Sustainable Methodologies for Efficient Gel Electrophoresis and Streamlined Screening of Difficult Plasmids

Nadeem Asad; Emily Smith; Sudeep Shakya; Sutton Stegman; Lisa Timmons

doi:10.3390/mps6020025

Sustainable Methodologies for Efficient Gel Electrophoresis and Streamlined Screening of Difficult Plasmids

Methods Protoc. 2023 Mar 6;6(2):25. doi: 10.3390/mps6020025.

Authors

Nadeem Asad^{1

2}, Emily Smith^{1

3

4

5}, Sudeep Shakya¹, Sutton Stegman¹, Lisa Timmons¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
² Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, 64 Medical Center Drive, University of West Virginia Health Science Center, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
³ Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA.
⁵ Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA.

Abstract

We describe a workflow for efficient, environmentally attentive, and sustainable practices related to routine agarose gel electrophoresis. The methods reduce plastic waste and improve efficiency, especially for the exhaustive screening of difficult-to-obtain plasmids. Sustainability is increased when agarose is used ten times over by virtue of a thorough recycling regimen. The workflow optimizes workspaces and standardizes lab practices for handling potentially hazardous waste, minimizing environmental harm. Safety, efficiency, and sustainability improve laboratory productivity, help minimize environmental contamination, and increase cost-effectiveness.

Keywords: agarose; electrophoresis; ethidium bromide; sustainability.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by a General Research Fund Award from the University of Kansas.