Open source and low cost pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE] equipment

Open source and low cost pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE] equipment.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE] is a technique that allows the separation of very large DNA molecules (up to ~10 Mbp / in contrast of up to ~50 Kbp of normal electrophoresis) by a periodic change in the direction of the electric field.

This work considers the design and construction of a open source and low cost PFGE, implementing a Rotating Gel Electrophoresis (RGE). The equipment considers the use of a standard commercially available electrophoresis chamber and the construction of an RGE using 3D printed parts, a servo motor and simple electronics. It incorporates a custom cooling system using a small pump and peltier cooler elements. Run parameters set and monitoring is achieved by bluetooth communication to an smartphone running a custom Android app.

The equipment is capable of the separation of DNA molecules up to ~2 Mbp (10 Mpb is about to be tested), costs USD ~$500 (about 1/50 of the price of commercial equipment, considering the chamber and the power source) and all coding, electronics, 3D parts and documentation is public available on GitLab.