Glow and Behold

FluorChem CCD imaging of a western blot using a typical chemiluminescent substrate.

In May of this year, Alpha Innotech Corp. of San Leandro, Calif., launched ChemiGlow, a luminol-based chemiluminescent substrate kit optimized for use with charge-coupled device (CCD) imaging systems. ChemiGlow represents a new product area for the company known for digital imaging systems such as ChemiImager^™, a real time display CCD camera system for chemiluminescence imaging.

Greg Milosevich, vice president of sales and marketing at Alpha Innotech, explains the strengths of the company's approach to gel documentation and analysis: "CCD-based digital imaging technology provides a wider dynamic range (0-4 OD) than that attainable with film (0-1.8 OD) as well as automation advantages using advanced image acquisition, enhancement, and analysis software tools." However, Alpha Innotech's customers soon found that the chemiluminescent detection protocols they routinely used for film-based systems simply were not optimal for use with CCD imaging systems. "Our technical team spent a considerable amount of time helping customers optimize their film-based protocols to generate the best sensitivity and image quality with CCD imaging technology," recounts Milosevich.

FluorChem CCD imagin of a western blot using ChemiGlow substrate.

At first, Alpha Innotech's technical staff employed chemiluminescent substrates that were already on the market, but altered the protocols to obtain better results with CCD imaging equipment. Knowledge gleaned from these efforts provided the starting point for the company's development of ChemiGlow. "Both the substrate formulation itself as well as the suggested user protocols are optimized for CCD imaging applications," emphasizes Milosevich. Alpha Innotech finds that ChemiGlow provides femtogram detection capability, low background levels, and relatively long light emissions when used in conjunction with its ChemiImager or FluorChem^™ CCD imaging systems. Alpha Innotech currently offers ChemiGlow West for western blot analyses. Versions for northern and Southern blot analyses and macroarray applications are under development.

--Deborah Fitzgerald (deb@sciwriters.com)

For More Information
Alpha Innotech Cop.
(800) 795-5556
www.alphainnotech.com