Method of the Year 2009

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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.

• Cell biology

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  • Structural analysis of macromolecular assemblies

    • 
      Original article citation: Nat Meth 5," 23 - 23, (2008).

    • Categories: Protein biochemistry, Cell biology, Imaging, and Proteomics
    • Recommended by the Editor: Allison Doerr on 07/27/2009 01:56PM GMT
      
      In the 2007 Methods to Watch, Nature Methods highlighted how researchers have begun to integrate proteomics techniques, cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy and computational tools to tackle the structure of large macromolecular assemblies like the nuclear pore complex. What do you think of the progress in this area since?
    • Comment on this subject: 1 comment made

  • • 9+ votes

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  • 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

  • • 11+ votes

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  • Quantitative mass spectrometry

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

    • Categories: Proteomics, Biotechnology, Protein biochemistry, and Cell biology
    • Recommended by the Editor: Allison Doerr on 07/27/2009 01:46PM GMT
      
      Quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics has been increasingly applied on a large scale to address interesting biological questions; we thus selected it as a Method to Watch in 2008. Has the technology matured enough yet to be considered as Method of the Year in 2009, or are further methodological developments still needed?
    • Comment on this subject: 1 comment made

  • • 22+ votes

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  • Watching single molecules in cells

    • 
      Original article citation: Nat Meth 5," 25 - 25, (2008).

    • Categories: Cell biology, Imaging, and Others
    • Recommended by the Editor: Daniel Evanko on 07/23/2009 09:10PM GMT
      
      In vivo measurement of single molecules is a very challenging area technically. But the enormity of the rewards at stake made us highlight, back in 2007, this area of research as one to watch. The level of progress in 2008 was incremental but developments seem to be gradually improving and there is no question that some landmark papers have been published. Has the progress been sufficient?
    • Comment on this subject: 1 comment made

  • • 8+ votes

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  • 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

  • • 7+ votes

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  • 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?
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