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Dear scientists using AAV,

We hear your questions! How much virus should I inject? How long do I need to wait? What serotype and promoter should I use to target my favorite neurons?

We don’t know all of the answers, but we’re betting that your colleagues do. That’s why we’re launching the AAV Data Hub. The Data Hub is an open platform for scientists using AAV to share practical information about their experiences. It will contain all of the juicy and important details that you won’t find in the final publication and we have already collected over 100 entries spanning six different species and dozens of different expression sites.

From Addgene Book Club to our on-site book swap/library, reading is part of the culture here at Addgene. Since it’s National Book Month, we’ve asked some Addgenies to share their favorite books - both scientific and not - to inspire you to read a little more this October.

To LinkedIn or not to LinkedIn. That is the question.

When presenting on building relationships (also known as “networking”), one of the most common questions I receive is “Do I have to be on LinkedIn?” For anyone who is planning or might need to plan for a career outside academia (that would be pretty much all scientists), a LinkedIn profile is absolutely necessary. If people can’t find you on LinkedIn, you will lose opportunities and hiring managers will think it is odd. For those planning a career in academia, it may not be required, but many academic scientists are starting to see the advantages of using social networking to start, build, and track professional relationships. Here are my seven best tips beyond the basics to get you started.

CRISPR is a simple and versatile tool for genome engineering, but its utility is dependent on its ability to infiltrate cells. Options for CRISPR delivery include plasmid transfection, RNP electroporation, and viral transduction; but these methods aren’t stealthy enough to gain access to some cells and tissues, such as human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Nanoblades, a new CRISPR delivery method developed by the Ricci Lab and the T. Ohlmann Lab, adds a covert tool to the CRISPR tool box. 

This post was contributed by Oskar Laur, head of the custom cloning core at Emory University, and Paolo Colombi, a product development scientist at Addgene.

Cloning can be quite an arduous process. The PCR could fail to produce a product, the transformation may not result in any cells, or all the colonies screened might not contain the correct plasmid. There’s a lot that can go wrong! With all the steps in the cloning process, there are also many ways to troubleshoot the cloning experiment. Here are some tips that will help you with your cloning project, and hopefully obtain your coveted plasmid with no substantial delays.