Patent ID: 7150813

Claim:
A gel electrophoretic system adapted to separate biomolecules according to their isoelectric point, said system comprising: an electrophoretic cell having a first end, a second end, and a gel medium extending between said first end and said second end, said gel medium providing a pH gradient along a length dimension of said cell between said first end and said second end; an electrode grid disposed in close proximity to said gel including a plurality of closely spaced parallel electrodes extending within a common plane, said grid being oriented with respect to said cell such that said electrodes extend in a direction generally perpendicular to said length dimension of said cell; a voltage controller providing a multi-phase electrical signal, wherein said signal is either a positive traveling wave signal or a negative traveling wave signal and opposite from the native charge of the biomolecules to be separated, said controller being in electrical communication with said electrode grid such that said traveling wave signal passes from a first region of said electrode grid to a second region of said electrode grid within the common plane of the grid, thereby separating biomolecules within the common plane; wherein said first region of said electrode grid is a first electrode included in said grid, and said second region of said electrode grid is a second electrode included in said grid.