Past Studies

Major Studies:

• Instrumentation Service Contracts
  There are many service models to choose from – multi-vendor, in-house, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM), to name a few.
• Understanding Switching Dynamics: Maximizing Customer Retention in the Life Sciences
  The factors that drive customers to switch suppliers when purchasing...
• Life Science Catalogs 2008: Comparing Print and Online Resources
  In the life science market, scientists are increasingly using multiple channels to obtain information in support of their research...
• Life Science Conferences and Exhibits
  Conferences play an essential role in promoting communication among life scientists...
• Media Preferences of Applied Researchers
  Researchers in three fields -- agricultural biotechnology, biodefense, and molecular diagnostics share their preferences...
• Media Preferences of Chinese and Indian Scientists
  The Science Advisory Board recently asked over 200 scientists in India and over 200 scientists in China about their preferences for learning about life science products and suppliers...
• Perceptions of Life Science Brands -- Cell Biology Kits & Reagents
  Members of The Science Advisory Board were asked about their experiences primarily with suppliers of consumable products used to study the physiological properties of cells...
• Customer Service and Technical Support from Your Life Science Suppliers
  Despite acquisitions and mergers in the industry, scientists still have a wide range of choices when deciding from which life science supplier to purchase products
• Adoption and Use of eCommerce in the Lab
  The Internet continues to change every aspect of our lives and affects the way you, as a scientist, make decisions....
• Service & Support From Your Life Science Sales Reps in 2007
  The accessibility of information on the Internet has redefined a sales rep’s role and responsibilities
• Using the Internet to Learn about New Products
  Increased access to information and the faster dissemination of knowledge have accelerated the pace of discovery.
• Selecting siRNAs: Choosing the Best Reagent for Your Research
  While rapidly becoming essential to both small biotech and large pharmaceutical R&D programs, the use of siRNA is still relatively new in industry—within the last five years or so.
• Biodefense: Research Opportunities and Challenges in 2006
  Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, the federal government has committed greater than $36 billion to 11 federal departments and agencies to address the threat of biological weapons.
• Oligonucleotides
  In a world full of mass-produced goods, it's rare to possess items that are individually tailored to your specifications. Whether or not you think of oligos in this way, these strings of nucleic acid are assembled based upon your exact research requirements.
• Flow Cytometry
  Since the late 1970s, flow cytometry has enabled scientists to analyze a variety of cell types. Through optical means, flow cytometers distinguish cells on the basis of size and shape...
• Antibodies
  With over 325 commercial suppliers of antibodies, how do scientists find the perfect match?
• Molecular Weight Markers
  With nearly one hundred different types of DNA molecular weight markers available from over 20 suppliers, selecting just the right marker for one’s experiments might seem a bit daunting.
• Reverse Transcriptase
  Having the right set of tools for an experiment is often key to its success. Over the years, however, the use of such fundamental tools—like reverse transcriptase—can become routine. The Science Advisory Board challenged over 500 members to re-examine what features of reverse transcriptase contribute to creating the best enzyme to meet their research needs.
• Restriction Enzymes
  To better understand why researchers prefer certain brands and what factors influence their decision, The Science Advisory Board invited over 700 members to participate in a study of restriction enzyme usage.
• Perceptions of the Scientific Industry
  Based on a 34-question study of over 1,500 members, scientists were queried as to their preferences for the informational content typically found in various scientific publications.
• Learning About Life Science Products
  In response to numerous member inquiries about how best to find out about new technologies, The Science Advisory Board asked more than 2,000 of its members to share how they learn about new reagents and techniques.
• Taq DNA Polymerase: Profile of an Indispensable Reagent
  The Science Advisory Board examined what factors scientists consider when they are deciding which supplier’s Taq DNA polymerase to use.
• The Neuroscience Frontier
  Science Advisory Board members believe that key research breakthroughs will occur in the areas of neurodegeneration and repair within the next decade.
• Protein Microarrays: Technology Adoption and Utilization
  A major challenge scientists face will be to ensure that the majority of meaningful biological problems that can be answered with a whole proteome array can be done so quantitatively and with real-time measurements
