About magnetic purification

Magnetic purification relies on the affinity on the surface of magnetic particles. A suspension of magnetic particles is mixed with a preparation of the target molecule. Once the target has bound to the affinity group, a magnet is used to separate the target-bound particles from the solution. The unbound material can then be washed away from the particles. Depending on the application, the target molecules can then, if necessary, be detached from the magnetic particles.

Magnetic particle technology offers the advantages of speed and simplicity. When compared with separation methods such as centrifugation and vacuum extraction it is more economical, and far more gentle on the sample.

By providing the ability to move magnetic particles directly from one stage of the assay to the next, Bio-Nobile magnetic purification products enable researchers to derive greater benefit from the wide range of surface chemistries and particle materials available today.

PickPen® magnetic tools spearhead a new approach to magnetic purification. Rather than immobilizing magnetic particles and then removing the surrounding liquid, the PickPen approach is to lift the particles directly out of the liquid. The particles can thus be moved rapidly and effortlessly from one stage of the purification to the next.

Moving particles, not liquids enables gentle isolation steps and high quality purified products. The PickPen method also allows visual control of the process as well as optimization of protocols. The method eliminates strong external magnetic fields and centrifugal forces by collecting the magnetic particles from the sample vessel. This is especially beneficial in DNA purification applications with fragile samples.

The PickPen method saves time and provides greater flexibility. Users are free to choose vessels and formats to suit their work.

The original version of the PickPen magnetic tool is a hand-held single-magnet device, PickPen 1-M. You can use it to carry the sample yourself from one stage of the assay to the next. You can see the sample at all times and have full control of the process. There are also an 8-magnet manual version, PickPen 8-M, which allows you to process samples from microplates a whole column at a time increasing the throughput manually, and the fully automated MagRo™ 8-M workstation for sample purification and liquid handling.

Applications

For use with the PickPen tools we recommend our range of optimized QuickPick reagents or special magnetic particles sold separately. However, you can also create your own PickPen methods. In general, PickPen can be used in all applications that use magnetic particles as a basis of purification, though not all particles are equally suitable. Particle size and magnetic properties are the two major factors that will affect performance. Typically, products with a diameter of greater than 1 µm and iron content of around 50% or more will work best. With increasing particle size, sedimentation becomes a limiting factor. Also the volumes of liquids used must be optimized. PickPen technology gives the benefit of using almost any vessel type with the PickPen 1-M. With the PickPen 8-M and MagRo 8-M and 96-M robotic workstations several microplates may be used, ranging from standard 96 well plates to sample reservoirs where the sample volume can be extended up to 10 ml.