FamousWhy Editor:
Molecular biology has his place in this world of computer software. It is represented by a few interesting applications but a lot more can be done. Basically, there is a huge abyss between accessible but poorly designed molecular biology programs and extremely expensive, professional products.

Because of that, two biology applications can be observed: those for common user, with a structure similar to entertainment applications and those for professional usage, extremely expensive and completely inaccessible to a common user.

These professional applications are used in labs and research domains.
Oligo is a step forward and it was able to combine simple and intuitive elements (interface) with professional options.

Oligo is a powerful and useful program able to search and select oligonucleotides from a sequence file for polymerase chain reaction (PCR), site-directed mutagenesis, DNA sequencing and various hybridization applications.

I must admit that I'm not a professional in this domain. I don't know many things about molecular biology (maybe excepting some basic knowledge acquired in high school), but I was able to understand most of the functions and options available on Oligo. That alone can prove that Oligo is an accessible and easy to understand application.

Oligo is based on the most up-to date nearest neighbor thermodynamic data and it can search algorithms find optimal primers for PCR, including TaqMan, consensus highly multiplexed, or degenerate primers. Multiple file batch processing is possible. It is also an invaluable tool for site directed mutagenesis.

Due to its price, Oligo is accessible to only a limited public, but it is far more accessible than most of the similar products. Oligo respects a basic rule when it is about software: price reflects application power and complexity.

I will offer a simple example: For each primer or primer pair, Oligo's various analysis windows show a multitude of useful data, such as DNA and RNA secondary structure, false priming, dimer formation and homology, composition and physical properties and internal stability.

With Oligo you can analyze open reading frames down to predicted molecular weight and pKa of proteins, and search for restriction enzyme sites, not only in DNA but also in reverse-translated proteins.

Publisher: Molecular Biology Insights Inc

Tags: find oligonucleotides, polymerase chain reaction,