It’s Valentine’s Day. You can’t put out that bowl of candy hearts because…NO FOOD IN THE LAB!!! Okay, fair enough, but there has to be another way to send a message to someone special at the bench. Why not use antibodies to your advantage? The label of your vials might have all the messaging you need!
First things first: cover your bases. You need mAbs that address the positive and negative. Let’s face it; even the candy heart people include gems like, “Friends,” or “You Rock.” My personal favorite was “Fax Me,” but I don’t think they make that one any more. Why fax someone you see every day!? I digress. Clearly it’s important to have vials to give to those you DON’T want getting the wrong idea. For these purposes, might I suggest SNAIL, SLUG, or Mutant? It isn’t as nice as “Friend” or “You Rock.” Maybe one day we’ll have proteins to target with those names too!
Now on to the fun! For that certain someone who makes your heart flutter every time they walk by in a lab coat? Maybe leave a vial of Connexin, Fox, or SMRT. Did they fall asleep at their desk? What a perfect opportunity to stash a vial of Sleeping Beauty to find when they wake up! Or better yet, leave a vial of KISS1R on their bench-top.
Scientists are funny. We have so many creative names for proteins and targets. Why not use them to your advantage?