Rethinking kits – Simplifying workflows and improving assay properties

In biological research, kits offer a convenient means of purifying biological molecules, quantifying amounts or concentrations, or measuring activities. The robustness of kits, their high throughput format, and the instructions that detail the required steps in the workflow, has made kits a commodity in many life science research and clinical settings.

We sought to transform the development of new kits, by taking measures to simplify workflows, avoid extra mixing and weighing, reduce the number of steps required, improve safety, and reduce the costs per reaction. 6 kits were developed based on this approach, each of which offers advantages and/or improvement over existing methods. All kits were tested on biological and other samples, as relevant, to ensure their applicability and performance. In addition, accessories were added to each kit, that reduce the chance of incorrect procedure and erroneous calculations. These unique accessories include an excel sheet to which the user pastes their raw data and immediately obtains the final results.