5 Things to Consider When Purchasing a Western Blot and Gel Imaging System
Satisfy everyone in your lab with an imager that does it all
Whether you’re looking to move away from film and invest in your first digital imaging system or trying to replace an outdated imaging system, it’s important to choose the right equipment that will grow with you and adapt to your research needs. Before you make the leap, here are a few things you need to know about picking the perfect imaging system.
1. Multitask like a pro
Why waste precious bench space with a single-use tool? Maximize your space, and budget, with an imager that has multi-mode capabilities in a compact system. You may want to upgrade from film to a digital chemiluminescent imaging system, but you might want to also consider the benefits of visible and infrared fluorescent imaging – stable signals, multiplexing, and lower autofluorescence. Do you have a separate DNA gel imager? Why not combine your DNA and protein gel imaging and Western blot membrane imaging into one easy-to-use system? Are you still manually counting colonies on bacterial plates? Imagine the time you could save with integrated visible imaging and colony counting! Look for a versatile imaging system that will meet your research needs.
Learn how the FluorChem R can cover all your application bases with UV fluorescence, white light, chemiluminescence, visible fluorescence, and infrared fluorescence imaging, all in one compact system.
2. Make sense of the specs
Sensor resolution is probably the most common spec that users look at when evaluating cameras on digital imaging systems. But performance indicators such as dynamic range and sensitivity are influenced by a number of other factors. Read our guide to CCD camera parameters to understand the features and terminology of CCD technology relevant to biological imaging, enabling you to understand how different components of digital sensors can contribute to performance.
3. Go green: Do your part for the environment
Can you reduce the environmental footprint of your research? Implementation of a digital imaging system eliminates the chemical waste stream associated with film processing. Digital imaging lets you capture faint and bright bands without oversaturating, in just one single exposure. Load less protein, use smaller amounts of your precious antibodies and never miss a faint band again! Why waste time taking multiple film exposures? Why generate hazardous chemical waste if there’s a cleaner alternative? Do your part to build a sustainable lab!
Read our application note to learn how FluorChem imagers provide superior quantitative capacity relative to film.
4. Eliminate complications
Whatever system you implement, you want something that is fast and easy to use by everyone in your lab. Getting reliable images shouldn’t be complicated. FluorChem imagers make gel and Western blot imaging a breeze. Simply load your sample, choose your protocol, hit expose and get perfect, high-quality images.
Don’t forget to consider the frequency of use of your system. The imaging station shouldn’t be the bottleneck for your research. An imaging system should be able to rapidly acquire publication quality images while allowing you to run analyses for simple and complex applications. Look for a system that enables you to review and analyze images from your personal workstation, so that you don’t have to wait in line to analyze your results!
5. Adapt for the win!
Science is always evolving, make sure your research does too. Whether you are doing traditional western blotting or trying to decide on an automated Western blot system, like Wes, ProteinSimple is here to help advance your research. Learn how you can future-proof your research with our special offer.
Want to learn more about FluorChem?
Watch the video to see how FluorChem imagers make gel and Western blot imaging a breeze. Simply load your sample, choose your protocol, hit expose and get perfect, high-quality images.
If you're curious about pricing, just send us your request.