GE Healthcare Life Sciences transforms Western blotting

Published: 23-Sep-2014

Launches Amersham WB system for reproducible and quantitative protein analysis

GE Healthcare Life Sciences has launched a fully integrated system for quantitative SDS-PAGE and Western blotting of proteins using fluorescence detection.

Developed by scientists at the company’s Centre of Excellence in Protein Science at Uppsala, Sweden, the Amersham WB system is expected to drive down the variability seen with conventional Western blotting.

Every stage of the Western blotting process, including electrophoresis, transfer, probing and scanning, is standardised and monitored with the Amersham system, resulting in consistent, quantitative protein analysis, the company says.

Eric Roman, General Manager of Research & Applied Markets at GE Healthcare Life Sciences, said: 'Every life scientist has probably carried out a Western blot at some time in their career, and tens of thousands still do every week. The value of the insights provided by Western blotting has kept it relevant for more than 30 years, but its shortcomings are well-recognised. Building on GE’s heritage and expertise in protein analysis, what we have developed is a system that is set to shift how scientists see and use Western blotting from now on, with a clear focus on reliability and quantification of results, regardless of user.'

Established as a key laboratory technique for more than 30 years, Western blotting requires a complex combination of analytical knowledge, extensive manual handling, dexterity and strict adherence to protocols in order to achieve reliable results. Failure rates, however, can be as high as 25%1 and data variations between different users can be as high as 35–40%2.

The Amersham WB system, with a standardised traditional Western blotting workflow, typically achieves a variability of less than 10% between users.3

The company says the system’s consistency and reproducibility delivers the robust quantitative data necessary to help scientists increase their understanding of diseases and support the development of new therapies.

1. Western Blotting Continues to Evolve, 2013. www.biocompare.com/Editorial-Articles/126332-Western-Blotting/

2. Harding, Ann. Not Your PI’s Western Blot. Science, 1 March, http://www.sciencemag.org/site/products/lst_20130301.pdf

3. GE reproducibility data to be presented as a poster at ComBio2014, Canberra, from 28 September to 2 October, 2014

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