Syngene, a world-leading manufacturer of image analysis solutions, has introduced its next-generation UltraSafe Blue a non-toxic, non-carcinogenic fluorescent dye specifically developed as a safer and more sensitive alternative to ethidium bromide for staining agarose and acrylamide gels.

UltraSafe Blue from Syngene is a new generation of safe fluorescent nucleic acid stain which allows detection of 0.5pg of dsDNA using Syngene’s new UltraSlim-LED blue-light transilluminator.

Additionally, because UltraSafe Blue is a non-intercalating stain there is less effect on the quality of the DNA or RNA. Nucleic acids stained with UltraSafe Blue can be more easily used in downstream experiments such as RT-PCR, enzyme digestion and ligation, thus saving time and effort with multiple purification steps.

UltraSafe Blue is very cost effective, with 1ml of stain being sufficient for up to 10,000 samples and using this dye also means making cost savings for many institutions, as gels do not have to be disposed of as hazardous waste.

Ethidium bromide is probably the most well-known dye used for visualizing DNA but because it intercalates into the DNA strands it is a potential carcinogen and mutagenic agent, so must be handled with care and usually requires exclusive bench space in order not to contaminate the laboratory.