jaking@athena.mit.edu (Jonathan A. King) (09/05/90)
I am interested in purchasing a gel scanner. We need to scan SDS gels, both the actual gel, and autorads. We need to have quantitatively accurate information, and get it into a spreadsheet for analysis. We are currently using a borrowed LKB Laser Densitometer, with an integrator. We then enter the data by hand into our spreadsheet program. While this system is adequate, it is slow. We essentially scan an entire 16 x 16 cm gel, This takes about 1 hour, plus an additional 15-20 min to enter the data. I know that the data entry/analysis can be automated. I have seen systems that use either a digital camera, (very expensive), or a scanner attached to a Mac. I am interested in getting input from people who scan gels, as to whether these systems are any good. It is important that the system by accurately quantitative. It would also be nice if it was fast, flexible (perhaps stored the image for future manipulation), and cheap. Estimates of cost and reliability would be helpful as well. Thanks Peter Prevelige jaking@athena.mit.edu prevlge@mitvma.bitnet