Gel Imaging System Utilised at Renowned Veterinary Centre

Syngene is pleased to announce its G:BOX EF gel imaging system is being used by researchers in the School of Veterinary Science at The University of Liverpool to help identify which drugs can be used most effectively against Cyathostomes (small red worms), a major horse parasite, which have the potential to cause disease.

Scientists in the Department of Infection Biology at the School of Veterinary Science are using a G:BOX EF gel doc system to visualise DNA on agarose gels stained with SYBR® Safe (Invitrogen). The information obtained is being used to determine parasite resistance to a range of anti-parasitic drugs and could help vets to find the most effective drugs for treatment and control.

Dr Krystyna Cwiklinski, Research Associate at the School of Veterinary Science, explained: “Horses with Cyathostome infections need to be treated with anthelmintic drugs to ensure they stay healthy. We monitor parasite resistance to these drugs by cloning PCR amplified DNA derived from the worms and then we pyrosequence the DNA to determine if there are any drug resistance genes.” Dr Cwiklinski continued: “During this research we run a large number of DNA gels. These are stained with SYBR Safe because it is less toxic than Ethidium bromide and are visualised with blue light as it is safer than using UV. Often the resulting PCR products are difficult-to-detect low intensity bands.

To solve this problem we need a sensitive gel doc system, which is why we chose the G:BOX EF. ” Laura Sullivan, Syngene’s Divisional Manager, stated: “We are delighted that our G:BOX EF is being used at the long established School of Veterinary Science in Liverpool to ensure horses continue to receive the right treatment for this unpleasant infection. Their work with the G:BOX EF shows researchers everywhere that they don’t have to compromise on safety to find the right gel doc system for detecting their DNA.”