StepOnePlus is a Step Above the Rest

Research in our lab focuses on how temperament or personality relates to physiology and health. The larger goal is to determine how and why individuals differ in their behavioral and physiological responses to common challenges and to understand how this influences individual susceptibility and/or resilience to certain disease states and rates of aging. We use animal models for much of our work and look at gene expression levels, mainly in the brain, that are up-regulated or down-regulated in relation to different behavioral types. We chose the StepOnePlus due to its association with Life Technologies high quality (albeit expensive) products, its ease of use, helpful technical staff, and interactive, colorful software program.

That said, there are a few goofy issues with the machine that have been discovered over time with lots of use. 1) if the main screen shows a triangle with an exclamation point right after starting a run, stop immediately. This happens rarely and we have not been able to figure out why but, if you continue to run the plate, you will not be able to collect the results at the end of the run. Opening the template and renaming the file slightly usually resolves this problem and you can proceed with the run. 2) The machine allows you to program a 4 degree hold but it cannot carry this out and if put into your program, you will not be able to collect results at the end of the run.