Invitrogen™ Bandmate™ Automated Western Blot Processor

The Bandmate Automated Western Blot Processor is a benchtop instrument that automatically performs the hands-on steps of western blot processing, including blocking, washing, and antibody incubations. The Bandmate processor requires no special reagents and is programmable, so minimal effort is required for setup and to process your blots.

Bandmate Automated Western Blot Processor features include:
• Completely automated antibody incubation and wash steps
• Use as little as 5 mL of antibody for mini blots or 7.5 mL for midi blots
• Primary and secondary antibodies are recoverable
• Process 1–4 mini or 1–2 midi blots simultaneously
• Adjustable, easy-to-modify parameters and protocol steps
    --Dispensing volumes from 10 to 150 mL with up to 10 repetitions per step
    --Rocking speeds from 5 to 40 cycles per minute
    --Incubation/rocking times from 1 min to 96 hours
    --Programmable rinse step option
• Ready to use with no specialized reagents required
• Easy to remove processing and collection trays for easy clean-up
• Additional trays or replacement accessories can be ordered separately

How it works
Antibody solutions are prepared and loaded into Bandmate Reagent Tubes, then a pre-programmed or stored custom protocol is selected from the touchpad interface. Prepared wash buffer is held in a separate bottle. After the program is started, all processing steps are performed in a synchronized manner without further input needed—just set up and walk away.

As the protocol proceeds, the bottoms of the Bandmate Reagent Tubes are punctured to deliver antibody to the processing trays. After incubation, antibody is funneled into antibody recovery tubes for reuse in future experiments, if desired. With this unique dispensing system, antibody does not pass through fixed tubing, minimizing potential cross-contamination.

Consistent result from low antibody volumes
The Bandmate processor’s precise timing of incubation steps and uniform reagent volume dispensing helps yield consistent results from blot-to-blot and person-to-person. The Bandmate processor provides a consistent rocking motion during incubation and wash steps. The rocking motion combined with the unique curved incubation trays help minimize the required antibody volumes. Antibody volumes as low as 3.5 mL for mini blots and 5 mL for midi blots can be used. In addition, the Bandmate processor can be set up to run at room temperature or in a cold room overnight. For convenience, the final wash buffer is held in the processing tray and the rocking motion is maintained so blots remain saturated and ready for the detection step.

The Bandmate processor comes with everything needed to process up to four mini blots or two midi blots at the same time. The only required consumables are the Bandmate Reagent Tubes, which are changed with each processing experiment.