CASE STUDY: Bespoke Atik camera maximises the capabilities of Syngene’s G:BOX

The Organisation

Founded in 1985 by imaging experts from the University of Cambridge. Syngene’s world-leading technology includes a wide range of equipment for instant gel documentation and automated chemiluminescence.

The Atik integration

The 4 series of Atik Cameras were specifically adapted for integration into Syngene’s multifluorescence and chemiluminescence imaging system, the G:BOX.  The versatile G:BOX uses the 4,6 or 9 megapixel cameras from Atik’s 4 series, and works hard over a range of wavelengths to ensure the separation of close fluorescent bands and spots.

Furthermore, the Peltier cooling of the camera enables exposure times to be increased without the addition of background noise.

The G:BOX combination of the cooled, high resolution camera and unique optimal imaging generates true-to-life images such as the below, as opposed to simply digitally enhanced images.

Gel documentation samples taken from the G:BOX used in the analysis of proteins which have been immobilized in polyacrylamide or agarose gels, membranes or microarrays.
This is a sensitive method for detecting DNA, RNA or proteins. Fluorescent molecules are excited with a high intensity light source such as UV, RGB and IR light. When excited, a fluorophore generates light emission as many thousands of detectable photons that can be captured with a highly sensitive camera. Since fluorescent molecules produce so many photons of light, with the right types of image capture technology, it’s possible to detect as little as picogram and femtogram levels of nucleic acids and proteins.

The results of the G:BOX design are embodied by Syngene, that state “For blot and gel results you can trust today and tomorrow, you can’t beat a G:BOX Chemi system.”

One of the biggest strengths of the G:BOX system is its versatility as it can image any of the following applications:

• Chemiluminescence western blots
• Auto-rads
• DNA or RNA stained with ethidium bromide, SYPRO, SYBR and “SAFE” dyes on agarose gels
• Stain free gels
• Fluorescent gels or blots stained with Qdots,DyLight, Alexa Fluor, Cy Dyes, and LI-COR IR dyes
• GFPs
• Colonies or plaques on agar plates
• Bioluminescence
• Plant imaging
• In vivo imaging
• 2D gels

As with all of our applications, Atik Cameras are proud to support such an advanced scientific system that regularly achieves positive results such as the G:BOX.