Blog
Educational material, comparison studies and publications on SPR and other related techniques for researchers.
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Nicoya’s Q & A: Researcher Profile – Dr. Guy Guillemette
Dr. Guy Guillemette, University of Waterloo Associate Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry, has used Nicoya’s OpenSPR™ to publish “Structural Studies of a Complex Between Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase and Calmodulin at Physiological Calcium Concentration” with M. Piazza and T. Dieckmann. With over 70 publications, we interviewed Dr. Guillemette about his protein-peptide research and experience using […]
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Binding Kinetics of Aptamer Interactions Using Surface Plasmon Resonance
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) can be used to analyze all types of interactions ranging from protein-protein, protein-small molecule, protein-nucleic acid, protein-aptamer, protein-lipid, carbohydrate-protein and many more. One area of research is the study of aptamer binding kinetics, and many scientists are implementing techniques such as SPR to define the kinetic constants of these types of […]
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A Simple Guide to Choosing the Best Ligand for Your SPR Experiment
Binding and affinity data are key for characterizing molecular interactions, and with benchtop SPR, it has never been easier. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is a label-free technology which allows researchers to quantitatively analyze binding between two biomolecules. SPR experiments typically consist of a ligand, the biomolecule that is coupled to the sensor surface, and the […]
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What Binding Kinetics Can Tell You That Affinity Can’t
There are many techniques available that can provide scientists with the affinity of an interaction between two biomolecules. The affinity describes how strong the interaction is between two biomolecules. Extremely strong interactions can be on the order of picomolar affinities, while weak interactions can be in the millimolar range, with many interactions falling within this range. Mathematically, the affinity is the concentration of analyte at which half of all binding sites are occupied (at equilibrium conditions).
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Hot New App Note: Temperature Dependent Binding Kinetics of Protein-Protein Interactions Using OpenSPR™
Is temperature dependence important for your binding interactions? In our hot new application note as we demonstrate how OpenSPR’s Temperature Control Add-On can be used to analyze the effect of temperature on the kinetics and affinity of a protein-protein interaction. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) can be used to analyze all types of interactions including protein-protein, protein-small […]
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Meet the world’s youngest benchtop SPR user: 17-Year-Old Eric Wang
As life science researchers, we all understand the importance of obtaining reliable, consistent binding kinetics for biomolecular interactions. Researchers also know that using SPR to measure these kinetics is the gold-standard technique. However, many researchers face a huge barrier when considering SPR for their projects – SPR has traditionally required a huge learning curve, and […]
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Mastering the Art of Regeneration – The Key to SPR Success
Using surface plasmon resonance to get high-quality binding kinetics is definitely rewarding, but the biggest challenge is often finding the right experimental conditions to get optimal binding kinetics. One of the most important steps to consider is the regeneration step, or more specifically, the regeneration buffer. The regeneration buffer is used to disrupt or reverse the binding between the ligand and analyte, and is often an essential step to getting good kinetics. This can be a tricky task, so we hope that these tips will help you rock your regen! We’ll be going over the principles of regeneration, when to use it, how to optimize it according to your ligand and analyte, and what the resulting benefits are if you execute the steps correctly.
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Nicoya Hires Senior Sales and Marketing Executive Jim Harp to Drive Global Expansion
Nicoya recently hired Jim Harp to serve as their VP of Business Development. Nicoya is looking to fuel the growth of OpenSPR through expanding internationally via channel partners and strategic OEM partners, and needed someone experienced and dedicated to that role. Jim is the perfect fit – a California native with deep industry sales experience and a fondness for KW. In addition, he’s a super cool guy – in his spare time, Jim spends his weekends motocross racing, desert dirt biking, surfing and coaching hockey. We interviewed Jim to get to know him better and get an idea of why he joined Nicoya. Jim Harp Senior VP of Business Development Jim has over 20 years of experience in various senior management positions in sales, marketing, and channel development. He has helped scale a number of products and businesses globally by establishing and managing distribution partners and strategic OEM relationships. He has extensive experience working in optics and photonics for the medical diagnostic and analytical instrumentation market while with companies like PerkinElmer and Semrock (now Idex).
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Why Every Biochemistry Teaching Lab Needs SPR Technology
SPR is a gold standard technique used in the biotechnology industry to measure binding kinetics and molecular interactions. This data is of critical importance – it helps scientists understand how diseases work, helps them to design the next blockbuster drug, and helps ensure biosimilars meet FDA regulations, just to name a few examples. So why isn’t SPR being taught to young scientists in college and university, alongside other standard techniques like western blot, ELISA, or HPLC? One big reason is the cost, and the other is the complexity. Luckily, OpenSPR solves these problems, and is a perfect addition to help modernize teaching labs, bringing them into the 21st century and ensuring your students have the skills they need to be competitive and successful.
In this blog post, we will highlight why teaching labs need to adopt SPR and how they can do this effectively and within budget with Nicoya’s OpenSPR. -
Automated Surface Plasmon Resonance Levels the Playing Field in Protein Science
On January 20, we announced our newest product, OpenSPR-XT – a fully automated molecular analysis instrument based on the highly successful OpenSPR instrument. The release of OpenSPR-XT will provide life sciences researchers from academia to industry with a high throughput SPR solution that is affordable for every lab. The OpenSPR line of surface plasmon resonance instruments […]