It is well known that contaminants can negatively affect the downstream analysis of DNA samples. Spectrophotometer readings at 230 and 280nm can show high salt or protein contamination of a freshly extracted nucleic acid sample and "mask" the true concentration. The new Agencourt Genfind v2 system includes modified buffer formulations and minor protocol changes to allow for a more accurate representation of the 230, 260 and 280nm readings. Thus, users can expect higher DNA quality and higher confidence in successful downstream techniques.

Figure 1. Spectrophotometer traces of DNA isolated from blood using Genfind and Genfind v2 Kits

Table 1. Yield, 260/230 and 260/280 ratios of genomic DNA isolated from frozen human blood treated with different anticoagulants (Na Citrate, EDTA, or heparin) following the manual protocol of the original Genfind (1) and Genfind v2 (2). Eight replicates were analyzed per anticoagulant per method. Yields were determined using the DTX Series Multimode Detector and reading at A260.