Low-cost gel imaging system implementation

Various computer-controllable imaging systems were selected and their performance was compared in order to realize a low cost DNA gel imaging device. Total of four cameras consisting of two industrial video cameras, a compact digital camera, and a DSLR digital camera were selected for the comparison, and the results showed that the image quality of the digital cameras was better than that of the industrial cameras. The similar performance of DSLR and high-end compact camera in visual inspection was verified through gel analysis software which inspects the linear relationship with the band intensity and the concentration. For a more cost efficient gel imaging device, the high-end and the low-end compact digital camera was also compared. By developing and supplementing the computer control problem of the low-end digital camera, the price of the gel doc equipment can be significantly reduced while still maintaining the performance and function of the gel doc. To demonstrate this, a high-end compact digital camera and a low-end compact digital camera were chosen to be compared. The linearity between the band intensity and DNA density was compared from each image, and results showed that the two cameras have similar performance.