Bio-rad Laboratories has announced the release of software for its automated Experion electrophoresis system, which enables high resolution results for protein, RNA, and DNA separations.
The software provides easy access to the set-up, running, and data analysis functions of the system.
Its RNA quality indicator standardises sample integrity for microarray and quantitative real-time analyses with a one to 20 ranking.
Bio-rad said this method works well over a range of RNA concentrations, is reproducible, and is applicable to a range of mammalian tissues.
With the software, researchers can quantitatively assess the integrity of RNA samples before embarking on labour-intensive and costly projects.
Other features of the software include: a user-friendly graphical interface; manual peak integration; easy-to-find run files that enable chronological storage, sorting, and retrieval of run data with the logical and flexible, tree-view browser; the ability to tag and label electropherograms by simply using a click of the mouse; customised reports; results that can be exported as spreadsheets, text, and XML; and compatibility with Microsoft Windows Vista operating system.
User benefits include automatic calculations of size, concentration, and per cent of total sample for each peak or fragment.
Users also have the ability to calculate relevant statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and per cent CV for measuring reproducibility.
Self-training tools are available with the software.
The help function provides a 'Getting Started' video as well as relevant technical bulletins.