Thermo Fisher Scientific and Science/AAAS Host Webinar on the Future of Quantitative PCR and the Importance of Standardization

The webinar, hosted by Science/AAAS, will feature an expert panel discussing the important role qPCR plays in research and molecular diagnostics labs, as well as some of the technical challenges associated with it. Most of these limitations can be addressed with standardized best practices, many of which are outlined in the recently published Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) guidelines. The webinar will take place on September 30, 2010, and registration is available by following this link www.sciencemag.org/webinar/.

Two key authors of the MIQE guidelines, Stephen Bustin and Greg Shipley, along with highly reputable thought leader and product and instrument specialist at Thermo Fisher, Manju Sethi, will be the featured panelists. Each panelist will present on the topic of qPCR and then invite participants to join a live Q&A session. The presentations will provide an overview of the MIQE guidelines and qPCR applications, along with the primary challenges of qPCR and best practices to receive optimal performance from the technique. Particular focus during the webinar will be given to “MIQE-friendly” products, such as the Thermo Scientific NanoDrop UV-Vis spectrophotometer and the Thermo Scientific Solaris qPCR assays, specifically referenced in the guidelines. For example, the guidelines stipulate that template quantification is “essential” and an assessment of purity using spectrophotometry is “desirable.” The microvolume capability of a Thermo Scientific NanoDrop UV-Vis spectrophotometer enables rapid and easy purity assessment and unprecedented range of concentration measurement (2 – 15,000 ng/µL for dsDNA) without the need for cuvettes or any containment device. Known probe sequences are also categorized as “desirable” in the guidelines. The Thermo Scientific Solaris qPCR assays facilitate this requirement with its automatic inclusion of probe and primer sequence information with every assay. “Scientists require cutting-edge products and technology to ensure the success of their qPCR experiments,” said Manju Sethi. “Thermo Fisher has responded to this challenge with a strong portfolio of qPCR products such as the NanoDrop and Solaris. The qPCR product portfolio has been designed to support high quality qPCR results including the effortless adoption of MIQE best practices.” To register for the webinar, please visit www.sciencemag.org/webinar. For more information on the Thermo Scientific NanoDrop Products or Thermo Scientific Solaris qPCR assays, please visit www.thermoscientific.com/qpcrwebinar. Thermo Scientific is part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science.