Bio-rad Laboratories, Inc.

Cory Panattoni

Lee Olech

Xuemei Yang

Shane Petersen

Craig Rowell

Sean Cater

Thomas R Berkelman

Evelio Perez

Clayton T McKee

Glenn Price

Matthew Latham

Tom R Berkelman

John Walker, Ii

Nikolas Chmiel

Donald E Gueffroy

Jason McKee

Roger Provost

Kara Kimmel

Paul Liu

Clayton Mckee

Nickolas Chmiel

Gel electrophoresis receptacles and methods of using such receptacles are provided. In one embodiment, a receptacle comprises a cavity for receiving an electrophoresis gel, wherein at least a portion of the receptacle is formed from cyclic olefin copolymer or cyclic olefin polymer.

Electrophoresis receptacles and methods

Polyacrylamide gels that offer high resolution in protein separations and are more stable relative to hydrolysis than conventional polyacrylamide gels that rely on Tris or Tris-Bis as buffering agents are made by incorporating triethanolamine in place of most or all of the Tris or Tris-Bis.

Hydrolysis-resistant polyacrylamide gels

The detrimental effect of oxygen exposure on the formation of polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels in oxygen-permeable plastic cassettes is reduced or eliminated either by the use of an oxygen barrier material over the surfaces of the plastic walls of the cassette through which oxygen would otherwise pass into the cassette cavity, or by the incorporation of an oxygen scavenger in the plastic from which the cassette walls are made, or both.

Polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels with protection against oxygen exposure

Slab gel cassettes for use in electrophoretic analyzes of biologically-derived mixtures are equipped with features that prevent the plastic walls of the cassettes from bowing outward when gels retained within the cassettes swell, as gels typically do during casting, storage, or both. In certain embodiments, these features are incorporated into, or mate with, the comb-shaped inserts that form the sample wells as the gels are being cast. In other embodiments, these features are complementary features incorporated into both the comb and the cassette.

Dimensional stabilization of slab gel cassettes to prevent distortion caused by swelling gels

The present invention relates to an aqueous transfer buffer that provides superior efficiency in transferring polypeptides of a broad range of molecular weight from a matrix used in electrophoresis to another immobilized surface. Also disclosed are electrophoretic methods and devices in which the aqueous transfer solution of this invention is used.

Aqueous transfer buffer

Polyacrylamide gels that offer high resolution as electrophoretic media for protein separations and an improved resistance to hydrolysis upon storage are made by including either taurine, asparagine, or both as an ampholyte, in combination with either tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane or bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino-tris(hydroxymethyl)methane as a buffer, plus other conventional components.

High-performing electrophoresis gels with extended shelf lives

Electroblotting for the transfer of electrophoretically separated species from a gel to a transfer membrane is performed in a semi-dry format with sheets of absorbent polyester or polyester/cellulose blend wetted with buffer solution in place of the traditional buffer-wetted filter paper. The result is effective electroblotting at a lower electric current level than that obtained with filter paper and thereby less resistance heating of the gel, the transfer membrane, and the species being transferred.

Polymeric sorbent sheets as ion reservoirs for electroblotting

A slab gel cassette is formed from generally flat plates welded together along their borders with a gel space between the plates that is open at the top and bottom edges of the plates to expose the opposing ends of a gel in the gel space to buffer solutions in which electrodes are immersed. The plates are shaped such that the weld line does not intersect with the bottom opening of the gel space. Sealing of the bottom of the gel space, which is necessary for gel casting, is achieved by placing a sealing strip over the bottom opening with no danger of leakage of the gel solution along a weld line.

Welded electrophoresis cassette without leakage-prone weld line

In pre-cast slab gel cassettes, the formation of pathways in which proteins can migrate between the gel and the walls of the cassette to form shadow bands is avoided by the application of a coating of a nonionic amphiphilic polymer to the cassette walls. The coating also prevents the gel from sticking to the walls when the gel is to be removed from the cassette after electrophoresis.

Coating of pre-cast electrophoresis slab gels

In pre-cast slab gel cassettes, the formation of pathways in which proteins can migrate between the gel and the walls of the cassette to form shadow bands is avoided by including a nonionic amphiphilic polymer in the monomer solution from which the gel is formed and casting the gel with the polymer included. The nonionic amphiphilic polymer also prevents the resulting gel from sticking to the walls when the gel is to be removed from the cassette after electrophoresis.

Pre-cast electrophoresis slab gels with extended storage life

An electrophoresis gel is prepared with indicia incorporated into the gel itself rather than on a label or backing that is adhered to the gel. According to one method, the indicia are applied by first coating a solid surface that will be used as one internal surface of a gel mold with a solution of a water-permeable polymer, allowing the coating to dry, imprinting indicia in ink on the dry coating, and then forming the gel over the coating. In a variation on this method, the indicia are applied to a sheet which is then placed against the mold surface, the sheet being either a liner that is separable from the gel yet coated with the polymer or a sheet of the polymer itself. Alternatively, the indicia are printed directly on the mold surface without first coating the surface. This is achieved by using as a printing composition a mixture of an ink and a solution of a water-permeable polymer, then forming the gel over the imprinted indicia.

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Winters, CA, United States of America

Cory Panattoni