On the Bench | Lab Product Reviews

GENEWIZ Presents...On the Bench

Here at GENEWIZ, we are bench scientists. We love to roll up our sleeves, whip out our pipettes (maybe even a repeater, if we’re feeling adventurous), and do some science. One of the problems that we frequently encounter as bench scientists is which product or kit to choose for our particular experiment. Is the fancy, expensive kit worth it? Does it work better than a cheaper counterpart? As we started asking ourselves these questions, we realized other bench scientists (like you) had many of the same questions.

In this forum, GENEWIZ R&D scientists will set up experiments in a handful of standard conditions to test different kits. While we acknowledge that one set of experiments is not anywhere near an exhaustive test, we intend these experiments to be a starting point for discussion and an invitation to share kit / product experiences between scientists. So, we invite you to glove up, get your pipettes and gel rigs ready, and join us in our product explorations … on the bench!

Have questions or comments? Email us at onthebench@genewiz.com - we would love to hear from you!


August 2017

Which FFPE Kit is for Me? An Investigation of FFPE DNA Extraction Kits

Posted July 6, 2017

Is there a difference between quick, inexpensive FFPE extraction kit and the pricier, more labor-intensive kits? GENEWIZ R&D scientists evaluate six commercially-available Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) DNA extraction kits on the following parameters: processing easiness, template quality, template yields, and list price per reaction.



April 2017

A Matter of Taq; Comparing Common PCR DNA Polymerases

Posted April 10, 2017

How does a bench scientist choose which PCR DNA Polymerase is best suited for their needs? GENEWIZ R&D scientists evaluate six commercially-available PCR DNA polymerases on the following criteria: PCR amplification of (i) a GC-rich template; (ii) a palindromic DNA sequence; (iii) nanogram quantities of human genomic DNA, as well as (iv) the effect of ethanol, (v) template switching rate, and (vi) list price cost per reaction.