• Applications and Advancements in DNA Microarray Technology
  This study specifically focused on ascertaining experimental parameters, throughput levels and supplier preferences.
• Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs)
  We queried our members about improvements to SNP genotyping that would most benefit researchers as well as the challenges of integrating genotyping and pharmacogenomics into clinical practice.
• Evaluating Tools and Techniques for RNA Purification
  We examined the types of reagents and techniques scientists use in their isolation and purification protocols in an effort to identify best RNA purification practices. We questioned over 800 scientists about their methodology, applications, degree of satisfaction, and preferred supplier(s).
• A Laboratory Resource Profile: Life Science Catalogs 2005
  Because many scientists treat catalogs like reference material, it is not surprising that nearly 25% of the scientists polled have more than 50 print catalogs on their labs’ shelves.
• Mass Spectrometry
  The Science Advisory Board conducted a study of 1,600+ of its members who use mass spectrometry (MS). Scientists were asked to discuss their instrument configurations, applications and preferred suppliers as well as the challenges they face in performing MS experiments.
• Future of Online Scientific and Medical Publishing
  Approximately 25% of the researchers indicated that it was "not at all" important to receive the print edition of a journal if they have access to the online version
• Information Technology (IT) for Genomics Researchers
  Determining the quality of genomic-based data, sorting and transmitting them, and then integrating disparate data types are all significant challenges. A study of the hardware and software requirements of genomics researchers reveals insights that will help scientists assemble or expand their own computing and data infrastructure.
• Service & Support From Your Life Science Sales Reps
  Scientists felt that it is important for sales reps to assist them in resolving problems with orders. However, they do not really need for sales reps to assist them in finding product catalog numbers.
• Life Science Instrumentation
  Scientists worldwide rely on instrumentation to further the progress of their research. Because of the close relationship between human and machine, The Science Advisory Board questioned over 1,800 scientists as to the key performance and service attributes they most value in their instrumentation.
• RNA Interference Technology
  RNAi researchers are increasingly adapting viral or retroviral delivery: in 2003, less than 5% of the respondents identified it as their primary method and in 2004, 22% of the respondents selected it as one of the methods used.
• Antibodies: Selecting the Right Fit
  While scientists were generally happy with the affinity/avidity and quality of the antibodies they use, they were less satisfied with antibody multi-functionality and cross-reactivity.
• Opportunities in Biodefense Research
  This study shows that there is a correlation between a scientist’s research focus and an expected rise in funding, with those respondents focusing on antivirals and microbial immune evasions/resistance expecting the largest increases.
• Who’s Who in Molecular Biology
  Scientists want their products to perform consistently and offer the best value. While scienists downplay the importance of brand, different companies excel in different areas.
• Oligonucleotides
  By far, the most commonly used oligo is DNA-based: 79% of scientists use only DNA oligos in their research. The number one technique that DNA oligo users plan to incorporate into their research over the next 12 months is inhibitory RNA (siRNA or RNAi).
• Purchasing Life Science Products
  Because ordering lab supplies through traditional methods is time consuming, life science suppliers are promoting online ordering. Despite this investment, scientists still place 45% of their orders via traditional methods. However, when gathering information on new products, over 80% of researchers most often rely upon Web sites.
• Online Life Science Portals
  Life science portal popularity is at an all time high, with 43% of respondents spending 7+ hours per week at portal sites. Reliance on these sites is most likely because 56% of those surveyed do not believe they have adequate time to stay abreast of new scientific developments in their area of research.
• Service and Support for Life Science Products
  The primary reason scientists contact customer support is to check product availability and pricing. However, the problem most often associated with calls to customer service occurs when a product fails to arrive. On time delivery is the number one concern pertaining to product ordering of scientists.
• DNA Purification
  Laboratories have become very receptive to utilizing commercial kits to purify DNA. Of the respondents who participated in this study, 92% use commercial kits for DNA purification.  Of the respondents who do not use kits, 17% cite cost as the primary reason for not using them to purify their DNA.
• Protein Purification
