Scientists at the University of Cambridge are using Syngene's G:Box Ichemi XR imaging system to help unravel the molecular basis of sight.
Researchers in the university's Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience (PDN) are using a G:Box Ichemi XR system to accurately analyse chemiluminescent western blots labelled with ECL Plus, and to image agarose gels containing DNA stained with SYBR Safe.
The information from the gels and blots is being used to understand the molecular mechanisms of phototransduction and retinal degeneration in fruit fly (drosophila).
The G:Box Ichemi XR system in the Department of PDN contains intelligent-control software that allows the system, once set up, to be left unattended to automatically produce a perfect chemiluminescent blot image.
The system is also fitted with an orange filter and blue lighting for precise detection of SYBR Gold, SYBR Green stains and SYBR Safe.
Dr Che-Hsiung Liu, a research associate in the Department of PDN, said: 'By analysing mutant versions of genes involved in calcium and lipid signalling pathways, we are beginning to understand the mechanisms of activation and regulation of the light-sensitive channels in the eye.
'The amounts of proteins that are up and down-regulated are often small and generate very weak chemiluminescent signals, therefore we have to have an imaging system that can detect these subtle changes.
'Additionally, we stain our DNA with SYBR Safe so that we can extract the DNA from the bands.
'We need an imager to detect these stains too.
'We reviewed four different types of imaging system and finally decided to install the G:Box Ichemi XR because it gave us the value of essentially having two systems in one,' added Liu.
