Lonza Rockland, Inc.
www.lonza.com
scienitific.support@lonza.com
Scientific Support: 800-521-0390
Customer Service: 800-638-8174
Document # 00521681-0909-002
Rockland, ME 04841 USAFlashGel® System
Important Safety Information and Quick Start Guide

Safety symbols
Failure to adhere to the instructions could result in
The following symbols alert the user to important
operational, maintenance, and/or warranty requirements, personal and/or laboratory hazards, as well as invalidate
any warranty. Always turn off the DC power source prioror possible hazards exposure.
to removing cassettes from the dock. For maximum
safety, always operate this system in an isolated, lowtraffic area, not accessible to unauthorized personnel.
Never operate damaged equipment.

Precautions
The dock utilizes a visible light transilluminator to viewfragments. It is safe to view cassettes on the lighted dockwithout UV light protection. Turn on the light only after
the cassette is in place. Do not stare directly into thelight.
Wear gloves, lab coat and safety glasses whenhandling FlashGel® Cassettes. The gel and buffer inFlashGel® Cassettes contain a proprietary DNA stain thatis a potential mutagen. Follow state and local guidelines
for handling and disposal of these materials.

Complete system instructions

CAUTION: Hazardous Voltage.
Contact may cause death or serious injury
Caution should be exercised in the operation of thissystem as it can develop sufficient voltage and current toproduce a lethal shock. To avoid any risk of injury, thesystem should only be operated by properly trained
personnel and always in accordance with the instructions
provided with The FlashGel® Dock, or found atwww.lonza.com/protocols.

Complete system instructions, including additional safety
and warranty information are provided with The
FlashGel® Dock. These can also be obtained on ourwebsite www.lonza.com/protocols, or by contacting
Scientific Support.
Scientific Support:
US: (800) 521-0390;
scientific.support@lonza.com
Europe: 00 32 87 321 611;
scientific.support.eu@lonza.com
International: +1 (207) 594-3400;
scientific.support@lonza.com

Prior to turning on the DC power source, ensure that theblack lead is connected to the negative terminal and the Ordering Information:
red lead is connected to the positive terminal. Do not
Please see our website www.flashgel.com
touch the FlashGel® Dock or Cassette while the highvoltage supply is turned on. Do not add or recoversamples to the FlashGel® Cassette while the high voltage
leads are connected to the power supply.

Operating conditions for FlashGel® Dock
Environmental Conditions
Operating Conditions:• Temperature: 15°C-35°C• Humidity: 15%-85% relative humidity, noncondensing
Storage and Shipping Conditions:• Temperature: 2°C-60°C• Humidity: 15%-85% relative humidity, noncondensing

Cleaning and Disposal

DNA Analysis with FlashGel® DNA Cassettes
1. Remove white seals from cassettes. Do not remove theclear vent seals.
2. Flood wells with distilled or deionized water. Blot away
excess liquid – avoid directly blotting wells.
3. Insert cassette in to dock. If using double-tier cassettes,
insert the FlashGel® Mask under the second tier.
4. Load samples.
5. Plug in and turn on dock light.
6. Set high voltage power supply to 275 V, plug in cables
and turn on power supply.
7. Run until desired separation is reached, then turn offhigh voltage power supply and disconnect the cables.
8. Photograph using The FlashGel® Camera or otherdocumentation system.

Clean the FlashGel® Dock exterior with a clothmoistened with water or mild detergent. Do not
immerse! The stain in FlashGel® Cassettes is a potential
DNA Recovery with FlashGel® Recovery Cassettes
mutagen. Follow country, state and local guidelines for1. Follow steps 1 through 3 above.
disposal of hazardous materials.
2. Load samples to be recovered in the upper tier ofsample wells.
Equipment Ratings
3. Run until just prior to desired sample reaching therecovery wells (2nd tier), then stop the run andElectrophoresis Voltage: 300 VDC
disconnect the high voltage cables.
input (highPower: 15 W
4. Blot excess buffer from the recovery well(s) and addvoltage DC):
Current: 50 mA
20 µl of FlashGel® Recovery Buffer.
Dock light input Voltage: 18 VDC
5. Remove the FlashGel® Mask, reconnect the cables and(low voltage
Current: 1.11 A
restart the power. Use the FlashGel® VisualizationDC):
Glasses to observe band migration.
Dock light
Voltage: 100–240 VAC, 50–60 Hz
6. When the band of interest has migrated to the center ofCurrent: 1.0 A
transformer
the recovery well, turn of the power supply andinput (linedisconnect the cables.
voltage AC):
7. Use a pipette to carefully remove the buffer containing
Electrical
High voltage (electrophoresis):the DNA. Recovery of high DNA loads may require
Connections:shielded retractable banana plugs
repeating the process of loading recovery buffer and(male). Low voltage (light): 2.1 X
running the band further in to the well to maximize
5.5 X 14 mm jackrecovered volume.

FlashGel® System Quick Start Guide••••Refer to detailed instructions for sample preparation
and run conditions (www.lonza.com/protocols).
Cassette types are optimized for DNA, RNA orrecovery.
Do not exceed load volume of 5 µl for 12 + 1 and16 + 1 cassettes and 12 µl for 8 + 1 cassettes.
Optimal per band sample concentration is 1/5 that
required for an ethidium bromide gel.

RNA Analysis with FlashGel® RNA Cassettes
1. Follow the procedure for DNA analysis. RNA bands will
be visible only for the first 3 to 4 minutes of the run.
2. Stop the run after 8 minutes and hold. The bands will bevisible again after > 10 minutes, depending upon RNAload intensity.
®

Some components of the FlashGel System are sold under licensingagreements. The nucleic acid stain in this product is manufactured andsold under license from Molecular Probes, Inc., and the FlashGel®
Cassette is sold under license from Invitrogen IP Holdings, Inc., and isfor use only in research applications or quality control, and is covered by®
pending and issued patents. The FlashGel Dock technology contains®
Clare Chemical Research, Inc. Dark Reader transilluminator
technology and is covered under US Patents 6,198,107; 6,512,236; and6,914,250. The electrophoresis technology is licensed from Temple
University and is covered under US Patent 6,905,585.

Dark Reader is a registered trademark of Clare Chemical Research, Inc.
All other trademarks herein are marks of the Lonza Group or its affiliates.
© 2009 Lonza Rockland, Inc.
All rights reserved.