I hate goodbyes ??

Hi everyone!?

I have some big news to share: I’ve decided to pursue a PhD.

I’m super excited to take this next step in my professional development as a scientist, and face the challenges that it will undoubtedly bring.?

Now onto the more difficult bit… making this decision means that I have to leave Synthace. And it also means that this will be the final Synthesis newsletter that I’ll write.

Working at Synthace over the past 18 months will always be a very special milestone for me.

It wasn’t just about understanding the value of applying DOE to biological experiments (though that was a big part of it!).

As I was learning how to use Synthace and automation for the first time, I was also getting to grips with doing my first “real job.”?

I find goodbyes quite difficult.

But when it comes to my time at Synthace, it’s even tougher, because I’m saying goodbye to so many awesome people across the company who I’ve bonded with.?

I’m also really going to miss talking to all of you. Co-authoring the Synthesis newsletter was the very first time that I’d engaged with an online community through my writing.

Having the opportunity to connect with some of you on a personal level has brought me immense satisfaction, and writing has become a creative outlet that I definitely didn’t think I’d love as much as I do.?

As I take this next step in my career, it's safe to say that my emotions are mixed.

But I’ve been reminding myself that this is natural. Embracing those mixed feelings helps me truly appreciate each experience I’ve had for all that it was.?

I’m looking forward to becoming an avid Synthesis reader, and to cheering on everyone at Synthace from the sidelines.

And rest assured that I’m leaving my role of co-author in very capable hands.

Thank you for tuning into my ramblings.?

—Fatima, Research Scientist I, Synthace

?? Robot teamwork makes the dream work

Getting one lab automation device working is great—but helping multiple devices work together is where it's at. Customer Success Scientist Nathan Hardingham shares a proud moment where he set up our Hamilton Microlab STAR with the Biotek plate washer and Clariostar plate reader on either side.

Watch his set-up in action?

?Your questions answered at DOE Office Hours

Next Thursday at 4 pm BST / 11 am ET, we're loaning out our DOE evangelists Sid Sadowski and Nathan Hardingham. Whether you need help applying DOE to media optimization or assay development, they'll be on hand to answer your questions. Will we see you there?? ??

Save your seat

? "Do that experiment again, but 7x faster"

If you're running downstream processing experiments with RoboColumns on the Tecan Evo or Fluent, Synthace can make this challenging task easier. Here's how it helps you simplify programming complex purification workflows and transform your purification process.? ?

Show me how

?? Content we're loving

Beautiful News Daily

Why we loved it:

Sometimes, it feels like the media throws us one bummer after another—so it’s great to have a resource with all the good news that we might've missed. The delightful infographics are excellent at delivering the message fast, too.?

Neurospora intermedia from a traditional traditional fermented food enables waste-to-food conversion

Why we loved it:

Imagine a world where no food industry by-products go to waste, but are turned into fine dining-worthy delicacies through fermentation. Well, it sounds like we’re on our way.

This study used multi-omics analyses to characterize oncom, a staple Indonesian fermented food made from okara, a soy milk by-product, to gain a molecular understanding of the fermentation process. It confirmed that Neurospora intermedia is the main fungus responsible and described the biochemical and gene expression changes.

Excitingly, this fungus successfully grew also on many other plant-based milk, fruit, vegetable and grain by-products, which opens the doors to upcycle them into more nutritious foods.?

Mining human microbiomes reveals an untapped source of peptide antibiotics?

Why we loved it:

Behold, yet another source of novel antibiotics to help in the antibiotic resistance crisis—the human microbiome! It's known to be home to trillions of microbes that have to compete for resources, and so these produce various antimicrobial molecules to gain a competitive advantage.

This prompted this study's authors to employ computational algorithms for mining the existing annotated human metagenomes for short peptides that may have antimicrobial properties. They identified over 300 potential candidates, experimentally screened 78 where over half did show some antimicrobial activity. But excitingly, the lead candidate prevotellin-2 from Prevotella copri rivalled the commonly used antibiotic polymyxin B, highlighting the promise of this approach.?

?About Synthace

Get faster, smarter insights from your R&D experiments. Designed by and for biologists, Synthace lets you design powerful experiments, run them in your lab, then automatically build structured data. No code necessary. Learn more.

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Scientists Luci and Fatima keep you posted on DOE, lab automation, plus all things current and future-facing in life sciences R&D. No frills. Only the important bits.

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