  Purified proteins are a vital feature in many research applications, however study respondents primarily use them for in vitro activity assays. Other popular applications were antibody development and production and cell-based activity assays.
• Clinical Proteomics
  Clinical proteomics applies high-throughput protein analysis techniques to identify protein expression patterns that are indicative of disease states.  Many researchers believe that changes in protein expression patterns are the most accurate way to identify diseases in their early stages.
• Scientific Publishing: Defining the Proper Role of Industry in 2003
  Slightly over 70% of study respondents receive at least four journals per month. Researchers consider "Science" and "Nature" to be the most valuable journals related to their work and they are also the two most widely read scientific publications.  
• Learning About New Products in 2003
  The most common way a scientist becomes informed about the next generation of technologies is from life science catalogs mailed to their lab.  Interestingly, 54% of them will keep a catalog that they received, but did not request.
• Tissue Microarrays
  Almost two-thirds of the participants use tissue microarrays to perform basic research on specific genes or proteins, with proteins being detected 65% of the time, followed by DNA and RNA being detected 51% and 46% of the time, respectively.  
• Evaluating Sales Representatives
  Sales representatives can facilitate research not only by bringing reagents, equipment and protocols to scientists, but also by providing technical assistance and advice. However, sales representatives can also be nuisances.
• Microbial Genotyping
  Because microbes are so critical to human existence, a great deal of research has centered on finding ways to detect and identify bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other microscopic life forms. However, it is estimated that over 95% of microorganisms present in an environmental sample cannot be cultured.
• Cytokines, Growth Factors, and Receptors
  Two-thirds of these respondents cited “basic research on biological processes” as the primary research application in which they use or assay cytokines.
• Toxicogenomics
  While 35% of the respondents who use DNA microarrays in their toxicogenomics research think that the number of DNA microarrays they hybridize or analyze will stay the same over the next 12 months, another 46% believe it will increase.
• Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR)
  With the increasing popularity of DNA microarrays, the majority of scientists now perform PCR using RNA templates. Only 17% of the study population exclusively uses DNA as a template.
• Life Science Catalogs
  Online catalogs are the preferred means for scientists to search for products they need, order them and learn how to use them effectively in their labs.  Despite this preference, 70% of those surveyed believe it is important to continue to receive a print catalog even if the same information is available online.
• RNA Interference Technology (2003)
  The three most common objectives of respondents utilizing RNAi technology are assigning gene function, creating in vivo knock-outs, and validating new drug targets.  The scientists who plan to enter the field in the next 12 months also cited these as their primary objectives.  
• Who's Who in the Life Sciences
  Top research objectives among respondents were molecular mechanisms of human disease studies (31%), gene and/or protein regulation (28%), cellular development and/or function characterizations (27%) and molecular structure and/or function characterizations (25%).  
• The Tools and Techniques of Plant Biotechnology
  Two-thirds of the study respondents use molecular biology techniques and most work on food plants. Some of these techniques are real-time PCR (27% of respondents), RNAi (24% of respondents), confocal microscopy (61% of respondents), and protein microarrays (15% of respondents).
• SNP Genotyping Technology
  The most popular SNP genotyping application according to researchers is disease association studies, which collected 71% of the total vote. 
• Service and Support from Your Life Science Suppliers
  Almost one-fifth of scientists surveyed expect a reply within one to two hours after contacting customer service by email or through a Website. Additionally, 20% state that half of their calls to technical support are "urgent"-meaning that if an answer is not received in a timely manner a critical experiment could fail.
• Learning About New Products in 2002
  Catalogues, information from colleagues, and scientific meetings are the three most common ways that they learn about vendors and their products and services. 
• Motivations for Publishing and Presenting in the Life Science and Medical Professions
  According to the results of the study, Science Advisory Board members overwhelming publish research findings in journals or present research findings at conferences in order to communicate knowledge.  The second most common reason for publishing or presenting research findings is to demonstrate productivity. 
• Professional Societies: Making the Right Decisions
