Chemical researcher Linus Pauling first proposed the helical structure of certain proteins as far back as 1951. Just two years later, in 1953, and with the aid of X-ray crystallography images produced by Rosalind Franklin, the Nobel Prize-winning team of Crick, Watson and Wilkins confirmed the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The combined efforts of these pioneers led to the birth of the brand-new branch of science that we now know as molecular biology.

Since then, these discoveries have opened up a plethora of fascinating applications that range from the modification of cellular DNA in animals in order to promote the production of some more useful metabolite such as insulin, to the analysis of genetic material for forensic and diagnostic purposes. Among the preliminary steps that will be required to proceed with all such applications are nucleic acid isolation & purification.

One of the most ambitious projects every undertaken by humankind can also be attributed to those pioneering days. In 1990, Human Genome Project (HGP) set out to map all of the genes that, together, constitute the blueprint for human beings, and was completed in 2003. Its findings have since led to one of the most exciting possibilities to date – the application of genetic engineering to reverse the disease process.

As our knowledge of molecular biology has evolved, so has the technology used to do research and to apply its findings. One of the companies operating at the cutting edge of this specialised technology is MP Biomedicals. A specialist in life science applications, including molecular biology, for more than 50 years, among its many advanced product lines are the equipment and reagents required for the extraction, isolation & purification of the nucleic acids DNA and RNA in a wide range of sample materials. These include soil, plants, faecal matter, bone, bacteria, hairs, seeds, wastewater and just about any type of material that may contain cells.

The US Company’s FastPrep, FastDNA and MPure ranges, between them, provide users with all of the materials required to conduct the entire sequence of treatments. Beginning with the initial lysis of cells in order to release their contents and proceeding to the extraction phase, finally, these successive treatments provide the purified product that is essential for further use, analysis or quantitation as may be required. Effective techniques for the isolation & purification of the nucleic acids have gained importance worldwide and in a wide range of disciplines that promise an even wider range of benefits both to individuals and to the human race as a whole.

In South Africa, MP Biomedicals and its products are represented by IEPSA. As a leading supplier of instruments, equipment and reagents for use in medical diagnostics, quality control, water analysis and a wide range of research applications for more than four decades, our policy is to supply only the best and to back up our sales with service excellence. To meet the growing and evolving needs of pathology and veterinary laboratories, university research departments and many others, we are positioned to deliver, to support and offer expert technical advice pertaining to these state-of-the-art systems for nucleic acid isolation and purification and other applications within the field of molecular biology, developed by this world-leading manufacturer.     

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