Gel electrophoresis: Loading and running the gel

Caleb is a Year 13 student who learnt how to load and run a gel at Genesis R&D in Auckland. He shows us how it's done.

Transcript

Narrator

Caleb is getting ready to load a gel with a DNA sample. First he pours buffer solution into either side of the electrophoresis tank. He then carefully removes the combs from the gel. These leave moulded holes, or wells, where the DNA solution can be added. Caleb is now taking a small amount of the DNA sample, which he then loads into one of the wells in the gel. The next step is to wire the tank up to an electric power source. An electric current is used to pull the DNA pieces through the gel. Smaller pieces of DNA are able to move more quickly through the gel than larger pieces. Caleb will leave the electric current running across this specific gel for about 20 minutes.