The Protein Purification Laboratory

Abstract

There are many complex, sophisticated pieces of equipment designed for protein separations and, as in every other walk of life, these are becoming more automated for convenience and simplicity of operation. Yet, as the apparatus becomes more enclosed in black boxes, controlled by microprocessors, we become further removed from the realities of what is happening, and in some ways have less control over what we want to do. Some of the more complex equipment is designed for repeating routine operations reliably, and as such may not be always the most appropriate for developing new methods. But apart from these considerations, there is the one of cost effectiveness; duplication of cheap equipment is often more useful than getting one of the most expensive on the market; money spent on the simplest things, such as plenty of pipettes, test tubes, and beakers, can be a better investment than purchasing an esoteric apparatus for carrying out one particular type of protein separation process that may not be used often (and may break down).