QIAxcel Advanced

QIAxcel Advanced automates electrophoresis analysis of your DNA and RNA samples.

Offering fast, precise and reliable results, this capillary electrophoresis system and corresponding kits provide flexibility and unmatched ease-of-use. Traditional gel analysis of DNA and RNA is cost- and labor-intensive, but the fully automated QIAxcel Advanced is a one-step electrophoresis system providing flexible throughput, sensitive detection, high resolution and short time to the size distribution quality check of your nucleic samples.

IAS QIAxcel Advanced
QIAxcel Advanced allows you to estimate the concentration and assess the size distribution of DNA and RNA samples through automated electrophoretic separation, detection and analysis.

For genotyping of genetic variations by AFLP or RFLP, the QIAxcel Advanced quickly analyzes the DNA fragments and provides accurate data regarding their sizes and quantities. Any contaminating DNA fragments such as non-specific amplicons, primer–dimers or undigested DNA are detected. QIAxcel Advanced also lets you assess the efficiency of sample cleanup and removal of primer–dimers or other species that may jeopardize downstream applications.

QIAxcel Advanced provides quick and easy RNA quality control assessment for gene expression workflows. RNA samples have a unique electrophoretic signature, and this pattern correlates to the sample’s integrity. The resulting RNA Integrity Score (RIS) is an objective measure of the RNA quality for each sample, simplifying and streamlining the RNA QC process.

For preparation of NGS libraries, QIAxcel Advanced lets you easily track the library quality throughout the procedure. Providing information regarding sample size distribution after enzymatic steps, QIAxcel can automate library QC by checking whether your library meets the quality criteria in terms of concentration, molarity and size distribution and detecting contaminants of lower or higher molecular weights than your library. Any library can be analyzed, whether it is for sequencing whole genomes, exomes, transcriptomes or for targeted sequencing.
QIAxcel Advanced uses capillary electrophoresis to automate analysis of DNA and RNA. Each run analyzes 12 samples at the time and up to 96 samples. Just a few, simple steps are required to operate the QIAxcel Advanced: load the gel cartridge of your choice, load the buffer tray, load your samples in 96-well plates or in PCR tubes or strips, select the process profile to be used – and go! Within minutes after starting the run, you can see the first results appearing in real time on the computer screen.

Nucleic acids are electrokinetically injected into the capillaries and size separated throughout the proprietary matrix by applying a current. The matrices embedded in the different QIAxcel cartridges consist of a mixture of polymers of different lengths. Longer polymers form a thicker network, improving the resolution but retaining fragments for a longer time. As with gel electrophoresis, there is a trade-off between analysis speed and resolution.

The cartridge matrix contains a light-excitable intercalating agent. As nucleic acids are separated according to size through the capillaries, they pass a detector. The sample signals following LED excitation are captured by the detector and transmitted through a photomultiplier tube and converted to an electropherogram for further analysis and data interpretation.

QIAxcel ScreenGel software provides convenient and powerful data analysis. Results can be viewed in electropherogram or gel image formats, and an algorithm calculates a variety of peak properties, including size, concentration and molarity of each peak or smear. Comprehensive data reports are easily generated, saved or exported to meet individual documentation needs, streamlining the workflow in your lab and facilitating integration of the system into your daily routine.

QIAxcel Advanced is used in combination with interchangeable, ready-to-use cartridges that match analysis requirements with respect to speed and resolution for highly flexible DNA and RNA analysis.

QIAxcel Kits and corresponding analysis specifications
QIAxcel Kit Analyte Size range 100 bp – 500 bp 500 bp – 1 kb 1 kb – 5 kb 5 kb – 10 kb Run time / 12 samples
QX DNA High
Resolution Kit
DNA 15 bp – 10 kb 3–5 bp 50 bp 200–500 bp 1–1.5 kb 7–20 min
QX DNA
Screening Kit
DNA 15 bp – 5 kb 20–50 bp 50–100 bp 500 bp 5 min
QX DNA
Fast Analysis Kit
DNA 15 bp – 3 kb 50–100 bp 100–250 bp 250 bp – 1 kb* 3–5 min
QX RNA
QC Kit v2.0
RNA 15 bp – 6 kb 10 min
QIAxcel Advanced streamlines and accelerates your research and enables QC analysis of 12 samples in as little as 3 minutes, or up to 96 samples in approximately 25 minutes.

This system helps you overcome the bottlenecks of slab-gel electrophoresis and high cost of sequencers for fragment size analysis. The ready-to-run gel cartridges meet different levels of resolution and speed for various applications and provide greater process safety and convenience. Just a few, simple steps are required to operate the QIAxcel Advanced.

Results can be viewed in electropherogram, gel image view or in the form of a table, and data analysis is automated. The QIAxcel ScreenGel software can compute a variety of peak properties and patterns and interpret the data. The QIAGEN RNA Integrity Score (RIS) provides an objective quality measurement of the analyzed RNA samples and allows easy interpretation of sample integrity. QIAxcel has strong track records for addressing QC needs of scientists in various workflows throughout life science research.

With a resolution down to 3–5 bp for fragments smaller than 500 bp, the QIAxcel Advanced ensures greater accuracy than slab-gel methods, as well as greater confidence in data interpretation. The high detection sensitivity enables robust results, even with low concentrations of nucleic acid, and with sample consumption lower than 0.1 μl per analysis, saves your precious sample for further downstream analysis.

QIAxcel Advanced streamlines workflows by replacing and overcoming the bottlenecks of traditional slab-gel electrophoresis:

  • Ready-to-run and reusable gel cartridges
    • Limit error-prone manual steps
    • Increase safety and convenience; no handling of hazardous compounds 
    • Save time and costs
  • Process up to 96 samples unattended per run
  • Fast processing: 12 samples in 3–10 min
  • Size range from 10 bp – 10 kb and gDNA of different sizes
  • High resolution of 3–5 bp up to 500 bp 
  • Sample input amounts < 0.1 µl
  • Limit of detection of 0.1 ng/µl 
  • Digital data collection ensuring reproducibility and standardization of results

QIAxcel Advanced is an all-in-one solution for reliable DNA and RNA QC, ensuring reproducibility, standardization of results and significant time and cost savings.