It’s nearing the end of #DepositorWeek at Addgene and we’d like to show our gratitude on the blog by highlighting some of the great posts written by Addgene depositors. Below you’ll find brief summaries of several excellent guest posts from our depositors. Interested in writing your own post for the Addgene Blog? Fill out our guest blogger form to get started!

Thanks for all your hard work!

Instead of spending time and money producing virus from select vectors in the repository yourself, you can now order ready-to-use virus directly from Addgene! As part of our new Viral Service, we’re distributing lentivirus (with many CRISPR tools included among the preps that are currently available) and adeno associated virus (AAV, primarily chemogenetics tools for now but with optogenetic tools coming soon). The viral preparations undergo rigorous quality control testing at Addgene meaning they come ready made to accelerate your research.

In this episode of the Addgene podcast, we sit down with Alex Chavez, a Clinical Fellow in Pathology at Masachusetts General Hospital and Postdoctoral Fellow in the Church and Collins labs at the Wyss institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Alex is the first MD PhD we've had on the podcast, has worked extensively with CRISPR, and recently became a member of the Addgene advisory board where he will help shape Addgene's future. Listen to this episode for insights into the process of getting an MD PhD, the inside scoop on developing new CRISPR tools, and the potential uses of gene drives.

All plasmids deposited at Addgene enhance scientific sharing worldwide but a select few are particularly special. Over 1000 of our 60,000+ deposited plasmids have been requested more than 100 times each, thereby achieving the coveted “blue flame” status. We’re proud to honor the creativity, passion, and dedication to sharing epitomized by the creators of these plasmids with the first annual Blue Flame Awards.

This post was contributed by guest blogger, Jennifer Rivers, a research microbiologist specializing in bacteriology and drug resistance. 

It seems as though, nowadays, we cannot make it a full month without a new, drug-resistant ‘superbug’ making headlines in one part of the world or another. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is certainly a topic of great concern in healthcare today, but it doesn’t have to be some looming, abstract, convoluted scientific concept. It is imperative that we all understand what antibiotic resistance is and how it develops so that we may take an active part in our own health and the health of our loved ones, and become a positive force for public health.

Visit Addgene's Microbiology Pages