  There are a variety of reasons why an individual joins a professional society.  Slightly over one-third of study respondents state that the most important reason for joining is to obtain information on the latest developments in their field. 
• The Tools & Techniques of Drug Discovery: Benchmarking
  Almost 30% of the respondents are involved in the early stages of drug discovery -- target discovery -- and another 28% are involved in one of the later stages of drug discovery -- process research and development.
• The Tools & Techniques of Drug Discovery: Automated DNA Sequencing
  Almost half of the respondents conduct the majority of their sequencing experiments using an on-site core facility or another lab at their institution because it saves money or their labs do not do enough sequencing experiments to justify purchasing their own automated DNA sequencer.
• The Tools & Techniques of Drug Discovery: Bioinformatics
  Bioinformatics -- the science of organizing and analyzing complex biological data -- has proven indispensable for applying genomic technologies to drug discovery. Multiple sequence comparison and alignment is the most common type of data analysis performed by the study respondents.
• The Tools & Techniques of Drug Discovery: DNA Microarrays
  Over half of the respondents report that signal transduction proteins are the ultimate target of their DNA microarray research. For the most part, researchers are concentrating on monitoring the expression patterns of these proteins.
• The Tools & Techniques of Drug Discovery: Bioassays
  Over half of the respondents use antibody-antigen screening in association with in vitro protein assays and typically employ colorimetry as the detection method. In contrast, researchers prefer to use fluorescence for cell-based assays, and the most common cell-based assays are the types used for identifying apoptosis.
• The Tools & Techniques of Drug Discovery: High Throughput Screening (HTS)
  We learned that over three-quarters of HTS labs perform the majority of their microplate reading applications within their own lab. This is in contrast to other types of large-scale experiments involving expensive equipment -- specifically automated DNA sequencing and NMR spectrometry -- that are often performed in a core facility.
• The Tools & Techniques of Drug Discovery: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
  Almost half of the study participants state that the majority of their lab's NMR experiments are conducted in an on-site core facility or in another lab in their institution. While the primary reason for this arrangement is to save expenses by not having to purchase one's own instrument, many labs do not perform the volume of experiments necessary to justify owning their own NMR spectrometer.
• The Tools and Techniques of Protein Science: Protein Science Benchmarking
  The top two cutting-edge proteomics technologies that scientists are considering using are protein chips and liquid-phase separation techniques (other than 2D gel electrophoresis). Both academic and industrial scientists would like the life sciences industry to focus on improving current separation and detection methods that would enable them to analyze closer to 100% of the proteome.
• The Tools and Techniques of Protein Science: Protein Expression and Purification
  Results indicate that most respondents use bacterial expression systems. The next most popular expression system is mammalian rather than yeast or insect expression systems.
• The Tools and Techniques of Protein Science: Protein Separation
  Most scientists preferred separation technique is one-dimensional SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) under reducing conditions. This was followed by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE under nonreducing and then one-dimensional SDS-PAGE under non-denaturing conditions.
• The Tools and Techniques of Protein Science: Protein Visualization
  Results indicate that respondents predominantly use a scanning densitometer to image one-dimensional polyacrylamide gels (PAGE), while they use charge-coupled device cameras to image one-dimensional agarose gels.
• The Tools and Techniques of Protein Science: Protein Identification and Characterization
  Results indicate that by far, the top two types of ionization sources respondents prefer to use on their protein samples are matrix-assisted laser desorption (MALD) and electrospray (ES). Proteins are primarily analyzed by time-of-flight mass technology, though quadrupole mass analyzers were a popular second choice.
• The Tools and Techniques of Protein Science: Protein Databases and Software
  Almost three-quarters of protein scientists currently use databases in their protein research and this number will increase by 11% over the next 12 months.
• The Tools and Techniques of Protein Science: Protein Biomolecular Interactions (in vivo methods)
  Currently, the primary technique for protein scientists involved in identifying these associations in biological systems is the yeast two-hybrid method. Most researchers currently use yeast two-hybrid systems based on reconstitution of GAL4, though many of them have expressed an interest in experimenting with bacterial two-hybrid systems within the next 12 months.
