Innovative Kits for Large-ScalePlasmid DNA Isolation

Two new products for large-scale plasmid DNA isolation are being introduced by QIAGEN. The CompactPrep Plasmid Mega and Giga kits offer greater convenience and faster extraction than other methods. The
purification capacity is up to 2.5 mg of plasmid DNA for the Mega Kit and up to 10 mg for the Giga Kit. With commonly used techniques, isolation of large quantities of plasmid DNA was often very time consuming, requiring as much as several hours to complete. This posed significant challenges for researchers facing increasing time pressures. In contrast, the new kits allow isolation of plasmid DNA in less than 50 minutes due to a vacuum-driven protocol. In addition, by using the company’s QIAvac 24 Plus vacuum device in combination with the new QIAvac Holder, it is possible to process up to 12 preparations in parallel. Virtually no hands-on work is required during the entire procedure. Another advantage of the CompactPrep Plasmid Mega and Giga kits is the highly concentrated, low-endotoxin plasmid DNA produced. The new kits use small columns that enable elution of DNA in a very low buffer volume, resulting in DNA concentrations of up to 2.5 ìg/ìl. In addition, by using a supplemental wash buffer, endotoxin levels are usually lower than 1 EU/ìg DNA. The resulting purified plasmid DNA is suitable for all routine downstream applications, including cloning, enzymatic restriction, in vitro transcription and translation. Due to the kits’ proprietary wash buffer, the extracted plasmid DNA is ideal for transfection experiments, even with cell lines as sensitive as Huh-7.