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Improving research with more effective antibodies

Scientists demonstrate flaws in protein detection tools, and outline a solution

A new study points to the need for better antibody validation, and outlines a process that other labs can use to make sure the antibodies they work with function properly.

Antibodies are used in laboratories and clinics to study proteins, which are the biomolecules that translate information from an organism’s genes into the structure, function, and regulation of its tissues and organs. Genetic mutations can cause protein imbalances or malfunctions, leading to human disease.

Classified as: ALS, Peter McPherson, antibodies, proteins, genetics, reproducibility, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, genes
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Published on: 15 Oct 2019

Brain genes related to innovation revealed in birds

Wild birds that are more clever than others at foraging for food  have different levels of a neurotransmitter receptor that has been linked with intelligence in humans, according to a study led by McGill University researchers.  The findings could provide insight into the evolutionary mechanisms affecting cognitive traits in a range of animals.

The study, published in Science Advances, was conducted by McGill biologists Jean-Nicolas Audet and Louis Lefebvre, in collaboration with researchers from Duke and Harvard universities.

Barbados birds

Classified as: brain, genes, birds, glutamate, McGill University, Jean-Nicolas Audet, Louis Lefebvre, Duke University, Harvard University, McGill Bellairs Research Institute, Barbados, bullfinches
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Published on: 14 Mar 2018

Gene discovered to cause rare, severe neurological disease

Researchers have linked a debilitating neurological disease in children to mutations in a gene that regulates neuronal development through control of protein movement within neuronal cells. 

Classified as: staff, science, neurological disease, genes, External, Student, Peter McPherson, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro)
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Published on: 28 Nov 2016

Same gene can encode proteins with divergent functions

By Cynthia Lee, McGill Newsroom

It’s not unusual for siblings to seem more dissimilar than similar: one becoming a florist, for example, another becoming a flutist, and another becoming a physicist.

Classified as: McGill University, DNA, disease, genes, diversity, bioengineering, health and lifestyle, proteins, brood, isoforms, human cells, splicing, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Yu Xia
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Published on: 11 Feb 2016

Common gene variant influences food choices

By Katherine Gombay, McGill Newsroom

If you’re fat, can you blame it on your genes? The answer is a qualified yes. Maybe. Under certain circumstances. Researchers are moving towards a better understanding of some of the roots of obesity.

Classified as: food, obesity, health, Laurette Dube, genes, income, eating habits, Fat, health and lifestyle, food and sustainability, skinny, healthy food, wealth, MAVAN birth cohort, JAMA Pediatrics
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Published on: 9 Feb 2016

Mom’s prenatal hardship turns baby’s genes on and off

Classified as: science, McGill, genes, woman, ice storm, Baby, The Conversation
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Published on: 29 Oct 2014

How embryos scale vertebrae

As embryos develop and grow, from a single-cell egg to a fully functional body, they must form organs that are in proportion to the overall size of the embryo. The exact mechanism underlying this fundamental characteristic, called scaling, is still unclear. But researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, and McGill University in Montreal are one step closer to understanding it.

Classified as: Paul François, EMBL, embryo, genes, vertebrae
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Published on: 21 Dec 2012
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