Method of the Year 2009

In 2007 we chose Next Generation Sequencing.
In 2008 we chose Super-resolution Imaging.

Now it is time for you, our readers, to help us choose the Method of the Year 2009. Just sign in using your free nature.com registration and vote on our Methods to Watch from previous years or a paper that a visitor has recommended.

Alternatively, you can recommend a paper that represents a method you believe came into its own in 2009 and will have a wide-ranging impact on biology. This paper can be any recently published paper from this year or past years published in any journal. Just provide a link to the paper or other online description of the method and vote away!

Want more information or want to comment? Read the editorial or go to our blog methagora and comment.

  • 13 votes

    Imaging

    • Imaging through automation


      • Original article citation: Nat Meth 6," 34 - 34, (2009).

      • Categories: Imaging, Systems biology, Cell biology, and Microbiology
      • Recommended by the Editor: Daniel Evanko on 07/23/2009 04:23PM GMT

        Microscopists are developing methods that allow computers to take control of nearly all steps of imaging and analysis. Last year we suggested that the capabilities provided by these methods for conducting experiments that are effectively impossible by manual observation make them a method to watch. Have these methods proven their potential sufficiently to be chosen as Method of the Year or do they still have a ways to go?
      • Comment on this subject: 0 comments made

  • 15 votes

    Protein biochemistry

    • Membrane protein structures


      • Original article citation: Nat Meth 6," 35 - 35, (2009).

      • Categories: Protein biochemistry, Biotechnology, and Cell biology
      • Recommended by the Editor: Allison Doerr on 07/27/2009 01:49PM GMT

        In 2008, we selected membrane protein structure determination as a Method to Watch. Membrane protein structures are still highly underrepresented in the Protein Data Bank, but thanks to increased efforts to improve expression and crystallization approaches, their numbers are growing. But is it still too soon to consider these efforts for Method of the Year?
      • Comment on this subject: 0 comments made

  • 15 votes

    Cell biology

  • 5 votes

    Proteomics

  • 12 votes

    Cell biology

    • Controlling cell function with light


      • Original article citation: Nat Meth 6," 36 - 36, (2009).

      • Categories: Cell biology, Biotechnology, Neuroscience, and Imaging
      • Recommended by the Editor: Daniel Evanko on 07/23/2009 04:22PM GMT

        For the last two years our Methods to Watch section has highlighted the increasing use of light to control cellular function, particularly through the use of light-activated channelrhodopsin-2 to control neuronal signaling. New light-activated proteins have been described and the methodology has resulted in what almost seems to be a flood of papers in top-tier journals reporting biological findings coming from these methods. And the complementary technique, optical uncaging, also continues to thrive. Have these methodologies proven their potential to be Method of the Year 2009?
      • Comment on this subject: 0 comments made

  • 16 votes

    Proteomics

  • 2 votes

    Others

    • Direct RNA sequencing


      • Original article citation: Nature 461," 814 - 818, (2009).

      • Categories: Others, Genetics and genomics, Cell biology, and Synthetic biology
      • Recommended by : Bekir Ulker on 11/03/2009 06:10PM GMT

        Direct RNA sequencing without converting RNA to cDNA, a long desired method now on the edge of being readily available to scientists. This method eliminates the biases, complexity and errors introduced by nucleic acid amplification and requires minute amounts of starting RNA material. This method would lead to major surprises and discoveries in RNA processing as well as various RNA species that organisms might have and the biological roles.
      • Comment on this subject: 0 comments made

  • 7 votes

    Imaging

    • Optical imaging in thick samples


      • Original article citation: Nat Meth 6," 35 - 35, (2009).

      • Categories: Imaging
      • Recommended by the Editor: Natalie de Souza on 07/27/2009 10:26AM GMT

        The possibility that one could watch biology unfold in three dimensions is certainly an exciting one, and so last year we selected methods for imaging in thick samples as something to watch out for in the future. There are several classes of methodology that fit under the ‘volumetric imaging’ umbrella, but have they developed sufficiently to be voted Method of the year 2009?
      • Comment on this subject: 0 comments made

  • 13 votes

    Biotechnology

    • PreTect method: Multiplex real-time mRNA detection

      • Tor Molden
        Original article citation: Journal of Virological Methods 142," 204 , (2007).

      • Categories: Biotechnology, Cell biology, Others, and Microbiology
      • Recommended by : Frank Karlsen on 08/12/2009 10:54AM GMT

        This method can amplify and detect up to 6 mRNA hotspots selected by microarray or other methods in any routine diagnostic setting. The method has been demonstrated to find cervical pre-cancer directly with very high clinical sensitivity and specificity by amplification and detection of 6 different oncogene markers at the same time. The method has been demonstrated in 18 international per-review articles. The method is in use in 20 countries around the world. The method was already demonstrated to be used for cervical cancer screening in 2003. Since than it has been demonstrated to be functional i more than 200 000 clinical samples. The method is ideal for routine diagnostics of 6 different mRNA from any bacteria, virus, parasite or cell in the same sample. The PreTect method can be used on any fluorescence reader only including adaptable software. The PreTect method has been demonstrated to work in sample that is collected in methanol based media for up to one month in room temperature. The PreTect method is independent of the length of the mRNA and can only amplify mRNA and not double stranded DNA. The PreTect method has bee demonstrated to only amplify mRNA in a mixture of purified RNA and DNA.
      • Comment on this subject: 0 comments made

  • 6 votes

    Genetics and genomics

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