Imagers lie at the heart of many lab workflows, including nucleic acid quantification, Western blots, Southern blots, Northern blots, a variety of assays, and histology. Choosing the right imager for your lab can save considerable time, effort, and money, but navigating the array of imagers and their features to optimize your workflows can be daunting.
In this eBook, you’ll learn about:
How to choose the right biomolecular imager for your lab
User-friendly biomolecular imaging
Transitioning to new imaging techniques
How to achieve high-quality, high-sensitivity gel images
GxP compliant western blots and nucleic acid quantification
Imagers lie at the heart of many lab workflows, including nucleic acid quantification, Western blots, Southern blots, Northern blots, a variety of assays, and histology. Choosing the right imager for your lab can save considerable time, effort, and money, but navigating the array of imagers and their features to optimize your workflows can be daunting.
Cytiva has three high sensitivity and resolution biomolecular imagers offering reliable imaging solutions for DNA, RNA, and protein gels and blots, among other applications to cover every lab size and need. This eBook provides an overview of the technology, features, and common applications to help you navigate the options and determine the right fit.
How To Choose the Right Biomolecular Imager for Your Lab
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CCD imager or laser scanner? High-throughput or low-footprint? Gels or plates? These three high-sensitivity and resolution imagers by Cytiva cover a lot of ground— use this guide to help determine which is the best fit for your lab.
Common Applications: protein and nucleic acid imaging, multi-well plate imaging, QuickStain total protein stain, densitometry optical density applications (e.g. Coomasie™ gels), ELISAs, assay development
Detection Mode: chemiluminescence, colorimetric (white LED), and blue/UV fluorescence imaging
Common Applications: gel/blot imaging—DNA with SYBR™ Green or ethidium bromide, colorimetric
Is available bench space your primary limitation
Does your lab need to be GxP compliant?
Do you need a large stage for high sample throughput or large samples?
Is this a multi-lab setup, for diverse sample types/ formats, or for samples with highly variable signal strength?
Does your lab perform phosphorimaging or non- biological studies, or are you concerned about host cell protein (HCP) risk?
Excellent diversity for biological studies
Compliant-ready, sample tracking, audit trail
Highest diversity of detection modes, 4-in-1
Smallest footprint, no computer needed
Stage fits 20 gels and blots or 9 multi-well plates at a time
Detection Mode: phosphorimaging
Common Applications: all sizes of gels and membranes, tissue sections, macroscopic samples, screens, 2D DIGE and DIBE gels, autoradiography, crystallography, x-ray diffraction, TLC plates
Your compact system for chemiluminescence, colorimetric, and fluorescence image capture
COMPACT INTEGRATED DESIGN
The imager has a small footprint that easily fits on any lab bench. The built-in touchscreen makes the instrument compact and easy to work with due to no external computer request.
SENSITIVITY
With the ability to detect picogram levels of sample with chemiluminescence, the system provides high-quality data in applications that demand high sensitivity over a wide dynamic range.
SPEED AND SIMPLICITY
The system is easy to set up and ready for operation in under five minutes with a rapid cooling 8.3-megapixel CCD camera. Just unpack, supply power, and start. Auto, semi-auto, and increment exposure modes with user-friendly touch screen operation makes it easy to obtain the best possible image.
LED LIGHT SOURCES ADD FLEXIBILITY
The system features three LED light sources: a combined blue epi-/ UV epi-light, and a white epi-light. The combined blue epi-/UV epi-light enables fluorescence imaging of signals above 550 nm, and creates a camera that is well-suited for DNA stain imaging with SYBR™ Green, or ethidium bromide.
Researchers in Academia Transition to New Imaging Techniques
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The “do more with less” mindset is deeply engrained in academia—strategically upgrading your lab workhorses can dramatically improve productivity.
What does the next grant cycle have in store for your lab? How much longer will that minus eighty hold out? How long will it take to learn new equipment and techniques, adjust workflows, and train students and staff, and how much will that eat into the publication timeline? Can you even afford it? Running an academic lab is a juggling act at the best of times, and these types of complications frequently prevent researchers from upgrading equipment on the timeline and scale that commercial counterparts do.
“Feast or famine” funding cycles mean that academic labs must be especially well adept at triaging lab needs. Acquiring the latest and greatest technology may be put off for a decade or indefinitely.
Updating technology and techniques at the center of heavily used workflows, like gel and blot imagers is usually a lower priority. Investing in new imaging technology, however, can save time and effort and improve quality and reproducibility of results. Quality and reproducibility help boost publication rates and increase the chances of successful grant applications. Vendors like Cytiva employ application scientists with subject matter expertise that assist transitioning to new protocols, training, and revising workflows.
Improving accuracy and quantitation in gel analysis
Application scientists help labs of any size transition to new technologies—from a primary investigator with a few graduate students to large lab groups with lab managers and staff researchers. These specialists stay on top of techniques and applications within their industries and are ready to step in to help orient researchers and ensure they get the most out of new technology, including the transition to the new protocols.
