What is electrophoresis?

Electrophoresis is an electrokinetic process which separates charged particles in a fluid using a field of electrical charge. It is most often used in life sciences to separate protein molecules or DNA and can be achieved through several different procedures depending on the type and size of the molecules. The procedures differ in some ways but all need a source for the electrical charge, a support medium and a buffer solution. Electrophoresis is used in laboratories for the separation of molecules based on size, density and purity.

How does it work?

An electric field is applied to molecules and as they are electrically charged themselves it results in a force acting upon them. The greater the charge of the molecule the greater the force applied by the electrical field and therefore the further through the support medium the molecule will move relative to its mass.

Some example applications of electrophoresis include DNA and RNA analysis as well as protein electrophoresis which is a medical procedure used to analyse and separate the molecules found in a fluid sample (most commonly blood and urine samples).

Types of electrophoresis

Different types of gels are usually used as the support medium for electrophoresis and this may be in slab or tube form depending on which is more beneficial. Gel slabs enable many samples to be run simultaneously and so are frequently used in laboratories. However, tube gels give a better resolution of the results so are often chosen for protein electrophoresis.

Agarose gel is commonly used for electrophoresis of DNA. It has a large pore structure allowing larger molecules to move easily but it is not suitable for sequencing smaller molecules.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) has a clearer resolution than agarose gel making it more suitable for quantitative analysis. This makes it possible to identify how proteins bind to DNA. It can also be used to develop the understanding of how bacteria is becoming resistant to antibiotics through plasmid analysis.

2D Electrophoresis separates molecules along an x-axis and a y-axis – one separating them by charge and the other by size.

Horizontal Gel Systems

Cleaver Scientific’s multiSUB horizontal gel electrophoresis units have been designed by scientists with the laboratory scientist in mind. Through its advanced features each unit provides an easy-to-use. versatile and flexible system to evolve and adapt with the changing needs of today’s laboratory researcher.

Key Features

• Durable and leak-proof tank design for complete safety and longevity
• Cassette-style electrodes are difficult to break, but inexpensive and easy to change
• The widest range of combs available of any gel tank manufacturer
• Multiple gel tray options eliminate the need for additional gel tanks and allow gels to be cast externally, keeping the tank permanently in use for electrophoresis
• ‘Plug-and-go’ casting – moulded casting dams clip easily onto the ends of the gel tray for rapid external casting
• Red loading guides aid well and sample visualisation during loading

Clinical Electrophoresis

Cellulose acetate electrophoresis is an invaluable technique for clinical diagnostics. Cleaver Scientific’s CellasGEL range is a complete solution including equipment anconsumables to assist in this application. This compact high resolution system for clinical electrophoresis can accommodate strips & gels up to 24x20cm and has a complete range of cellulose and acetate gels and kits available as well as Densitometer software and scanner.

Vertical Gel Systems

The omniPAGE Mini, Mini Wide and new VS20WAVE Systems each comprise of a modular tank design with optional dedicated inserts available for PAGE, blotting and capillary gel isoelectric focusing (IEF), potentially allowing the user to perform up to three techniques in a day.

Key Features

• Corrosion-resistant, 99.99% pure platinum electrodes
• Elongated thumb locators – colour-coded to prevent polarity reversal and facilitate ‘easy-off’ lid removal
• Reversible combs also serve as loading indicators to aid pipette-well alignment – preventing loading errors
• Dual-purpose PAGE inserts eliminate time-consuming transfer of glass plates between separate casting and running modules
• Cam-Pin caster locks PAGE insert onto the ultra-soft silicone mat within the casting base to provide a leak-free seal
• 2D & blotting options available

Cleaver Scientific have developed a range of products designed specifically for education electrophoresis applications. these low-cost, practical packages are perfect for safe use in schools, colleges and universities.

BatteryGEL

Our BatteryGEL mini gel is perfectly designed for use in schools and colleges as it is low-cost and very safe to use. It runs using batteries and when used with our educational electrophoresis kit (which is entirely safe and does not include ethidium bromide), results can be available in just 90 minutes. The kit also includes non-toxic electrophoretic dyes, spotting pipettes, agarose, buffer and classroom protocols.

Education Pack

Cleaver Scientific have also developed a complete low-cost DNA electrophoresis Reagent kit including everything required for 20 mini DNA gels in one handy package.