Lonza Rockland, Inc.
www.lonza.com
scientific.support@lonza.com
Scientific Support: 800-521-0390
Customer Service: 800-638-8174
Document # 18340-0609-3
Rockland, ME 04841 USA

FlashGel™ System0B

General FAQs.
What types of gels do you have for theFlashGel™System?

What is the stain in the cassette?

™

We offer FlashGel Cassettes for DNA, DNA recovery™
and RNA separation. FlashGel DNA Cassettes areavailable at either 1.2% or 2.2% agarose, and in 12+1
single-tier (13 wells) or 16+1 double-tier formats (34wells). DNA recovery cassettes are supplied as 8+1 well™
double-tier. Our FlashGel RNA Cassettes, 1.2%
agarose, are available in 12+1 single-tier (13 wells) or
16+1 double-tier formats (34 wells).

™

The stain in the FlashGel Cassettes is a proprietary
fluorescent nucleic acid stain. It is not commerciallyavailable as a separate stain.

Does the system have a built-in power supply?
The system includes a low-voltage power supply for thetransilluminator. The system requires an external
electrophoresis power supply with up to a 275 Vcapacity.

Is the material in the cassette hazardous?
The stain in the cassette is present at such low levels
that it is not considered hazardous, according to OSHA
or EU hazard criteria. A copy of the MSDS is available
online. The stain in the cassette is a potential mutagen.
Wear gloves, safety glasses and a lab coat whenhandling. Use the same precautions when handling thecassettes as you would ethidium bromide stained gels.

Does the system have a built-in
transilluminator?
™

The FlashGel Dock has a built-in blue lighttransilluminator for real time visualization of the bands.

What wavelength will excite the stain? Can I usea UV transilluminator?
™

Dispose of the cassettes the same way you dispose ofethidium bromide stained gels. Follow state and local
guidelines for disposal of these materials.

The FlashGel Dock has a blue light transilluminator that
excites the fluorescent dye at 450 nm. The stain has asecondary excitation peak in the UV range (i.e., 302 nm
and 312 nm). Therefore, the bands can also be detected
on a UV transilluminator.

Can I cast my own gels to run on the FlashGel™
Dock?

What is the maximum well volume?

No. These cassettes are unique and proprietary. In order
to use this system a special, buffer, stain, and cassette
are required.

The maximum volume per well for the standard DNA andRNA cassettes is 5 μl. The recovery cassettes aredesigned to hold more and can be filled to 12 μl.

How should I dispose of the cassettes?

Can I run gels other than FlashGel™ Cassettes
on the FlashGel™ Dock?
™

™

No. The FlashGel Cassettes and FlashGel Dock are a™
single system, designed to work together. FlashGel
RNA and DNA Cassettes are not compatible with otherchambers. The dock is not compatible with other gels.

1

What happens if I load too much or too littlesample?
™

The FlashGel System is very flexible. It is best to
experiment with the system and adjust the levels tooptimize your results. Optimal DNA load levels are
5-20 ng per band in a 5 µl load. DNA fragments™
≥ 5 ng are visible on the FlashGel Dock; fragments as
low as 0.10 ng per band are detectable on images. DNA
concentrations of >20 ng per band may result in™
distortion when viewed on the FlashGel Dock. For
purposes of recovery, heavy amounts of DNA should notcause issues as long as desired fragment is clearly
distinct from adjacent bands in sample. Optimal RNA
load levels will depend upon the sample; 10 ng per band™
are detectable on FlashGel RNA Cassettes.

At what voltage do I need to run the cassettes?
Can I speed up or slow down the run?
We recommend that DNA cassettes be run at 275 V andRNA cassettes at 225 V. We do not recommend runninga gel at a higher voltage than 275 V. Runs at lower
voltage for longer time periods may improve separationof larger fragments (>1000 bp). See our Application Note(Resource Notes™ Fall 2008, pp 21) or Fig. 4 of themanual.

