Magnetic DNA purification is a simple and reliable way to isolate DNA.
This method for purifying DNA has a wide range of applications. In fact, genomic sequencing and molecular analysis have become so integral to biological research that they are now all but required for work to be published in high profile journals.
Good manufacturing practice, or GMP, is a set of standards that ensures that produced products meet a set of quality standards. Following GMP is crucial for the production of laboratory equipment, as it ensures that a manufactured product is able to meet predefined criteria. Most GMP practices follow the guidelines set by the FDA in the United States, and are promoted by the WHO.
The main two categories of cells are prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Prokaryotic cells are what make up bacteria and archaea while eukaryotic cells make up organisms of the domain eukaryota. The inside of the prokaryotic cell houses it’s genetic material, DNA, in a region called the nucleoid region. There are also ribosomes within the central region of the bacteria. The next layer is the plasma membrane, a bi-lipid layer like you will see for eukaryotic cells. Unlike eukaryotic cells, prokaryotic cells will have a cell wall and a capsule surrounding the cell membrane. The eukaryotic cell is surrounded by a lipid membrane, and has membrane-bound organelles. The genetic material, DNA, is stored in the nucleus which is a membrane bound organelle. In research, many different types of cells are used. Bacterial cells are used in protein purification to grow a plasmid to express a protein of interest. You can read about this in our article protein expression and purification. Many types of Eukaryotic cells are used to do in vivo studies. Depending on your research interests, you might use muscle cells, or skin cells, or cancer cells.
These complexes of magnetic beads and their bound materials are then separated from a complex mixture in solution with a magnetic separation rack. The result is an isolated solution of your target biological elements which can be enriched and concentrated through this process.
Cell based assays are used to quantify cellular function, measure how stimuli affect cells, or to localize an effect within the cell. The cells are live and intact, and require the use of fluorescent tags and chemiluminescent or colorimetric enzymes. The quantification is performed by flow cytometry or microscopy. This is very different from studies of protein or nucleic acid which require destruction of the cell and isolation of those components from cell lysate. A cell based assay is conducted entirely within live, intact cells. The goal is to understand a cellular process, localization of a molecule or drug to a cellular compartment, or to measure how cells react to a substance. Cell based assays are usually performed in tightly controlled cell lines to test for a wide range of behaviors:
The first four mistakes we described in the last weeks are related to the production process of CLIA IVD-kits. However, even if you get a perfect reproducible, high performant process, it is a last mistake you should avoid. We have frequently see IVD-manufacturers to adopt solutions implying high safety risk for the operators and the equipment.
When developing a CLIA IVD-kit, the initial focus is on the biomarker and how to coat the magnetic beads. Biomagnetic separation conditions usually get swept to one side.
Not all mistakes made in CLIA-IVD kit manufacturing involve the magnetic rack itself. Besides the two mistakes we reviewed during the last weeks, the third mistake we have detected involves process validation. Biomagnetic separation processes are often validated solely by specifying a separation time.
