QIAxcel for Saving Time

November 05, 2014

The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
Center for Oncology and Cell Biology
Institute Scientist

Overall

Performance

Ease-of-Optimization

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Company:

Qiagen

Product Name:

QIAxcel Advanced Instrument

Catalog Number:

9001941

Our lab studies a specific subset of B cells. Our research focuses on determining the overall function of these B cells in both humans and mice. We further study the unique characteristics and functions of this subset of B cells on both the cellular and molecular level. Specifically, we examine the immunoglobulin (Ig) expressed by these B cells. To do this we single cell sort the cells and then sequence the Ig expressed. We rely heavily upon our Qiagen QIAxcel for everyday analysis of PCR amplified Ig. We routinely run hundreds of samples per day making standard agarose gel analysis extremely time consuming and labor intensive. The QIAxcel allows us to examine hundreds of samples in one day while giving us time to work on setting up other experiments while the samples are run. We chose the QIAxcel for its reliability and ability to free up more time in our lab.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

We use the QIAxcel to examine our PCR products.

Starting Material

The starting material is RNA from single B cells which are then converted to cDNA and amplified in a semi-nested PCR reaction.

Protocol Overview

We use the QIAxcel to examine the presence of and size of our PCR products amplified from single B cells. Once the PCR products are ready to be run on a gel, we take the 96-well plate and load it into the the QIAxcel. The QIAxcel takes a small aliquot of the sample (about 2ul) and then runs each well of the 96-well plate for analysis of the PCR product size.

Tips

It is useful to have one person in the lab be responsible for maintenance of the machine. It can be a little tricky to use, although I would not say it is difficult.

Results Summary

The QIAxcel gives beautiful output of results of PCR products. It not only gives you a quantity of your product but also gives you a picture as if you had run an agarose gel. It is the perfect addition to a lab that runs many many agarose gels. It is a great way to free up time on this routine task if the number of samples to be run is high.

Features Summary

Not only does the QIAxcel save time on running hundreds of agarose gels, the other two features to highlight are its ability to provide the amount of PCR product (how much DNA you have) and that it takes only a small aliquot (about 2ul) of your sample.

Additional Notes

NA

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Summary

The Good

Saves time, quantity of products, saves on sample to run on a traditional gel.

The Bad

It can be a little hard to get used to in terms of set-up but it works really well once you are set-up and have someone who can keep track of the maintenance and cartridge use.

The Bottom Line

This is a great instrument!

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