At the Whitehead Institute’s Genome Technology Core, scientists handle a lot of ChIP-seq and RNA-seq projects. To boost capacity in library prep, they recently upgraded from a small fleet of Pippin Prep instruments to the new PippinHT for high-throughput, automated DNA size selection.
Technical assistant Amanda Chilaka uses the PippinHT very often — primarily for ChIP-seq library prep — and says that in just three or four months it has become the preferred size selection instrument in the core lab. Compared to the Pippin Prep, Chilaka says, the speed and capacity of the PippinHT are a big improvement. “The PippinHT size selection is a little bit more precise and it’s faster as well,” she adds.
One benefit Chilaka finds particularly useful is the ability to cut different libraries at different size ranges in a single run. She also notes that sizing from one sample to another is very consistent.
“I can’t imagine us ever going back to cutting gels with a scalpel at this point,” Chilaka says. “I definitely recommend the PippinHT for anyone doing library prep or working at a high-throughput lab. It’s incredibly helpful.”