What is the FlashGel™ Mask?
™

The FlashGel Mask is a flexible strip that slides under™
the FlashGel Cassette to block light from the second
tier of wells when using double-tier cassettes.

How should the cassettes be stored?
The cassettes should be stored between 18°C and26°C. Shelf life of DNA cassettes is 5 months from thedate of manufacture. For RNA cassettes, please contact
Scientific Support.

What are the cassette / gel dimensions?
The gel dimensions are 70 mm (L) x 84 mm (W) x 2 mm(H). The cassette dimensions are 115 mm (L) x 107 mm(W) x 17 mm (H).

What type of loading dye should I use in theFlashGel™ System?
The system is compatible with most loading dyes. The™
FlashGel Loading Dye will provide optimal performancefor DNA and native RNA samples. Denatured RNA
samples should be prepared 1:1 in our Formaldehyde
Sample Buffer and RNase free water (denature for 5minutes at 65°C).
NOTE: Bromophenol Blue does not migrate in thissystem. It will not interfere with DNA migration; it simply
does not leave the wells.

Do I have to use the FlashGel™ Markers?
The DNA system is compatible with markers between 10bp and 4,000 bp. The RNA system is compatible withmarkers between 0.5 bp and 9 Kb. For the best™
performances use our FlashGel Markers which havebeen specifically optimized for the different cassette
types:™

FlashGel
Cassette Type

Recommended™
FlashGel Marker

1.2% DNA

Cat. No. 50473 - 100 bp – 4 kb
DNA Marker
Cat. No. 57033 - 50 bp – 1.5 Kb
DNA Marker
Cat. No. 57034 - 100 bp – 3 Kb
DNA Marker
Cat. No. 50475 - 100 bp – 1.5 kb
DNA Quant LadderCat. No. 50577 - 0.5 bp – 9 Kb
RNA Marker

2.2% DNA
2-tier DNA
DNA Recovery
RNAFlashGel™ Dock
FlashGel™ System for RNA
What should I do if my dock breaks?
Contact Lonza Scientific Support. The warranty
information is in the product protocol that ships with all
docks and cassette boxes.

Is the FlashGel™ Dock UL or CE listed?
™

The FlashGel Dock has received a CE rating andcontains the CE mark.

Why are my RNA bands disappearing?
™

RNA samples are visible on the FlashGel Dock for up
to 4 minutes, after which they fade because the fastrunning dye doesn’t have time to bind. The bands will
reappear with increasing intensity following a 10-20
minute post-run hold as the dye reabsorbs.

FlashGel™ System for Recovery
FlashGel™ Camera
What gel documentation systems work with
FlashGel™ Cassettes?
The FlashGel™ Camera is the easiest and mostconvenient documentation solution specifically designedfor use with the FlashGel™ System.
Most other standard gel documentation systems will™
work with FlashGel Cassettes. Conditions may require
adjustments to optimize results. Remember, the™
FlashGel System uses a proprietary stain that is 5-20times more sensitive than ethidium bromide stain. Ingeneral, use per band DNA and RNA concentrations 1/5of those normally used for ethidium bromide detection.

Is the FlashGel™ Camera UL or CE listed?
™

The FlashGel Camera has received a CE rating andcontains the CE mark.

Is the FlashGel™ Camera compatible with aMac?
No. Unfortunately at this time the software is only
available for PC.

What type of software is provided with theFlashGel™ Camera?
The FlashGel™ Camera comes with capture software.
With the software you view the gel and capture live
images for printing or to save as a file for furtheranalysis.

What image formats can I save the image?
The FlashGel™ Capture Software will allow you to savean image to one of the three common image file formats,BMP, JPEG or TIFF.

Can I recover my sample RNA/DNA from thecassette – is the gel accessible?
The FlashGel™ System for recovery delivers highly
efficient recovery, free from inhibitors and UV-induced
damage, in a simple 5 -10 minute protocol. The Gel is
not accessible. Contact Lonza Scientific Support formore information.

