Electrophoresis and electroblotting systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10041906-B2
Application number	US-201615059093-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2016
Priority date	Mar 3, 2015
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

Integrated electrophoresis and electroblotting systems and methods are provided. In one embodiment, a cassette includes a separation gel and a sheet adjacent to a surface of the separation gel, wherein the sheet is configured to be removed from the cassette without opening the cassette. Systems and methods are also described and illustrated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cassette comprising:
a separation gel; and
a sheet adjacent to a surface of the separation gel, wherein the sheet is configured to be removed from the cassette without opening the cassette, wherein the sheet is folded along a folding line and wherein portions of the sheet on either side of the folding line are in contact with each other and between the gel and a cassette wall.

2. The cassette of claim 1 , wherein the sheet further comprises a section that is at least partially wrapped around an outer surface of a support.

3. The cassette of claim 2 , wherein the section is wing-shaped.

4. The cassette of claim 3 , wherein the section is adhered to an outer surface of the support.

5. The cassette of claim 1 , wherein the sheet comprises a pulling edge.

6. The cassette of claim 1 , wherein the sheet comprises a tab.

7. The cassette of claim 1 , wherein a gel-facing surface of the sheet is coated with a barrier coating.

8. The cassette of claim 7 , wherein the barrier coating is selected from the group consisting of polyvinylidene chloride, low-density polyethylene, and an acrylonitrile methyl acetate copolymer.

9. The cassette of claim 1 , further comprising a membrane sandwiched between the sheet and a pad.

10. The cassette of claim 9 , wherein the membrane is configured to be removed from the cassette without opening the cassette.

11. The cassette of claim 10 , wherein the membrane comprises a pulling edge.

12. The cassette of claim 1 , further comprising a set of transfer electrodes.

13. The cassette of claim 1 , further comprising a first set of electrodes and a second set of electrodes.

14. The cassette of claim 13 , wherein the first set of electrodes are separation electrodes and the second set of electrodes are transfer electrodes.

15. A method comprising:
removing a sheet from a cassette having a separation gel with previously separated molecules, wherein the sheet is configured to be removed from the cassette without opening the cassette; and
responsive to applying an electric field normal to an electrophoretic plane of the separation gel, transferring the molecules to a membrane.

16. A system comprising:
a cassette comprising:
a separation gel;
a sheet adjacent to a surface of the separation gel, wherein the sheet is configured to be removed from the cassette without opening the cassette;
a membrane sandwiched between the sheet and a pad;
a first and second set of electrodes; and
circuitry operably connected to the first and second set of electrodes and configured to apply a first electric field within an electrophoretic plane of the separation gel and a second electric field normal to the electrophoretic plane of the separation gel.

17. A cassette comprising:
a separation gel;
a sheet adjacent to a surface of the separation gel, wherein the sheet is configured to be removed from the cassette without opening the cassette, and
a membrane sandwiched between the sheet and a pad.

18. The cassette of claim 17 , wherein the membrane is configured to be removed from the cassette without opening the cassette.

19. The cassette of claim 18 , wherein the membrane comprises a pulling edge.

Assignees

• Bio Rad Laboratories

Inventors

• Ran Boaz

Classifications

• C07K1/26

  Electrophoresis · CPC title

• G01N27/44739 Primary

  Collecting the separated zones, e.g. blotting to a membrane or punching of gel spots · CPC title

• G01N27/44747 Primary

  Composition of gel or of carrier mixture · CPC title