Canvax Biotech
Canvax is a leading manufacturer and supplier of the most innovative solutions, kits and R&D Reagents inside Molecular Biology fields. Since its foundation in 2001, Canvax offers reliable, cost-effective and easy-to-use innovative tools for research. Based in Córdoba (Spain), since its beginning it has focused on R&D of multiplex high throughput platforms (HTS) for Drug discovery and Diagnostic applied biosensors. Over a decade later, Canvax is a worldwide leading expert in GPCR expression in heterologous cells, with important patents and exclusive know-how. Canvax prides itself to be the first company to get an unprecedented milestone that could revolutionize the Diagnostics sector: Canvax established stable high-level expression of odour GPCRs into heterologous cell lines in 2014. This key milestone, that could be applied in diagnostic, perfume and cosmetic industry, are being employed to obtain a molecular nose, a sensitive and non-invasive diagnostic molecular device for early detection of cancer, as the nose of trained dogs do. Thanks to this project, Canvax was awarded, in 2013, with the largest Public & Private Contract for Pre competitive Technology Development in Spanish history. Website : www.lifescience.canvaxbiotech.com |
Conventional PCR
A basic PCR set up requires several components and reagents. These components include:
- DNA template that contains the DNA region (target) to amplify
- Taq polymerase, a DNA polymerase that is heat resistant, so that it can remain intact during the DNA denaturation process.
- Two primers that are complementary to the 3' ends of each of the sense and anti-sense strand of the DNA target (DNA polymerase can only bind and elongate from a double-stranded region of DNA, and without primers there is no double-stranded initiation site for polymerase to bind).
- Deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs, sometimes called "deoxynucleotide triphosphates"; nucleotides containing triphosphate groups), the building-blocks from which the DNA polymerase synthesizes a new DNA strand.
- Buffer solution, providing a suitable chemical environment for optimum activity and stability of the DNA polymerase
- Bivalent cations, magnesium or manganese ions; generally Mg2+ is used, but Mn2+ can be used for PCR-mediated DNA mutagenesis, as higher Mn2+ concentration increases the error rate during DNA synthesis
- Monovalent cation potassium ions
Typically, PCR consists
of a series of 20–40 repeated temperature
changes, called cycles, with each cycle commonly consisting of 2–3
discrete temperature steps. The cycling is often preceded by a single
temperature step at a high temperature (>90 °C), and followed by
one
hold at the end for final product extension or brief storage. The
temperatures used and the length of time they are applied in each cycle
depend on a variety of parameters. These include the enzyme used for
DNA synthesis, the concentration of divalent ions and dNTPs in the
reaction, and the melting temperature (Tm) of the primers.
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