What is in the recovery buffer?
The composition of the recovery buffer is proprietary.

Can I use water instead of the recovery buffer?
For small fragments water or TE has been used withsuccess, however, using the recovery buffer prevents
the sample from going through the well too fast andenhances recovery.

Is the recovered sample compatible withdownstream applications?
Yes, the recovered product can be used directly for reamplification, cloning, or other techniques.
See Resource Notes™ Spring 2009, pp 17-20.

FlashGel™ Power Supply
What are the specifications?
The FlashGel™ Power Supply Certified by CE for Global
standards (NA, Europe and AsiaPac).

What is the output voltage?
It is 10 - 300V / 1V.

Does it have power cords for all regions?
Yes.

FlashGel™ System Troubleshooting Guide
When I opened my pouch, the cassette was wet.
Is this normal?
A small amount of buffer in the pouch is normal. Wipethe cassette dry before use.

Is it OK to run the cassette with the camera on
top?
It is not recommended to run the FlashGel™ with thecamera hood on top and light on as this will cause extra
heat build-up which can cause denaturation of smaller
DNA fragments leading to fuzzy bands.

I’ve noticed small bubbles between the wells in
my cassettes; should I be concerned?
No, these are simply small delaminations that may occur
in our double-tier cassettes. They will have no effect on
the image or the functionality of the gel.

Buffer was coming out of the wells during mygel run. Is this normal?
Some buffer expression is normal during the run. Do nottouch the cassette until the high voltage leads aredisconnected. Wear gloves, safety glasses and lab coats
when handling cassettes.

FlashGel™ Cassette
Problem
BufferLeaking

No Contact/ AMP read
≤3 mA

Cause

Solution

Cracked cassette.

Cannot use gel

Buffer leaking fromshroud.

Cannot use gel

Visually see glue onrods.

File the rods

Broken/Chippedrods.
No buffer in rodchamber.
Short or truncatedwells.

SampleLoss

Samplespills overto adjacent
wellsFlashGel™ Dock

Delamination (gelseparates fromcassette) near well.
Well bottom
punctured, Pipette
may have gone
through.
Short or truncatedwell.
Delamination (gelseparates fromcassette) near well.

Cannot use gel
Cannot use gel

ProblemNo Contact/ AMP read
≤3 mA

Cannot use gel
Cannot use gel
Use another well,load gels more
perpendicularly

Cause

Solution

Faulty electrophoresis(high voltage) powersupply.

Try new dock orchange highvoltage power
supply unit

Dock has loose
component.
Dock leads have wornout on high voltage
power supply unit (leads
slip out of power supply
easily).
Loose FlashGel
Cassette on dock.
Dock spring is not atcorrect angle.
Check low voltage
power supply
connections.

Cannot use gel
No LightCannot use gel

Green light on low
voltage power supply
should be on.
Outlet plug adaptor on
low voltage power
supply may not be on
correctly.

Try new dockTry new dockTry new dockTry new dockUnplug power
supply fromdock and plugin again / Trynew power
supplyReplace low
voltage power
supplyRemove outlet
plug adaptor on
power supply
and snap backin place

Some components of the FlashGel™ System are soldunder licensing agreements. The nucleic acid stain inthis product is manufactured and sold under license from
Molecular Probes, Inc., and the FlashGel™ Cassette issold under license from Invitrogen IP Holdings, Inc. andis for use only in research applications or quality control.
It is covered by pending and issued patents. TheFlashGel™ Dock technology contains Clare Chemical
Research, Inc. Dark Reader® transilluminator
technology and is covered under US Patents 6,198,107,6,512,236 and 6,914,250. The electrophoresis
technology is licensed from Temple University and iscovered under US Patent 6,905,585.
For Research Use Only.
Not for use in Diagnostic Procedures.
Dark Reader® is a registered trademark of Clare Chemical
Research, Inc. All other trademarks herein are marks of theLonza Group or its affiliates.
©2009 Lonza Rockland, Inc.
All rights reserved.