S3E18 - From seed to cDNA―lessons learned from plant RNA workflows

In this Mol Bio Minutes episode, Dr. Will Barnes, a plant biologist turned senior sales training specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific, reflects on his time at the bench and the molecular lessons learned along the way. Will dives deep into the difficulties of RNA work in plant systems—carbohydrate contamination, genomic DNA carryover, secondary structure—and how these hindered everything from cloning and expression analysis to sequencing and qPCR.

Through real-world anecdotes, he explains how high-quality reagents and systems helped him troubleshoot and resolve recurring issues, ultimately saving time and improving data reliability. He advocates for prioritizing upst...