Tips & Tricks

Practical laboratory tips, troubleshooting guides, and best practices for common experimental techniques.

Laboratory Best Practices

Optimize your experimental workflows with these practical tips and troubleshooting guides for common laboratory techniques.

Western Blotting Tips

• Use fresh lysis buffer with protease/phosphatase inhibitors
• Equal protein loading is critical — use a loading control
• Transfer efficiency varies by protein size; optimize transfer time
• Block with 5% non-fat milk for most antibodies
• Overnight incubation at 4°C improves signal-to-noise ratio

IHC Optimization

• Antigen retrieval is essential for formalin-fixed tissues
• Test multiple antibody dilutions for optimal staining
• Include appropriate positive and negative controls
• Use DAB substrate for permanent staining