Improved performance from IPG strips

Bio-Rad Laboratories has developed an innovative line of Micro-Range ReadyStrip IPG (immobilized pH gradient) strips which delivers higher resolution over a broader pH range in the first dimension of 2-D electrophoresis.

The new Micro-Range ReadyStrips span a total range of pH 3.9-8.3 using just four gels, enabling researchers to zoom in on an area of interest or fine map a proteome.

This includes the important pH 6-8 range in which a significant portion of the proteome is found.

Micro-Range ReadyStrips also reduce the amount of redundant data generated and processed, thanks to an innovative gradient overlap of 30 % between strips.

There is enough overlap for easy gel matching while avoiding the excessive redundancy of competitive strips, some of which repeat 100% of the data on overlapping gels.

This saves a significant amount of researchers' time and other resources.

"Weûre continually asking customers what they'd like to see in protein electrophoresis products, and the Micro-Range ReadyStrip IPG line is a direct result of this input," observes Richelle Serrano, Senior Product Manager, Bio-Rad BioMaterials Division.

"This is the first of a series of new, productive ReadyStrip products weûll be introducing in coming months." Individual ranges of the Micro-Range ReadyStrips are: pH 3.9-5.1, pH 4.7-5.9, pH 5.5-6.7 and pH 6.3-8.3.

Each strip is available in lengths of 7 cm, 11 cm, 17 cm and 18 cm, meaning users can use high-resolution strips with any gel format.

Micro-Range ReadyStrips are an excellent match with Bio-Rad Criterion? gels.

This flexibility means customers can work out sample prep methods in Criterion before committing to larger format gels.

Like all Bio-Rad ReadyStrips, MicroRange IPG strips are clearly and permanently labeled to mark the anode and the pH range.

This is for convenience and also to eliminate mix-ups.

Bio-Rad also offers new ReadyStrip buffers optimized for each pH range.