As an added bonus, the ability to archive and analyze fresh images means that the days of desperately taping together crumbling bits of nitrocellulose from fading notebooks are a thing of the past. Moreover, programs are available that incorporate data-preservation features to prevent loss or corruption of the original image. Complete turnkey systems are also available for the lab wanting to jump right in without having to worry about the details of component compatibility. This article provides a general understanding of CCD-based imagers, allowing readers to choose the components or system best suited to their needs. The information largely focuses on electrophoretic and array-based systems, although much of the information applies to microscopic imaging.
Most labs generate a wide assortment of images.
When choosing an analysis system, it is important for it to be flexible enough to handle the existing demands as well as future upgrades and expansions. It is likely that more than one image device will be needed to handle the variety of information sources today's life scientists call upon to unlock nature's secrets. For labs on a tight budget or with modest imaging needs, a densitometer or flatbed scanner with a transparency adapter is a good starting point. Nontransparent media such as nitrocellulose blots can be scanned in a similar fashion. Due to the incredible variety of CCDs, it is important to become familiar with the features and limitations of the different platforms in relation to the proposed applications of the lab.