siRNA Knockdown: Implementing Negative Controls in Antibody QC

Negative controls are an essential part of experimental design that has been overlooked by antibody manufacturers and distributors. Without routine negative controls, nonspecific, poorly validated antibodies have become a major contributor to the reproducibility crisis in biomedical research. The scientific community spends an estimated $800 million each year purchasing low-quality antibodies,' and there has been a tenfold increase in retractions over the past decade. Without new, thorough and more standardized validation methods, these problems will continue to impair research and scientific progress. Here, Olds discusses siRNA knock-down, a powerful negative control method. Among other things, he offers some tips to optimize siRNA transfection experiments.