Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches New Imaging System for Life Science Applications

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has introduced the Thermo Scientific myECL Imager, an easy-to-use imaging instrument that delivers one-touch image capture and analysis of protein and nucleic acid gels and Western blots.

Featuring a compact, benchtop footprint, the myECL™ Imager incorporates advanced charge-coupled device (CCD) camera technology with more than two times the sensitivity of X-ray film and 10 times the dynamic range. The intuitive touch screen controls and on-board computer simplify image acquisition. Researchers set custom exposure ranges with up to five different exposure times or use preset versions. The myECL stores images on an internal drive in a nonproprietary data format for easy sharing.

The improved sensitivity and small instrument footprint makes the myECL Imager an effective substitute for the laboratory darkroom. By eliminating the need for a darkroom to expose X-ray film, labs are able to save time, money and space and reduce environmental impact.

“We are continuing to develop products that eliminate unnecessary steps and actions in the Western blot and gel imaging workflow to improve performance, efficiency and speed,” said Steve Shiflett, product manager of Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Traditionally, X-ray film has been used to acquire Western blot images, but there are significant limitations with this method. myECL allows customers to bypass manual procedures to save time and improve accuracy.”

The Thermo Scientific myImageAnalysis™ Software supplied with the myECL Imager instrument is a full-featured program to analyze and edit digital images of stained electrophoresis gels and Western blots. It offers a comprehensive suite of programs to analyze nucleic acid or protein images, including automatic lane and band identification and molecular weight overlay analysis programs. The myImageAnalysis Software saves image files in a non-proprietary format for easy sharing. Images and data reports can be exported directly to Microsoft Word™, Excel® and PowerPoint® software for further analysis and presentations.