Sage Science Introduces the BluePippin DNA Size Selection System

BEVERLY, Mass. February 1, 2012 — Sage Science, Inc. today announced the introduction of the BluePippin, an instrument that automates the size selection and retrieval of DNA for molecular biology research. The BluePippin expands Sage’s Pippin line of preparative electrophoresis products by providing the capability to collect larger, kilobase-sized, DNA fragments. The Pippin platform is typically used to construct genomic libraries for next-gen sequencing.

The BluePippin is an updated version of Sage’s Pippin Prep system, to which a pulsed-field power supply has been added. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis allows larger fragments of DNA separated with high resolution and accuracy. Using pre-cast gels, the BluePippin can automatically collect DNA targets up to 50 kilobase pairs, with minimal hands-on time. The system will also feature a new optical design that improves the automated capture of DNA bands and restriction fragments.

Sage Science’s CEO, Gary Paul Magnant, commented on the BluePippin. “ We are pleased to be providing researchers an even more flexible alternative to a difficult manual procedure. The BluePippin pulsed-field feature should help enable next-gen sequencing techniques such as mate-pair sequencing, and address third generation sequencing where the requirement of intact high molecular weight DNA is critical. We also expect that our upper range of size selection will continue to increase with development, which should address an ever broader range of laboratory applications.”