How does prepGEM extracted DNA compare with automated bead based methods?
Bead based purification methods are, like column based methods, generally dependent on the use of chaotropic salts and organic solvents, involving multiple wash steps and incubations. These methods do generally produce high yield, high purity DNA, however they are significantly more costly than ZyGEM extraction methods in terms of time, pipette tip usage and cost of the kit. For downstream PCR applications the yield and purity these methods generate is often redundant and wasteful. One of the challenges of automating purification methods is the incidence of chemical carry-over into the eluted DNA. Whilst ZyGEM extraction methods do not yield pure DNA, the carry-over into the PCR assay is limited to cellular extracts and degraded proteins. At high levels these can cause PCR inhibition, however the release of these compounds can be controlled by the duration of the initial incubation, see above.
