What is a CO2 Incubator?

 

Most of us are a little unfamiliar with Co2 incubator and how it actually works. In this post we will help you understand what it’s about and why Co2 is needed in an incubator. The post will also explain how to maintain CO2 Levels and incubator sterilizers.

The atmosphere required to cultivate biological or cell cultures is carefully controlled within CO2 incubators. The word "incubator" has many different meanings, including production of eggs and poultry as well as pharmaceutical and drug research; however the main focus of this article is on incubation of biological materials, namely cells.

Typical laboratory and biological applications are required to maintain the same conditions in the incubator as inside the human body:

·         7.4 pH neutral

·         98.6°F (37°C)

·         90% relative humidity

These three numbers create the optimal conditions for biological cell growth.

Why is CO2 needed in an incubator?

Humans are most comfortable at CO2 levels at or slightly above 400 ppm (0.04%). Which raises the question, why would a CO2 incubator that is used to grow tissue cultures need CO2 levels of 5 - 10%? 

To keep culture cells under optimum conditions, the media they grow in needs to stay at neutral pH (around pH 7). The H2O in the cells can be turned into a carbonic acid (H2CO3) buffer by adding additional CO2. The combination of H2O and CO2 results in bicarbonate (HCO3-) and H2CO3 which keeps the pH neutral, and therefore has been found to affect the growth of biological cells the least. 

Maintaining CO2 Levels

CO2 levels inside a CO2 incubator are measured with accurate optical nondispersive infra-red (NDIR) sensors. There are two concerns when using an NDIR CO2 sensor:

1.       In high-altitude environments, the sensor readings must be adjusted to the change for barometric pressure.

2.       The sensor must be guarded against high humidity. Too much water in the air can result in condensation inside the CO2 sensor which will render the sensor inoperative.

CO2 Incubator Sterilization

Risks of contamination inside a CO2 incubator are primarily around cross contamination from fungi, viruses and bacteria. This can be controlled by conducting sterilizations between cycles. It is important that sterilization with heat or superheated water not come into direct contact with the CO2 sensor. 

For this reason, the CO2 sensor should be integrated into the incubator in such a way that it is not impacted by the sterilization cycle. This can be solved by:

·         Gas sampling CO2 sensor (fixed or handheld) outside the incubator

·         CO2 sensor with heat and moisture-resistant stainless-steel hood

Furthermore, scientists, researchers, and laboratory technicians will be able to ensure less handling and assembly errors with IR sensing because of the integrated temperature and pressure compensation.

Limitations of CO2 Incubators

A growing field of study is the limitations of CO2 incubators as they relate to oxygen levels. Common sense would tell us that since living tissue like human cell cultures thrive in 20.9% oxygen-filled air, that this should be the desired oxygen level inside a cell incubator. Since ambient air is 20.9% oxygen, CO2 incubators need not be sealed from outside air. 

Contact IGene Labserve at https://www.igenels.com  or by calling 09310696848 to find out more about our product if you'd like to know everything there is to know about a Vertical Gel Electrophoresis System.

What separates horizontal and vertical gel electrophoresis systems?

An efficient method for processing significant DNA and RNA samples is gel electrophoresis. We want to elucidate the distinctions between electrophoresis systems that are horizontal and vertical. Although the principle of gel electrophoresis is identical in both systems, there are several significant distinctions.

This equipment is essential for studying proteins and nucleic acids since it is necessary to pass a sample through either a vertical gel electrophoresis system or a horizontal gel electrophoresis system. One of the best techniques is to run the samples in order to isolate the protein, DNA, and RNA of interest from a combination. Consequently, this approach finds widespread usage in areas related to food science, mining, and biology.

How Do You Perform a Gel Electrophoresis?

The process known as gel electrophoresis is used when it is necessary to separate proteins or nucleic acids.  A platform with a porous gel matrix in the centre is used to retain the samples while they pass through a gel apparatus that contains an anode and a cathode on each end. A charge gradient is created when an electric current is delivered and the appropriate buffer is added. Furthermore, because the gel might get heated when a charge is applied, the buffer helps to keep it cool and prevents it from overheating.

Know the Differences Between Electrophoresis: Horizontal and Vertical

You may use either horizontal or vertical gel electrophoresis, which are basically the two types of gel electrophoresis depending on your application. Although the idea of gel electrophoresis is the same for all procedures, there are a few notable differences between them. When is it appropriate to select one of these systems over the other? How are they different?  Come and see.

Orientation and Buffer System

What separates the two systems primarily is their orientation. Casting the gel matrix horizontally is what makes horizontal gel electrophoresis different from vertical gel electrophoresis, which includes the gel matrix being orientated vertically and submerged in a uniform buffer solution.

The vertical gel system's top chamber contains the cathode, while the bottom chamber houses the anode. Both chambers' internal electrodes generate the proper electric field. Next, some gel is inserted in between two glass plates that have been installed, with the upper part of the gel immersed in one chamber of the buffer and the lower part submerged in another. Applying an electric current causes a tiny amount of buffer to pass through the gel and down the chamber.

Since the buffer only goes through the gel, you may completely control voltage gradients throughout the separation process. This suggests that by utilizing the vertical electrophoresis approach, you might expect better separation and

Gel

Whereas acrylamide gel is used in vertical gel electrophoresis, agarose gel is utilised in horizontal gel electrophoresis. Pore sizes in acrylamide gels range from 10 to 200 nm, but holes in agarose gels are larger, measuring 100 to 500 nm. Acrylamide cannot be used in this process because horizontal gel electrophoresis exposes the gel to ambient oxygen.

The presence of oxygen stops acrylamide from polymerizing and gelling. Nonetheless, acrylamide gel may be used in vertical gel electrophoresis since the buffer only passes through the gel and the distinct compartments are shielded from outside air.

Contact IGene Labserve at https://www.igenels.com  or by calling 09310696848 to find out more about our product if you'd like to know everything there is to know about a Vertical Gel Electrophoresis System.