Surprise! Scientists are creatures of habit, just like the rest of us; and they too persist in behaviors that are known to be harmful or downright dangerous.
We eat too much ice-cream, drink too much alcohol, and they play with liquid nitrogen and tinker with carcinogens like ethidium bromide (EtBr), even though safer alternatives have been around for years.
Whenever we speak with labs that perform gel electrophoresis and the topic of safety comes up, more often than not we encounter hesitation when discussing alternative stains or dyes. While everyone recognizes the dangers of exposure to EtBr, there are two prominent camps that resist on the basis of cost and concerns with sensitivity.
With the recent introduction of their new Smart Glow pre-stain and gel loading dye, Benchmark Scientific has taken a giant leap forward towards eliminating both of these objections.
Smart Glow gel loading dye or pre-stain costs just $99 per 1mL and is designed to work with both UV light, and the newer blue-light technology. When excited by blue light, the Smart Glow emits a greenish glow, when used with UV light, the Smart Glow is reddish.
These images demonstrate the superb sensitivity that one can expect with Smart Glow gel loading dye or pre-stain.
DNA ladder visualized with Blue-Light*
DNA ladder visualized with UV light*
*to see more specific information about the ladder and methods, please visit the product page
Stellar Scientific offers research and academic laboratories several platforms that are compatible with Smart Glow gel loading dye and pre-stain.
For academic institutions or those on a very tight budget, a complete gel documentation unit can be created by combining the Smart Doc and Smart blue transilluminator. This handy unit allows the user to capture images with their smart-phone or tablet and upload them for immediate quantification and evaluation. Or, even less expensive, would be the Smart Doc unit with built in blue light source.
Laboratories looking for an “all in one” package should consider the Labnet Enduro GDS system. The Enduro GDS features a pre-focused 5MP camera and is ready to operate within seconds of removing it from the shipping carton.
A recent entry is the Major Science SafeBlue gel system. While this device does not have the ability to capture images, it features an integrated horizontal gel box and blue light transilluminator for watching migration occur in real-time.
Labs that require UV light will find several excellent choices from Labnet in both 302nm and 365nm.
Stellar Scientific has all the tools you need to produce publication quality images of your gel electrophoresis!