Frederick, MD: Syngene, a world-leading manufacturer of image analysis sol-
utions today introduced its new generation UltraSafe Blue™ a non-toxic, non-
carcinogenic fluorescent dye specifically developed as a safer and more sensitive alternative to Ethidium bromide for staining agarose and acrylamide gels.
UltraSafe Blue from Syngene is a new generation of safe fluorescent nucleic acid
stain which allows detection of 0.5pg of dsDNA using Syngene’s new UltraSlim-
LED blue-light transilluminator.
Additionally, because UltraSafe Blue is a non-intercalating stain there is less effect
on the quality of the DNA or RNA. Nucleic acids stained with UltraSafe Blue can be
more easily used in downstream experiments such as RT-PCR, enzyme digestion
and ligation, thus saving time and effort with multiple purification steps.
UltraSafe Blue is very cost effective, with 1ml of stain being sufficient for up to
10,000 samples and using this dye also means making cost savings for many
institutions, as gels do not have to be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Laura Sullivan, Syngene’s Divisional Manager explained: “Ethidium bromide is
probably the most well-known dye used for visualizing DNA but because it
intercalates into the DNA strands it is a potential carcinogen and mutagenic agent,
so must be handled with care and usually requires exclusive bench space in order
not to contaminate the entire laboratory.”
Laura continued: “We’re very excited to offer scientists our own safe alternative to Ethidium bromide. This new generation dye is less dangerous to work with, doesn’t compromise nucleic acid quality and shows a very good staining performance, making UltraSafe Blue the ideal choice for safety-conscious researchers.”
For Further Information Contact:
Dr Sue Pearson, Director, International Science Writer, PO Box 170, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG5 3GD, UK.
Tel/Fax +44 (0) 1462- 635327 Email: sue.pearson@internationalsciencewriter.com
Web: www.internationalsciencewriter.com
About Syngene
Syngene is a world-leading supplier of integrated imaging solutions for analysis and documentation of gel-based information. Syngene’s systems are used by more than 10,000 research organizations and over 50,000 individual scientists world-wide and include many of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies and major research institutes.
Syngene, founded in 1997, is a division of the Synoptics Group based in Cambridge, UK. The Group’s other divisions, Syncroscopy and Synbiosis, specialize in digital imaging solutions for microscopy and microbial applications respectively. Synoptics currently employs 40 people in its UK and subsidiary operation in Frederick, USA.