My lab is not "rich" but is longing for high-throughput western blotting. I came across the SimpleWestern (Bio-Techne), but am not sure if this is worth investing. Is there information out there as to how popular this system is and what pros and cons people have experienced. Thank you in advance for sharing information and experiences.
Hello Senjie Lin ,
Due to the rather high costs it's more often used in industry than academia. However, you'll find publications of academic groups using simple Western. We are currently establishing it for high/medium throughput, for a defined signaling cascade with multiplexed ABs.
But we also have a pipetting robot (OT-2), to fill the plates, which is kind of finicky business.
So, the most efficient use is to always use the same panel of cell lines (as lysate concentrations may need to be optimized per cell line/type), or isogenic cels, and always the same ABs, as their concentrations need to be optimized as well.
Once multiplexing is established, it is still more expensive than using pre-cast gel-based WB but you save A LOT of hands on, as well as total time.
It is a rather large investment, for the machine, and has considerable running costs. But if you can afford it, it saves a lot of time which in the and also translates back into funds.
Hope that helps a bit.
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