QIAxcel Connect System

Effortless, cost-effective, high-resolution DNA or RNA gel electrophoresis – all in a single instrument

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QIAxcel Connect

Cat. No. / ID:  9003110

Capillary electrophoresis device: includes computer, QIAxcel ScreenGel Software, and 1-year warranty on parts and labor
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The QIAxcel Connect instrument is intended to be used only in combination with QIAxcel Kits for the applications described in the respective QIAxcel Kit handbooks.
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Features

  • Ready-to-use gel cartridges
  • High sensitivity, high resolution
  • Process up to 96 samples without manual intervention

Product Details

Fully automate the fragment analysis and quality control of up to 96 samples per run with QIAxcel Connect. This capillary-electrophoresis instrument uses ready-to-run gel cartridges that eliminate tedious gel or consumable preparations. It also reduces handling errors.

Various QIAxcel Kits meet your specific needs (see  High versatility with multiple kits):

And if you want to monitor your runs from outside the lab, you can connect to the optional QIAsphere system on your instrument and phone.

See figures

Principle

QIAxcel Connect uses prefilled gel cartridges to perform automated capillary electrophoresis. Simply place samples and buffers into the instrument and start the run. The tips of the gel cartridges move into the sample wells. An electric field creates a positive charge. This makes the negatively charged nucleic acid fragments migrate through the gel in the capillaries, with the smaller fragments travelling faster than the larger ones.

Within the capillary, a dye intercalates into the nucleic acid. As the fragments pass a detector, it measures the signals emitted by the dye. The QIAxcel ScreenGel software converts these signals to digital data; you can see them in real time as electropherograms or gel images (see  Cartridge-based gel electrophoresis).

See figures

Procedure

Turn on the instrument and put in the buffer tray filled with buffer and markers. Insert the QIAxcel Gel Cartridge and your samples into the instrument. Select your analysis protocol and run the samples. See your results in real time, displayed on your QIAxcel ScreenGel user interface (see  Plug-and-play electrophoresis).

See figures

Applications

QIAxcel Connect is highly suitable for analysis and quality control of:

  • Next-generation sequencing (NGS) libraries
  • Low-concentration samples, such as liquid biopsy
  • Degraded samples, such as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue
  • Multiplex PCR products with high-resolution requirements

Software

The QIAxcel ScreenGel software runs on the laptop that comes with your QIAxcel Connect. It uses a system wizard to make experiment setup and run checks easy. Then it displays results according to user preference, whether individually or in overlay view for easy comparison. It can also display multiple peak properties (such as height and width of each peak, and number of peaks) in table format. All this data can be readily saved and exported from the software, making it easier to generate reports.

To get objective measurements and easily determine RNA quality and integrity, the QIAxcel ScreenGel software uses the RNA Integrity Score (RIS) system. RIS has a high correlation with RIN (R2=0.9229) (see  Correlation of RIN and RIS) but is more reliable in predicting qRT-PCR assay outcomes when RNA is degraded, for instance, by UV or formalin.

See figures

Supporting data and figures

Resources

Instrument User Manuals (2)
For use with QIAxcel ScreenGel software v2.0
For use with QIAxcel ScreenGel software v2.0
Operating Software (1)
Safety Data Sheets (1)
Certificates of Analysis (1)

FAQ

What are the differences between QIAxcel Advanced and QIAxcel Connect?

QIAxcel Connect comes with an updated housing with improved usability and additional optical filters that enable the use of QIAxcel High-Sensitivity Cartridge Kits. QIAxcel Connect enables QIAsphere connectivity. 

FAQ ID - 3857
What is the minimum sample volume required for the QIAxcel System and QIAxcel Advanced?

The minimum sample volume required for the QIAxcel System and QIAxcel Advanced is 6 μl to guarantee sample injection in each channel. 

FAQ ID - 3855
What are the limits of detection of the QIAxcel Connect?

The limits of detection for QIAxcel Connect are down to 5 pg/μl for DNA and down to 50 pg/μl for RNA.

FAQ ID - 3853
What is the QIAxcel Connect System?

QIAxcel Connect allows for effortless, cost-effective, high-resolution DNA or RNA gel electrophoresis.

Features

  • Ready-to-use gel cartridges
  • High sensitivity, high resolution
  • Process up to 96 samples without manual intervention

See virtual demo: 
https://www.qiagen.com/de/knowledge-and-support/knowledge-hub/explainer-videos-and-demos/qiaxcel-connect 

FAQ ID - 3859
Are all QIAxcel Cartridge Kits compatible with QIAxcel Connect?

Yes, all QIAxcel Cartridge Kits are compatible with QIAxcel Connect. See category page for details on available kits: https://www.qiagen.com/us/product-categories/instruments-and-automation/quality-control-fragment-analysis/ 

FAQ ID - 3856
When should the N2 bottle used with the QIAxcel Connect System be changed?

N2 cylinders on the QIAxcel Connect should be changed when one or both low pressure warnings are shown in the "Status Information" panel.

The left panel of the screen in the "Process" environment is called the "Status Information" panel.  

"Pressure 1" status: OK/Low. OK indicates adequate pressure for the sample run. LOW indicates that the N2 pressure is sufficient for the current sample run; however, the N2 cylinder should be replaced once the run has finished.

"Pressure 2" status: OK/Low. OK indicates adequate pressure for the sample run. LOW indicates that the N2 pressure is insufficient for the current sample run and the analysis will not be performed. The N2 cylinder should be replaced.

FAQ ID - 3854
Why does an intensity calibration of the gel cartridge for the QIAxcel Connect need to be performed?

The intensity calibration procedure on the QIAxcel Connect is performed to normalize the signal intensities across all 12 channels of the gel cartridge. This corrects for natural intensity reading variations between each capillary in the cartridge. A correction factor is determined and applied for every subsequent run performed with the cartridge.

FAQ ID - 3858