CCD Imaging System at Major UK University

Syngene, has announce its G:BOX chemiluminescence imaging system is helping scientists at an important academic centre in a UK University, to identify the effects that organophosphate based pesticides and herbicides have on protein expression.

Researchers in the University are exposing neuroblastoma cells to different herbicides and pesticides. The proteins are extracted and run on 1D gels stained with Coomassie blue. They are transferred onto Western blots, probed with different antibodies and then stained with Horse Radish Peroxidase.

The 1D protein gels and Western blots produced are imaged and analyzed using a G:BOX chemiluminescence imager to rapidly determine the changes that have occurred to protein expression. This information is used to predict the toxic effects organophosphate containing products could have on animals and humans.

A Research Fellow at the University said:” In 2007, we were using a CCD image analysis system for imaging our chemiluminescent Western blots but found it was not sensitive enough to detect all the proteins we were looking for and meant we were missing vital information. So to ensure we were using the best tools for this task, we assessed different CCD image analysers.”

The Research Fellow added: “We chose to install a G:BOX CCD based imaging system because not only is it simple to set up but the sensitivity and resolution are so superb we can detect all the proteins we need to see. We are now using the G:BOX every day; it is still generating precise blot data and is a pleasure to work with.”

Laura Sullivan, Syngene’s Divisional Manager commented: “We are delighted to see a Syngene system is helping to improve the accuracy of protein detection in important environmental toxicity studies. The results the scientists are obtaining confirm that for detecting even small amounts of chemiluminescent protein on Western blots, a G:BOX chemiluminescence imager is currently the best method.”