Researchers at the NIST have developed a new miniature device that can separate proteins, amino acids and other chemical mixtures.
Earlier researchers used electrophoresis instruments for the above mentioned process. These machines were not only expensive but were bulky and could not be used everywhere.
Using electrophoresis was also a cumbersome task. Discrete samples of a mixture were injected at one end of a capillary tube filled with buffer solution and then a high voltage was applied between the sample and the other end of the track.
But in this new research the team at NIST used GEMBE technology to solve the purpose in a cheap and easy to use device. GEMBE means ‘Gradient Elution Moving Boundary Electrophoresis’. GEMBE works by opposing the movement of the mixture’s component with a stream of buffering solution, which is flowing at a variable rate. This changes the time of arrival of the samples at the other end and a sensor detects the arrival of each component.
The technology has been used in the device that is no bigger than a quarter dollar coin. The technique has been validated at the NIST with separations ranging from small dye molecules and amino acids to larger bimolecules such as DNA.
Via: physorg
