Moving Towards Real-Time Imaging in Single, Living Cells

July 10, 2012 - PRLog -- The latest issue of DECODED, Integrated DNA Technologies’ (IDT’s), quarterly newsletter, highlights the use of IDT oligos to image RNA in single, living cells. Dr Tsourkas, Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, has ordered oligos from IDT for over 10 years, collaborating with the company to design several types of molecular imaging agents.

By combining Molecular Beacons (MBs) with small interfering RNA (siRNA), Dr Tsourkas’ group has created an all-RNA probe, termed the Ratiometric BiMolecular Beacon (RBMB). Delivered using microporation, the siRNA portion guides localization of the RBMBs to the cell cytoplasm, where they bind to specific mRNAs. These imaging agents make it possible not only to track and visualize individual RNA transcripts, but allow researchers to actually see cell trafficking, measure the velocity of transcript movement, monitor localization within the cytosol, and visualize RNA from transcription through translation.

Dr Tsourkas commented, “We often work closely with IDT to move our research forward and have had a great deal of input from them over the years on probe design. This feedback has been invaluable. We want our technologies to be used by other researchers so it is very important to us that our probes are not only functional, but practical.”

You can read more about Dr Tsourkas’ research in the latest issue of IDT’s quarterly newsletter, DECODED. For more information about IDT’s complete product portfolio, and to sign up to receive DECODED, visit www.idtdna.com. For real-time news and updates, follow us on Twitter @idtdna.