Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) is the world's most widely read biotech publication. It provides the R&D; community with critical information on the tools, technologies, and trends that drive the biotech industry.
Issue link: http://gen.epubxp.com/i/716943
42 | SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 | GENengnews.com | Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News BEST SCIENCE APPS Links to the apps described above are posted on GEN's website, www.GENengnews.com. To suggest an app for Best Science Apps, please send a link to Taralyn Tan (ttan@GENengnews.com). Key Strong Points Weak Points Excellent Ratings Very Good Good 9 – HHHH HHH HH Pill Identifier HHH Platform: iPhone/iPad Available for Android: No Cost: $0.99 9 Large collection of drugs, multiple search options – Some features require internet Healthcare professionals and patients alike will find the Pill Identifier app by Drugs.com to be a useful resource, as this app includes a database of over 24,000 medications available in the Unit- ed States. App users can search the database by drug name or pill imprint, or they can display all drugs of a particular shape or color. Popular searches are also preloaded on the home screen search field. For each entry in the database, basic information such as drug name, strength, warnings, and indications are displayed. If an internet connection is available, app users can view more information by clicking on the "images" or "more drug information" tabs (although clicking on "more drug information" simply displays a list of search results for that drug). Thermo Scientific Pierce Antibodies HH Platform: iPad/iPhone Available for Android: Yes Cost: Free 9 Pages load quickly, can locally download catalogue – External links not useful, basically just a catalogue Although basically just a nicely organized version of the corresponding online catalogue, the Thermo Scientific Pierce Antibodies still offers a convenient, easy-to-browse resource for researchers on the move. Products are divided into three documents that are accessible from the home screen: cell organelle, neuroscience research, and protein loading control. Each of these documents can be locally downloaded so as to be available in the absence of an internet connection; however, without an internet connection, users will be unable to access product information or technical information for individual products. (That said, the online links to those resources are not useful, as the links all redirect to the ThermoFisher Scientific antibodies homepage, rather than product-specific pages.) De- spite the limitations, the app provides nice functionalities such as a search feature and the ability to add bookmarks for later viewing. PathLead HHHH Platform: iPad/iPhone Available for Android: No Cost: Free 9 Large amount of information, including videos Designed as an educational tool for pathologists, medical students, and laboratory employees, the PathLead app provides a great deal of information related to surgical pathology and diagnostic immunohistochemistry (IHC). The antibody index, for example, provides information for a large collection of antibodies used in the field, includ- ing their common usage and the expression profiles of the corresponding antigens in various tissue or cell types. Within the histology section of the app, users will find edu- cational documents such as "101 steps to better histology." A number of videos are also included in the app as either webinars or "10 minute lectures." These videos can either be downloaded or opened with YouTube. App users can add their own notes throughout the app and can flag particular pages as "favorites," both of which are easily accessible from the main menu. Periodic Table Explorer HHH Platform: iPad/iPhone Available for Android: No Cost: $0.99 9 Lots of additional information beyond the elements – No citations included Periodic Table apps are a dime a dozen it seems, but the Periodic Table Ex- plorer app lets app users explore information that is not normally included with a "standard" Periodic Table. For example, the "on this day" feature displays Periodic Table-related events that occurred on specific dates in history. The reference section of the app includes not only a glossary of terms, but it also includes brief biographies of scientists whose work in some way impacted the Periodic Table or the field of chemistry in general, as well as information on the production of various elements by different countries around the world. Of course, the app also includes typical features such as an alphabetical list of the elements (with information pages for each), as well as an actual Periodic Table. Cell Imaging HD HHH Platform: iPad/iPhone Available for Android: Yes Cost: Free 9 Interactive timers with protocols, can view most content offline – Images don't display offline The Cell Imaging HD app by Invitrogen is a handy resource to browse the com- pany's collection of antibodies on your mobile device. Users can access the basic information without an internet connec- tion or mobile data plan; however, the app's beautiful fluorescent images can be viewed only when the app user is online. Products are divided into 16 categories in the app, such as immunofluorescence, organelle stains, and apoptosis. In addi- tion to providing general product infor- mation such as storage conditions and amount per vial, the app also includes a collection of protocols that correspond to the various products. For timed steps within the protocols, the app includes a built-in timer that researchers can use as they follow along with the protocol. FlyGenetics HH Platform: iPhone Available for Android: No Cost: Free 9 Attractive graphics – Small collection of phenotytpes, no background information The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a very important genetic model organism in biology. The FlyGenetics app offers a nice introduc- tion to Drosophila genetics for students and researchers by providing images that illustrate common phenotypes. Sadly, the collection of phenotypes is small—only eight are included in the app—so hope- fully this assortment will be expanded in future versions. In addition to providing images depicting phenotypes such as Curly or Scutoid, the app also includes images to facilitate the identification of male versus female flies, and virgin versus nonvirgin flies. Finally, the app includes a table describing common balancer chromosomes, though it unfortu- nately does not provide any background information describing, say, what a balancer chromosome actually is. Therefore, its utility to begin- ners in that regard is limited.