A drawback of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” line of thinking is that it can encourage complacency to a point detrimental to a lab’s productivity. Brian Haldeman, PhD, an application scientist at Cytiva working with their biomolecular imager portfolio, says the many of the researchers he supports haven’t realized how much technology has advanced over the decades. Researchers who made the jump from imaging western blots with film to digital imagers say it is a game changer. “They realize how much better it can be in every way, [including] faster and more quantitative.”
Support doesn’t end after the initial setup. The Applications support team stays available to researchers” in case they find a new application in a journal that is directly relevant to [them]. I’m always happy to help them optimize—chances are we’ve heard of it and can offer some advice.” This consultative approach is standard to the Cytiva imaging group application scientists, according to Brian, who sees the presence of individual subject matter experts (SMEs) as something that easily sets them apart from other vendors. SMEs are available for many niche applications, like 2D electrophoresis, a field where relatively few people continue to work and specialists are hard to find.
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Streamlined ImageQuant™ TL user interface simplifies detailed analyses with four sections: 1) a navigation panel (left) with quick access to image analysis steps, 2) a large central view of your analyzed image, along with other analysis-dependent data like 3D views, lane profiles, and more, 3) a settings panel (right) where you can easily adjust analysis steps, and 4) an instructions panel with information on each step.
PRODUCT IN ACTION
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ImageQuant™ 800—Improve Quality and Sensitivity
Optimized gel and blot images — automatically
SENSITIVITY AND IMAGE QUALITY
The SNOW (Signal-to-Noise Optimization Watch) automated imaging mode results in broader linear dynamic range and minimal background noise. SNOW enables visualization and quantification of protein bands from a wider range of signal intensities without over- saturation.
CAPTURE A FULL SPECTRUM OF IMAGES
ImageQuant™ 800 systems are equipped with six different types of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and corresponding filters. This enables you to image across a wide range of applications beyond chemiluminescence. Applications include: red, green, and blue (RGB) fluorescence for western blots, long and short near- infrared fluorescence (NIR), ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence for DNA stains, epi-white light for automatic color marker overlay and gel documentation, and trans-white illumination for optical density applications for colorimetric samples such as Coomasie™ gels, multi well plates or flasks.
FUNCTIONAL AND FLEXIBLE DESIGN
The system combines a 12.1-inch touch screen and powerful mini external computer into a small footprint. The system is ideal for multi-user labs—it connects to the network with ease, and can be accessed remotely. Users can save images, check the system status, and schedule use with ImageQuant™ CONNECT software.
GXP MODULE FOR REGULATED LABS
ImageQuant™ 800 GxP is designed for regulated environments, to support FDA 21 CFR Part 11 EU GMP Annex 11 regulations. The system offers controlled and secure access to the imager, provides electronic record and event logs, and full regulatory support documentation.
Optimize CCD imager signal to noise ratio— automatically
How do I get high-quality gel images with the sensitivity to analyze strong and weak bands, without spending time changing exposure settings?
It’s a question as old as gels, regardless of the molecule in question. Weaker bands can be extraordinarily difficult to adequately visualize without oversaturating stronger bands. Users need to determine the best exposure settings through trial-and-error. This can take several iterations with finicky adjustments to properly capture all bands of interest. Meanwhile, for chemiluminescent imaging, the signal-to-noise ratio drops over time until signals are indistinguishable from noise.
To reliably quantify and analyze strong and weak bands simultaneously from a single gel image—image capture must maximize the signal to noise ratio.
An intelligent imaging algorithm automatically finds the optimal signal-to-noise ratio without user input.
The Amersham ImagQuantTM 800 biomolecular imaging system from Cytiva uses the proprietary SNOW (signal- to-noise optimization watch) imaging mode to automatically capture the weakest bands without saturating strong bands. High-sensitivity and high-quality images are achieved through continuously checked and averaged image intensity data from multiple automatic exposures. SNOW automatically stops once the signal- to-noise ratio peaks. The user only needs to select the background and region of interest during an initial pre- capture step to identify the optimal exposure time. This process stretches the linear dynamic range without compromising resolution or requiring users to spend the time optimizing exposure and capture settings.
Images of the same membrane from auto mode (7 min, first) versus SNOW mode (49 min, second) using ECL™ Prime. The limit-of- detection band had twice the S/N ratio for the SNOW capture
Auto versus SNOW with CyTM3 detection of GAPDH using Amersham ECLTM Plex CyTM3. The S/N of the weakest detectable band was improved by 3.5 times, from hard to observe (auto) to easy to quantitate (SNOW).
HOW IT WORKS
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GxP Compliant Western Blots and Nucleic Acid Quantification
How do I ensure data integrity compliance for biomolecular imaging systems?
Modern digital labs in regulated industries face challenges to achieve and maintain compliance with evolving traceability, accountability, and data integrity regulations. The FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11 guidance and the European Union’s GMP Annex 11 guideline outline current data integrity requirements. Both require streamlined data management and security along with electronic signature validation across workflows. Both apply to all electronic data systems, including instruments and networks, in regulated labs. For gel and blot imaging, the acquisition of the image and its quantitative analysis should be considered in the context of the surrounding workflow to ensure traceability.
