn what it was like to get Addgene off the ground and what the founders hope to see in the repository’s future. If you’ve ever been curious about what it takes to start your own nonprofit, this is the episode for you.

This post was contributed by guest blogger Courtney Price, the Education & Outreach Specialist for the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center and the Center for Applied Plant Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Established in 1991, the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC) is one of two global stock centers for Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). Our mission is to collect, preserve, reproduce and distribute seeds, DNA and other resources for Arabidopsis and related species. Located at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, ABRC ships more than 100,000 samples to researchers and educators in 60 countries each year.