Reagent validation: an underestimated issue in laboratory practice

Quality control of protein reagents for the improvement of research data reproducibility

Proteins and peptides are amongst the most widely used research reagents but often their quality is inadequate and can result in poor data reproducibility. Here we propose a simple set of guidelines that, when correctly applied to protein reagents should provide more reliable experimental data.

The Trip Adviser guide to the protein science world: a proposal to improve the awareness concerning the quality of recombinant proteins

In many research articles, where protein purification is required for various assays, (protein-protein interactions, activity assays, etc.), we always have access to the final results, but seldom have access to the raw data required for an accurate evaluation of the protein quality. This data is extremely important on one hand to critically evaluate the quality of the proteins used in the described research and, on the other hand, to allow other laboratories to safely use the described procedure in a reproducible manner. We herby propose to include a standardized methodology that can easily be incorporated in research papers. Moreover, this methodology can be utilized as a “quality control” ladder, where the more information given, will lead to a higher ranking of the article. This “quality control” stamp will allow researchers retrieving relevant and useful materials and methods in the field of protein research.