Analytical Tools

A wide range of analytical methods is available that can be readily adapted to new requirements. A list of the main methodological groups is given below. Furthermore, new test systems can be set up, e.g. an ELISA for a new protein or an in vitro test for specific biologic activity.

Microbiology

sterility
germ count
air and water germ count
plasmid stability

Electrophoresis

qualitative and semi-quantitative using a wide range of detector systems, e.g. fluorescence, chemiluminescence
sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamid gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)
isoelectric focusing (IEF)
free flow electrophoresis (FFE)
Western blot
2D electrophoresis
fluorescence 2D difference gel electrophoresis (2D DIGE)
capillary electrophoresis

Microtiter Assays

enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
protein activity assay
host cell protein
protein A
endotoxin
enzyme activity assay
enzymatic N-acetyl-neuraminic acid quantification

Instrumental Analytics

all conventional separation methods in combination with various detector systems
high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
size exclusion chromatography-HPLC (SEC-HPLC)
reversed phase-HPLC (RP-HPLC)
capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE)
optical density (OD)
DNA threshold method
fluorescence spectroscopy
photon correlation spectroscopy
zeta potential

Cell Culture Analytics

mycoplasm (by DNA-staining)
flow cytometry measurement, e.g. cell cycle, apoptosis

In Vitro and In Vivo Test Systems

biological activity, e.g. reticulocyte count
proliferation assays, e.g. using MTT, XTT, BrdU
toxicity assays
neutralization assays

Virology

plaque forming units
TCID₅₀ assay
hemagglutination assay
hemadsorption assay

Microscopy

fluorescence microscopy
phase contrast microscopy
confocal microscopy
fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)