Maxwell 16 Research System from Promega

February 28, 2013

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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Associate Research Scientist
Results output are provided as a metric of the quality and quantity of the RNA obtained from various AML-based cell lines. Purity/concentration based upon Nanodrop spectrophotometer.

Company:

Promega

Product Name:

Maxwell 16 Research System

Catalog Number:

AS2000

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The downstream processing of numerous clinical samples for the isolation of DNA, RNA, and protein has become a more frequent requirement of our lab research endeavor. As such, the ever-increasing need for an efficient throughput design to address the overall workflow has dictated that appropriate nucleic acid purification processes be considered. We routinely have blocked a particular time of the day as a dedicated period to manually process incoming samples for nucleic acid material and protein of interest; time devoted to the manual processing endeavor is time away from other critical laboratory research interests. Promega has developed the Maxwell® 16 Research System as a high throughput, and opportunity cost solution to address the efficiency demands of the research laboratory. The System can accommodate up to 16 samples simultaneously and, depending upon the choice of purification kit needed (genomic DNA, total RNA, total nucleic acid, protein), can process to purity in under an hour. The instrument eliminates reagent preparation, pipetting and centrifugation steps as part of the workflow. Also available from Promega are Maxwell® 16 for Clinical Labs and the Maxwell® 16 for Forensic Labs.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

Isolation of genomic DNA, RNA, and total protein for numerous applications, with sufficient resulting material to perform PCR-based genotyping assays, q-RT-PCR, and various small-scale/higher throughput proteomic assays (such as multiplex bead-based protein assays).

Starting Material

Promega markets the utility of the Maxwell® Systems by sending a knowledgeable product representative for an onsite demonstration. Impressed with the efficiency and purity claims, the test product was evaluated using cultured hematopoietic cell lines. Of particular interest for our lab is the utility of the instrument for the processing of freshly isolated (MACS®-sorted) populations from fresh whole-blood. Populations are limited (the CD34+ progenitor population) making ideal the use of a platform that accepts and processes a smaller number of cells.

Protocol Overview

Purification of the samples is dependent upon the use of paramagnetic particles, which serve as a solid support phase to retain, wash and elute the target material of interest. Purification plungers are employed to automatically transfer the target material through the purification processing steps. The system design eliminates the need for pipetting and centrifugation steps, and limits the waste involved in material purification. Sample loading simply involves the use of a kit-specific cartridge into which the sample(s) are aliquoted, up to 16. The cartridge, as part of the designated kit, is placed into the machine, which is powered up, and the purification process is initiated. Sample output is conveniently provided as an eluent. DNA samples are ready for stringent assays including PCR.

Tips

It is suggested that first-time users are vigilant regarding the run times. LCD display provides clear updates to the steps that are performed and the time remaining in the procedure run.

Results Summary

Cell input numbers range from 1x10^6 – 5x10^6 total cells and the yield resulted in a range of approximately 30ng/ul – 100ng/ul with purity easily approaching 1.9+ for the A260/280 ratio. For our whole-blood sample procedures, input volumes require from 200ul – 400ul and yielded 8ug – 10ug total genomic DNA.

Features Summary

The overall platform presents a small footprint, making the system ideal for an individual laboratory. The size also serves as a benefit for core facilities where throughput needs require stringing several machines together. The operation, display, and interface are all intuitive; protocol set-up requires careful reading of the instructions corresponding to the protocol of interest. Instructions are clear.

Additional Notes

The Maxwell platform serves as an effective means by which to efficiently process multiple samples within a dedicated workflow. It addresses a clear need for the researcher involved in the processing of multiple samples, and the associated work-load dependent upon quality material for down-stream analysis.

Image Gallery

Results output are provided as a metric of the quality and quantity of the RNA obtained from various AML-based cell lines. Purity/concentration based upon Nanodrop spectrophotometer.

Summary

The Good

Quality output material, from limited input material, in about an hour.

The Bad

Expensive; however, the Maxwell performs and saves precious funded research time.

The Bottom Line

The use of the Maxwell platform will pay for itself in terms of opportunity cost savings; it allows time devoted exclusively back to the research endeavor.

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