i) Dilutor unit
ii) Three-axis picking robot with picking tool.
iii) Sensys gel-imaging CCD camera
iv) Work area with: gel plate carrier, tip rack, output-plate rack, sonic bath, tip-wash station and changeable light source
The ProPic can be fitted with two types of light box, one producing standard 'white' light (for imaging of
Coomassie blue and Silver stained spots) and one for ultra-violet light (for imaging of fluorescent-stained gels,
such as Sypro Ruby Red).
The picking of protein spots is carried out by one of two methods: the Direct Method or the Blind Method.
The Direct Method - A gel is placed on the workstation plate. The Sensys CCD camera takes a single
12-bit image of the gel, that is then imaged using the Investigator HT Analyser software on the PC.
If the 'white-light' box is fitted, Coomassie and Silver stained gels can be imaged. If the UV box is fitted,
fluorescent gels can be imaged.
The Blind Method - is used for spot-picking utilising high resolution images form the ProXpress.
The gel is first imaged by the ProXpress, and the resultant image is stored in a database.
The same gel is then imaged on the ProPic using the 'Direct' method . The two images are then matched
using the Investigator HT Analyser software. The software takes into account any relative shifts
between the two images.
From this point the procedure is the same for both gel types. It is possible to manually select the features
of interest in the gel, or it is possible to link the image to other images in the gel database and use the
advanced query features available in the Investigator HT Analyser software.
Once the spots of interest have been identified and selected the Investigator HT Analyser data is loaded
into the ProPic software. The spots are then excised from the gel and transferred to output plates on the robot bed.
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