New Stain-Free Gel Visualisation Application of Syngene’s G:BOX System Helps Save Time and Make Protein Analysis Safer

Scientific Digital Imaging’s [SDI’s] Syngene Division, a world-leading manufacturer of image analysis solutions is delighted to announce that the lighting and filter conditions in the G:BOX image analysis system have been optimised to allow faster, safer visualisation of proteins on stain-free gels.

Technical specialists at Syngene tested filter and lighting conditions in a G:BOX XR5 image analysis system to accurately image a range of proteins (2-300ng) run on a Criterion TGX Stain-Free gel. For optimum imaging performance, the gel was exposed to 5 minutes of mid wave UV (302nm) on a UV transilluminator and the gel was imaged using a UV filter and an exposure time of 2 seconds. The gel was then stained with ProtoBlue Safe and imaged again.

The G:BOX image analysis results from the stained and unstained gel showed the linearity and sensitivity of both methods of protein visualisation was comparable with proteins being detected in the 2-20ng range. In fact, with some proteins, the stain- free gels provided better detection limits than the ProtoBlue Safe dye staining. Further details of this research can be found in Application Note 64 on the Syngene web site.

Dr. Lindsey Kirby, SDI’s Syngene Application Specialist explained: “Staining protein gels can be a time consuming task as scientists often use Coomassie Blue, which is toxic and requires a lengthy de-staining step. Therefore, if scientists can image their gels immediately after they have run them, this makes analysis safer and more efficient.”

Lindsey added: “This is why we’ve worked to develop the optimal imaging conditions for stain-free visualisation. We’re delighted that our G:BOX technology is capable of such excellent performance in this application because biologists regularly working with protein gels can now confidently use the G:BOX image analysis system for rapid stain-free visualisation without compromising on sensitivity or safety.”

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