Printing of electrophoresis gels
View Patent ↗The invention relates to a method to produce gels for electrophoresis, wherein at least two monomer solutions are printed in a pattern on a substrate and the printed substrate is exposed to electromagnetic or ionising radiation so as to initiate polymerisation. The gels are useful for electrophoretic separation of proteins, peptides and/or nucleic acids.
1. A method of producing gels for electrophoresis, providing a printed substrate and exposing a printed substrate to electromagnetic or ionising radiation for sufficient time to initiate polymerisation; wherein more than four different monomer solutions are printed in a pattern on a substrate to provide said printed substrate and wherein the monomer solutions are extrusion printed through a multitude of nozzles.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radiation is ultraviolet light.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the monomer solutions comprises at least one aromatic ketone photoinitiator.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of at least one of the monomer solutions is 50-1000 mPas.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the monomer solutions comprises a thickener.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the thickener comprises a non-ionic polysaccharide.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the thickener is selected from the group consisting of non-ionic cellulose ethers, starch, starch derivatives and galactomannans.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the monomer solutions comprises at least one acrylic monomer.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the monomer solutions comprises acrylamide and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gels are slab gels.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the print pattern comprises a total monomer concentration gradient.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the print pattern comprises a monomer type gradient.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monomer solutions are printed on a moving substrate.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate material for the printed gel has an equlibrium water contact angle of less than about 60°.
15. The method of claim 5 , wherein the thickener comprises a water soluble polymer having a molecular weight and structure such that a 1% solution in water gives a viscosity of 5 mPas-20 000 mPas.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the monomer solutions comprises a wetting agent.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate material for the printed gel is a plastic film coated with a polysaccharide derivative.