GelDoc-It Imaging System Using GelRed and GelGreen

Gel imaging and nucleic acid binding dyes are widely used in today’s life science laboratories to visualize DNA fragments in agarose gels. Ethidium bromide (EtBr) has been the predominant dye used for nucleic acid gel staining for decades because of its low initial price and generally sufficient sensitivity (1, 2). However, the safety hazard and costs associated with decontamination and waste disposal can ultimately make the dye expensive and unsafe to use. For this reason, safer alternative gel stains were developed by scientists at Biotium, Inc. GelRedTM and GelGreenTM dyes are a new generation of fluorescent nucleic acid gel stains designed to replace the highly toxic EtBr. Three attributes make GelRed and GelGreen dyes superior to EtBr and other EtBr alternatives: low toxicity, high sensitivity, and exceptional stability.