Achieve data integrity compliance through Western blot and nucleic acid gel imaging with a comprehensive GxP imager module.
Cytiva’s Amersham ImageQuantTM 800 (IQ800) GxP biomolecular imagers and ImageQuant™ TL (IQTL) GxP analysis software are designed to achieve compliance in regulated environments.
The GxP module for the IQ800 instrument and the IQTL analysis software starts with controlled and secure access to the imager. This allows lab managers to set user groups with varying levels of access. To improve traceability, unique sample IDs are stored with all relevant capture metadata in the image files along with
a security tag. The security tag is double-checked in IQTL to ensure analysis over raw data in the image. In addition to saving a full audit trail of imager events, the module connects the larger workflow from sample intake to final analysis through a series of “digital handshakes.” Cytiva also provides access to supporting documentation on their regulatory support page as well as customer representatives who are always available questions.
PRODUCT IN ACTION
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Typhoon™ Laser-Scanner Platform—Versatile Imaging and Precise Quantitation
Four instruments in one — without compromising sensitivity and dynamic range
MULTIPLE IMAGING MODES AND SAMPLE TYPES
Amersham Typhoon™ laser scanners support phosphor imaging, fluorescence (red, green, and blue), near infrared (NIR), and optical density (OD) measurements in protein gels. The platform can be used for imaging a wide variety of sample formats—all size gels, membranes, multi-well microplates, tissue sections, macroscopic samples, and phosphorimaging screens.
BROAD DYNAMIC RANGE
Detect signals as low as three picograms of protein across a dynamic range of greater than five orders of magnitude.
HIGH SAMPLE THROUGHPUT
A large scanning area enables users to simultaneously image up to 20 gels or blots or nine multi-well plates in a single scan.
REDUCES THE RISK OF UNEXPECTED HOST CELL PROTEINS (HCPs)
Amerhsam Typhoon™ laser scanners are the perfect tool to address anti-HCP antibodies specificity through coverage assays. They mitigate HCP risk by capturing images of 2D differential in blot electrophoresis (2D-DIBE) gels with high spatial and pixel resolution.
ROBUST ANALYSIS SOFTWARE
Melanie™ coverage software can be used to analyze HCPs coverage images captured by Amersham Typhoon™ laser scanner. The innovative 3D view in Melanie™ Coverage image analysis helps to minimize false positives, and the spot presence table reduces subjectivity.
5 Reasons You Need a Typhoon™ Laser Scanner in Your Lab
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Typhoon™ laser scanner offers image quality, flexibility, and reliability.
Access to a trusted imaging system is an indispensable part of your research workflows. A functional imaging system should allow flexibility to grow and provide high quality data for everyone you work with.
Read on to find out how the Typhoon™ can become one of your most valuable team members.
1: Image quality and sensitivity
Get the data you need for accurate quantification with precise sensitivity and resolution.
Typhoon™ laser scanners use Fujifilm optics and a linear dynamic range of up to five orders of magnitude, for high quality images of as little as three picograms of protein.
2: A versatile scanner that works for the whole lab
Typhoon™ laser scanners are ideal for shared laboratories due to their flexibility. It features five different standard configurations, a wide range of upgrade kits, and a custom filter box. This laser-scanner platform can be used in a variety of applications, including:
Phosphorimaging
Quantitative whole-body autoradiography (QWBA)
Gel-shift assay analysis
Western blot imaging
3: Unmatched scan area
Typhoon™ laser scanners offer a 40 × 46 cm scan area so you have room to image whole-body specimens, tissue sections, or 2D gels and quantify up to 20 blots or gel shift assays.
4: High-quality imaging, made simple
Labs and core facilities benefit from staff with diverse backgrounds. Typhoon™ imaging systems allow both novice and experienced users to capture high quality images. It features Auto PMT, Pre-Scan, and intuitive software for the best signal-noise ratio and the highest dynamic range.
5: A tried and true workhorse
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Typhoon™ laser scanners inherit the reliability that our customers have come to expect from our ÄKTA, Biacore, and Amersham brands, making them ideal for high-use settings like core facilities.
Our latest generation of instruments has required the fewest service calls received by our team since 2016. If you do need assistance, our team of imaging troubleshooters are available to offer scientific support.
Cytiva is a global life sciences leader that works with academic and translational researchers as well as developers and manufacturers of biotherapeutics, cell and gene therapies, and new technologies such as mRNA to enable the delivery of transformative medicines. Cytiva is a trusted expert with nearly 10,000 associates in more than 40 countries dedicated to customers’ speed, flexibility, capacity, and efficiency in drug discovery, research, and manufacturing.
Cytiva and the Drop logo are trademarks of Life Sciences IP Holdings Corporation or an affiliate doing business as Cytiva.
Amersham, Coomasie, DIBE, Hybond, ImageQuant, Typhoon are trademarks of Global Life Sciences Solutions USA LLC or an affiliate doing business as Cytiva.
Melanie is a trademark of SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. SYBR is a trademark of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Any other third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
