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Did you see Blugene’s make-over and our new homepage? If you've visited Addgene’s homepage recently, you probably noticed some big changes to our site (if you haven’t, go check it out!). After months of strategizing, designing, developing, testing - and repeat - we’re proud and excited to finally share with you what we’ve been working on behind the scenes here at Addgene. 

Finding the best plasmid for your research can be a daunting challenge. With over 80,000 deposited plasmids from around the world, it can be hard to find your favorite gene, promoter, serotype, or a myriad of other things. That’s why we’ve built a new and improved search engine to help make this task a faster, easier, and frustration-free experience. Along with the updated search, we’ve also revamped our homepage and mascot Blugene (check back on December 5 to learn more about this!).

There are approximately 2-4 million proteins per cubic micron in bacteria, yeast, and mammalian cells (Milo, 2013). The number of interactions between these proteins is hard to imagine yet alone study.

Understanding the biology behind brain development, learning, and behavior poses many challenges in neuroscience with many brain regions, neuronal networks, and specific neuronal populations to consider. To tease apart how different neurons impact a certain output, neuroscientists have begun to use more precise genetic tools: activators, inhibitors, sensors, recombinases, and more. With the help of adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV), neuroscientists can combine classical genetic tools with the manipulation of specific neuronal subtypes and determine how these changes affect the phenotype. Viral vectors and genetic approaches are continuously refined and developed so there are many combinations to choose from for your experiments!

We’ve already had our first snow at Addgene HQ in Boston, and it’s gotten us all into the holiday spirit. Decorations have started to go up around the office and labs already, and we’ll keep decorating our space as winter and the holidays get closer.