Gel.PRIME Gel Documentation System

Camera

Featuring a 24 megapixel coloured digital camera with a super-fast autofocus lens inside a dust resistant enclosure, which can be controlled from a PC or a touchscreen. Live view images and capture times of less than a few seconds provides efficient imaging. Gel image acquisition and control software has full function control panel which allows user to adjust camera and lens settings like exposure time settings, focus and aperture (iris). Histogram display on the screen shows image saturation.

Darkroom Hood

The epoxy coated, chemical & corrosion resistant hood can be placed on top of the transilluminator. This ensures that a basic, light-tight dark room is created.

Transillumination

UV transillumination table is provided with a standard size of 16x16 cm. A timer is attached to the transilluminator, which auto switches off transilluminator light in case the user forgets to turn it off. Trans White & Trans Blue light tables are also available for special applications.

Filter Holder

Standard is manual single position filter holder

How the Gel Documentation & Imaging Analysis Sustem works

The gel is placed on the transilluminator first. Then the hood is lowered onto the transilluminator. The hood has a camera mounted towards the top along with zoom lens and wavelength filter (nominally 590nm filter suitable for Ethidium Bromide EtBr gels is provided).

Connect the camera to the PC using the USB cable and gel capture software, to get a real-time live view image of the gel. Click your images and save them on the PC. A white light epi-illumination source is also provided, that illuminates objects from top.

With the 1D gel analysis software, you can analyse the gels.

Gel Analysis Software
Workflows to suit your analysis requirements
Gel analysis is rapid, automated to a high level and 100% reproducible and repeatable using application specific/user-defined protocols. The user has the ability to review each stage of the workflow analysis and intervene / edit if required. Combining high levels of automation with final user review allows rapid and accurate quantitative analysis. The user then has full control of the visualization tools and data display - outputting only those data fields that are of importance as well as the images of choice. Thus results are completely reproducible and repeatable.

Fast Accurate Quantitation and Reporting
Advanced colorimetery & densitometry software for 1D gels, colonies, dot blots, arrays, multiplex images and RFLP analysis, highly developed algorithms accurately detect lanes and bands even on distorted gel images. Results can be verified using the range of visualisation tools which aid further examination of lane and band data. Calibrate the bands using one or more Molecular Size standard lanes and derive accurate quantitation from known band volumes.

Analysis and data can be exported as Excel files and pdf files. Image files can be saved and exported in jpg, png, tiff and bmp formats, with an option for password protection . Also provided is a 3D viewer for viewing bands in 3D. Options available for upgradation of tools compliant with US FDA 21 CFR Part 11 regulations.

General Image Analysis Toolbox, Array Analysis, Dot Blot and Colony Counting Modules
Define circular or rectangular area of interest. Easy control slider bars for sensitivity and operator size. Initialise sensitivity option. Advanced parameter settings for sensitivity, noise, operator size and background. Automatic Splitting function. Total count and spot data automatically displayed. Wide range of data fields to display in measurements table. Edit, draw, erase, delete or split features. Adjustable pen size for drawing or erasing. Renumber features.

GENERAL
- Fully automatic, single button press imageacquisition as final resultant image
- Fully automatic, single button press completeimage analysis within area of interest
- Edit and enhance image for improvinganalysis or create multiplex images
- Brightness, contrast, annotate, illustrate or crop images & export for copy paste function
- Instant access to refinement of analysis step
- Alternative step-wise image analysis
- Facility to load and save user preferences,including parameters and display options,prior to analysis
- Automatic PDF report generator
- Ruler options to display lane names, numbersand Moleuclar weights
- Rf and IEF propagation distance calculation
- Single button press export option forpublication ready images.
- Print image as per user’s choice of dpi
BACKGROUND SUBTRACTION
- Automatic methods
- Rolling ball, Rubber band, Minimum profile, Valley to valley, Lane edge subtract
- Manual methods
BAND DETECTION
- Fully automatic multiple band detection
- Adjustable peak parameters:
- Minimum peak
- Noise reduction
- % max peak of lane or gel
- Band separation detection methods:
- Automatic separation from background
- Single Edge
- Fixed width
- Volume and Intensity of bands displayed
- Manual editing of peak and edge detection in image and lane profile windows
- Snap to peak editing
- Automatic band measurements
- View band measurements in measurements table
- Wide range of data fields to display in measurements table
- Histograms for viewing band data
- View multiple lane profiles stacked/overlaid
- Export lane profile information
- Edit Band Name and display on image
- Automatic Dendrogram creation
- New noise reduction option for band detection removes dust from image
- Median filter
LANE CREATION
- Automatic multiple lane detection
- Export and import of lane templates
- Manual lane detection
- Multi-tier analysis
- Move, resize and bend multi-box
- Move, resize, bend individual lanes
- Add grimaces to account for band distortion
- Delete lanes
PROFILE DECONVOLUTION
- Fit Gaussian curves to profile
- One Gaussian per band
- Manual adjustments of Gaussian
- FWHM (Full Width Half Max) measurement of bands
MOLECULAR WEIGHT/ Rf CALIBRATION
- Calibrate, detect and calculate Molecular Weights of 1D gels
- Library of standards
- Add and Edit existing standards
- Automatic assignment of standard bands
- Propagation by Rf between standards
- 6 curve fitting methods
- Molecular Weights automatically displayed
- pI standards can be increased or decreased
- Volume and Intensity displayed
Applications
- Colorimetric Gel Imaging
- Fluorescent Gel Imaging