BPI Lab

An essential method in modern analytical laboratories, electrophoresis separates macromolecules (DNA, RNA, and proteins) for analysis based on their size and charge. The popular sodium-dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) technique uses a gel medium. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) can separate ionic species by charge and hydrodynamic radii as well as frictional forces in small electrolyte-filled capillaries. Cheryl Scott looks at the history and applications of these techniques, highlights their appearance in past BPI articles, and points to some events for further exploration.