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Gel electrophoresis

Loading and Running an Agarose Gel

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Learn the key steps in loading and running an agarose gel. Practise pouring a buffer solution, removing the comb, loading a DNA sample and setting up the power pack.

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Learning outcomes

  • Familiarise yourself with the equipment needed for agarose gel electrophoresis
  • Prepare a gel for loading
  • Load samples into a gel
  • Set up a power pack to run a gel
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Skills

Using Instruments and Equipment

  • What equipment is required to run an agarose gel
  • What components of the buffer facilitate the loading, tracking and visualisation of samples 
  • How to position the pipette to load the samples into the wells
  • Why it is important to correctly wire the electrodes to the tank
  • Why it is best to remove the comb after pouring the buffer

Obtaining and Recording Data

  • How the amount of buffer added affects the running of the gel 
  • How the voltage selected can affect the running of the gel and the quality of the results
  • Why a DNA ladder is loaded alongside the samples

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Student, Natural Sciences
University of Exeter

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Details

Degrees

Biological science
Biomedical science
Pharmacological science
Forensic science
Biochemistry

Modules

Molecular biology & genetics
Forensic investigation
Biological chemistry

Topic

Gel electrophoresis

Purchase option

Bioscience LabSim Library

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