FAQ: Electrophoresis & Gel Documentation Systems
06 Aug 2013
The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help you better understand electrophoresis and gel documentation.
Q: What is electrophoresis for?
A: Electrophoresis is a method of analysis used to separate and characterize proteins, nucleic acids, and subcellular sized particles, such as viruses and tiny organelles.
Q: Which industries use it?
A: Typically, electrophoresis is used in molecular biology and medicine.
Q: How does it work?
A: Essentially, the charged particles of a given sample migrate in an applied electrical field. If the analysis is conducted in solution, samples are separated according to their surface net charge density. The most current applications, known as gel documentation, use gel as this support medium.
Q: What’s the benefit to using gel documentation?
A: Gel documentation allows for particles to be characterized by both size and charge due to the sieving effect that occurs from the gel solution. Using electrophoresis gel documentation equipment, can produce such results very quickly and will yield much more information in your analysis.
Electrophoresis equipment such as Labnet’s ENDURO GDS and ENDURO GDS touch line can help streamline your analysis needs. Visit our electrophoresis equipment section to find out how we can help you.