• The Tools and Techniques of Protein Science: Protein Biomolecular Interactions (in vitro methods)
  Protein chip technology is a novel and powerful tool for high throughput assays of protein expression profiling, protein-protein interaction and enzyme activity. Currently only 8% of protein scientists employ this technology, although 41% have plans to use it within 12 months.
• Scientific and Medical Conferences
  In this tight funding environment, the realities of how much it costs to travel to and register for the conference greatly influence a scientific or medical professional's decision to attend a particular conference. Once there, attendees typically spend 42% of their time listening to, or participating in, oral presentations -- leaving plenty of time for networking.
• Scientific Publishing: Defining the Proper Role of Industry in 2002
  While more than half of researchers read the publication they consider most useful in their daily work for more than 30 minutes per day, it does not seem to be enough time for 63% of them to stay abreast of new products and services designed to support their area(s) of research.
• Scientific & Medical Journals on the Web
  According to respondents, 88% believe peer reviewed articles should appear as soon as they are ready instead of waiting for them to appear in print. On average, the respondents to the survey read or browse between five and six online journals each month.
• Scientific & Medical Web Portals: Usage, Preferences & Expectations
  In the Research Panel study, it was found that Science Online, ranked second in terms of the number of respondents claiming to visit the site "frequently." However, when the number of "frequently" and "occasionally" responses were combined, Science Online vaulted to the number one position.
• E-Commerce for Life Science Products
  In fact, 80% of the participants have purchased a consumer product over the Web. Easy access to product information, comparative pricing, convenience and rapid delivery are all desirable benefits.
• Direct-To-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising on the Web
  Of our respondents, 54% have visited a Web site operated by a pharmaceutical firm for the purpose of learning more about a specific prescription drug in the last six months.
• Point-of-Care Testing: Perceptions and Reality
  Of the respondents, 61% reported that their facility uses some form of POCT, and 39% reported that their facility does not use any form of POCT.
• Trends in Telemedicine
  Of the respondents, 34% report their organization's telemedicine program has been in existence between 1 and 2 years, and almost 20% report their program has been in existence for 5 years or longer.
• Medical Products on the Web
  The respondents to the survey are experienced in the use of the Web, with 64% reporting having used the Web for two years or longer. 34% of respondents can be classified as "heavy users," with 17% reporting they spend 6 to 10 hours per week online, and 17% using the Web 10 hours or more per week.
• Customer Service and Technical Support for Life Science Products
  Vendors need to greatly improve the reliability of their delivery systems. Our members tell us that "a product not arriving when promised" is the most common reason for calling a customer service department.
• Learning About New Products & Technologies: A Global Perspective
  Our members confirmed that they value receiving information from life science vendors, but wish to control the nature and timing of such interactions. Scientists learn about new products and technologies from a variety of sources, but it is the recommendation of a colleague or co-worker that is most influential in the decision to try a new product.
• Research Organization Purchasing Practices
  In general, our members report that they are satisfied with their organization's ability to obtain the products they need to support their research. Some frustration was expressed, however, in the length of time it takes to get approval to purchase certain products.
• Scientific and Medical Journals on the Web (1998)
  Three of the top five journals according to our respondents included Nature, Journal of Biological Chemistry, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Other Studies:

• Protein Labeling and Detection
  
• Cell Based Assays
  
• Aptamer Protein Arrays
  
• DNA Sequencing
  
• Gel Electrophoresis
  
• Protein Science and Mass Spectrometry
  
• Protein Microarray Detection
  
• Expectations of Quality & Service
  
• Low Density Microarray Product Concept
  
• SNP Genotyping Technology
  
• Nucleic Acid Automation
  
• Gene Expression Methods
  
• Sample Preparation for Protoemics
  
• Cell Culture Automation
  
• Protein Synthesis Techniques
  
• Neurobiology Reagents
  
• Stem Cell Culture and Media
  
• Clinical DNA Diagnostics
  
• Web-based Medical Databases
  
• Functional Genomics
  
• Learning about Scientific Tools & Techniques
  
• DNA Microarrays
  
• Technical Newsletters
  
• Mycoplasma Detection Study
  
• Global Biotechnology Benchmarking Study