Genomics Service—Agilent Bioanalyzer

Introduction

The system uses micro-fabrication technology to transfer samples onto miniature glass chips that contain a network of interconnected channels and reservoirs. Filling the channels with a gel matrix and the wells with buffer or sample allows electrophoresis to be carried out on a miniaturized scale. Sample components are detected by their fluorescence and translated into gel-like images (bands) and electropherograms (peaks).
The system automatically calculates the overall RNA concentration and shows the relative ratios of 18S and 28S ribosomal peaks, along with degradation to determine sample RNA integrity number (RIN). The assigned RIN is independent of sample concentration. The RIN value ranges between 1 and 10. A RIN of 1 represents a completely degraded sample that will likely not work in most experiments (e.g., qPCR, microarray and RNA-Seq). A RIN of 10 indicates there is little if any degradation of the RNA sample would likely work in most experiments. As the RIN drops, the RNA quality worsens, and its ability to work in experiments also drops.

Summary

A good quality sample is essential for the successful completion of most sequencing and PCR-based applications. The Agilent Model 2100 Bioanalyzer enables scientists working with nucleic acids to carry out automated quality control, sizing and quantification. The quality assessment analysis provided by the bioanalyzer gives a reliable indication of whether samples are degraded, and if samples submitted for NGS or microarray projects will successfully complete the workflow.

CD Genomics offers you Agilent Bioanalyzer-based genomic services. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us for more information.