Blot Talk Webinar SeriesMay Your Submissions Be Fruitful
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 9:00 AM PST
Join us for this month's session of Blot Talk!
In this one‑hour webinar, Bio‑Rad's western blotting specialists will guide you through:
- Real‑world troubleshooting: We'll analyze and resolve blots submitted by participants.
- Stay up to date: We will review updated image-based submission guidelines from major scientific journals.
- Live Q&A: Get expert answers to your toughest questions.
Whether you're troubleshooting faint bands or simply looking to stay updated on the latest advancements in western blotting, our Blot Talk webinar series is your ultimate resource for achieving sharper, clearer results.
Register today to secure your spot!
Speakers
Magda Santos, PhD
Senior Scientist
Magda Santos earned her PhD in Biochemistry at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, where she investigated molecular mechanisms that underly the subcellular localization of neuronal proteins. After completing her postdoctoral work at UC San Francisco, she remained at UCSF studying the structure-function of the major vesicular neurotransmitter transporters and developed an optical reporter for live imaging of inhibitory neurotransmission. Magda is currently a Senior Scientist at Bio-Rad where she applies her expertise in Western blotting and molecular and cell biology to help develop and enhance a diverse array of products.
Lindsey Maccoux, PhD
Global Product Manager
Lindsey Maccoux is currently a Global Product Manager for Bio-Rad Laboratories’ Protein Quantitation Global Business division. She has been with Bio-Rad since 2016, where she has held positions in Sales and Marketing. At Bio-Rad, she has managed products in Chromatography, qPCR, and now Western Blotting. Prior to Bio-Rad she did a Post-Doc in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and held roles in Product Development and Sales at biotech start-ups in Madison. She received her Master’s in Immunology and Immunogenetics from the University of Manchester, England and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology and Biomedical Engineering at the Technische Universität Dortmund, Germany. Her previous research involved studying signaling pathways in HER2+ breast cancer to develop new microfluidic techniques to better understand the tumor microenvironment.
Brittany Ripley Dajles, PhD
Field Application Scientist
Brittany Ripley Dajles is a Field Application Scientist at Bio-Rad, serving states in the Central Plains and Great Lakes of the United States. She specializes in Chromatography, Western Blotting, and Bio-Plex. Brittany has been at Bio-Rad for one year and has 10 years of experience in chromatography. Before joining Bio-Rad, Brittany worked as a postdoctoral fellow researching the interactions of an immune signaling modifier protein using chromatography, X-ray crystallography, and LC/LC-MS. Her PhD research focused on a DNA damage bypass pathway, employing techniques such as Biolayer Interferometry, X-ray crystallography, molecular dynamics simulations, and Small Angle X-ray Scattering.
Blot Talk On-Demand Webinars
Missed a live session? Explore our growing library of Blot Talk webinars, packed with practical tips, troubleshooting advice, and expert insights—available to watch anytime.
January: In this episode, we tackle three of the most common western blot headaches—high background fluorescence, poor transfer quality, and suboptimal staining and washing—with practical tips to improve your results. Watch On-Demand >
February: In this episode, we dive into five common challenges that can derail your blot— troubleshooting issues with phosphorylated proteins, stuck or low molecular weight proteins, signal masking, and sample loading timing. Watch On-Demand >
March: In this episode, we cover how to resolve proteins of similar size, best practices for heating samples, tips for working with co-immunoprecipitated transmembrane proteins, and guidance on blot preparation conventions to ensure consistency and clarity. Watch On-Demand >
April: In this episode, we focus on optimizing transfer conditions and troubleshooting two common issues that frustrate researchers—blurry bands and missing bands on your blot. Watch On-Demand >
What Attendees of Previous Blot Talks Are Saying
"I particularly liked the interaction of panel sharing their own experiences"
"I found it extremely helpful to learn about the typical problems researchers face, such as non-specific binding or weak signals, and the practical solutions to address them. The step-by-step approach to optimizing transfer efficiency and antibody selection was particularly useful, as it provided me with tangible tips that I can apply directly to my own experiments."
"More useful and more relatable as compared to just straight lectures"
"I appreciated how it covered both the basic principles and advanced techniques associated with the process. The demonstrations were clear, and the explanations provided valuable insights into optimizing the Western blotting procedure, especially for troubleshooting common issues."
Get Access to this Webinar
Can't make it? Sign up anyway! We'll give you access to the recorded webinar.
Required fields
Want us to troubleshoot your blot?
To participate, upload an image of your blot along with an explanation of your experimental conditions to Bio‑Rad Academy's Western Blotting Community. You'll need to register for one of our free western blotting courses to gain access to the community.
We'll be picking blots to troubleshoot during our live webinars directly from these posts.
Register for Western Blotting CoursesOnline Courses
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Advanced Western Blotting Course 1: Sample Preparation
Take a deep dive into advanced western blotting sample preparation. In this course you will learn about: protein sources, cell lysis, sample preparation buffers, and reduction.
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Fundamentals of Western Blotting Course 1: Sample Preparation
Learn how western blots are used in biological research, experimental design considerations before you begin your project, and reagents and methods used for good sample preparation.
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Fundamentals of Western Blotting Course 2: Gel Electrophoresis and Transfer
Learn the principles of gel electrophoresis, how to select the best gel for your application, and optimizing the best transfer technique for your application.
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Fundamentals of Western Blotting Course 3: Immunodetection
Learn how antibodies are used to detect proteins, how to choose the right blocking agent, and how to select and optimize antibodies.
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Fundamentals of Western Blotting Course 4: Image Acquisition
Learn about imaging technologies, chemiluminescence and fluorescence detection, and how to optimize to get the best sensitivity.
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Fundamentals of Western Blotting Course 5: Image Analysis
Learn how to remove background from your data, how to quantify you target protein, normalizing data to controls, and calculating relative expression levels.
Register now