Best Chemiluminescent Imager on the Market

February 26, 2016

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research
Laboratory Technician

Overall

Performance

Ease-of-Optimization

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Company:

Bio-Rad

Product Name:

ChemiDoc MP Imaging System

Catalog Number:

1708280

Our lab is constantly western blotting, and film can get to be expensive. We've transitioned to using chemiluminescent imagers in order to save money spent on film. The Bio-Rad ChemiDoc MP Imaging System handles everything we throw at it, for less than constantly buying film. We use Bio-Rad gel running equipment, so we thought it best to also use Bio-Rad imaging equipment.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

Western Blotting

Starting Material

Nitrocellulose Membranes

Protocol Overview

First, incubate your membrane with its chemiluminescent detection reagent. Next, position the membrane on the imaging surface using the pull-out drawer and the live image within the Image Lab protocol that you're running. Once the gel is in place, just start the protocol and it'll image the gel for you, optimizing exposure time for band strength.

Tips

Start with a low-power chemiluminescent substrate - this machine is very sensitive

Results Summary

We have consistently gotten high quality images of western blot membranes using the ChemiDoc MP, but there is also a consistent grainy quality to even the best of images. Antibodies to phospho-proteins and those that bind weakly may not be detected cleanly using this imager, as long exposures become increasingly grainy with time.

Features Summary

Automatic recognition of Bio-Rad standards, calculation of protein levels and sizes based on standards

Additional Notes

The extra features included in this imaging system are far too many to list.

Image Gallery

Summary

The Good

Ease of use, cheaper than buying film

The Bad

Grainy images, tough to detect low-level proteins or weakly bound antibodies

The Bottom Line

Film is the gold standard for developing membranes because it automatically cuts down on background. Chemiluminescent imagers will evolve to take the place of film over time, but they still have a ways to go before the quality of the resulting image is the same. The ChemiDoc MP Imaging System is the best on the market, and great if you're working with abundant proteins and well-designed antibodies.

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