Molecular Biology Facility

From DNA and RNA extraction through to amplification and quality control, our molecular biology facilities cover the full nucleic acid workflow across two dedicated laboratories.

What you can do here

Our molecular facilities support the complete nucleic acid workflow, from initial sample extraction through to amplification and product visualisation. The same core instruments support both DNA and RNA work, with additional quality control steps available for RNA given its greater sensitivity to degradation.

Our equipment

Quantification – Qubit Fluorometer

Highly sensitive fluorometric quantification of DNA, RNA, and protein – suited to low-concentration samples where spectrophotometric methods lack accuracy.

Quality Control – QIAxcel Connect

An automated capillary electrophoresis system used for quality checks on extracted DNA and RNA, a faster alternative to a manual agarose gel, with no need for hands-on gel preparation. Suited to confirming sample integrity and approximate size distribution ahead of amplification, processing up to 96 samples per run. 

Automated Liquid Handling – Eppendorf epMotion

Automated liquid handling for reproducible, high-throughput pipetting, supporting sample preparation and plate setup where manual handling would introduce variability. 

Quality Control – Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer

Chip-based capillary electrophoresis supporting quality assessment of both DNA and RNA samples. Most commonly used for RNA Integrity Number (RIN) scoring but equally capable of DNA quality and fragment size assessment depending on the chip kit used. 

Real-Time qPCR – Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 5

Our primary real-time PCR platform, supporting accurate quantification of nucleic acids for gene expression analysis, mutation detection, and copy number studies. Compatible with SYBR Green and TaqMan-based assays.

Real-Time qPCR – Stratagene Mx3000P

A second real-time PCR system running MxPro software, supporting SYBR Green-based qPCR. Provides additional capacity alongside the QuantStudio 5, particularly useful for larger experimental runs or parallel projects. 

Gel & Blot Imaging – Bio-Rad ChemDoc Touch & Gel Doc EZ

The ChemDoc Touch supports chemiluminescent western blot imaging alongside standard gel imaging.   The Gel Doc EZ provides dedicated gel imaging for routine agarose work stained with GelRed or SYBR Green. Image Lab software available for analysis.

Quantification – NanoQuant / Tecan Infinite 200 Pro

The Tecan Infinite 200 Pro plate reader, used with the NanoQuant plate accessory, enables high throughput microvolume nucleic acid and protein quantification in plate format.

Beyond our facilities

Whilst our equipment supports the full in-house workflow from extraction through to amplification and routine quality control, some applications such as precision fragment analysis, Sanger sequencing, or next-generation sequencing require specialist external providers. We’re happy to advise of sample preparation and can help point you toward suitable external sequencing and analysis services as the next step in your project.