Qubit fluorometer
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The Qubit fluorometer is a laboratory instrument developed and distributed by Invitrogen, which is now a part of Thermo Fisher. It is used for the quantification of DNA, RNA, and protein.[1][2][3] The first model of the Qubit was a winner of the 2007 R&D 100 award from R&D Magazine.[4][5][6] The Qubit Flex, a later model of the Qubit, was a finalist for the same award in 2020.[7]
Method
[edit]The Qubit fluorometer uses fluorescent dyes to determine the concentration of either nucleic acids or proteins in a sample. Specialized fluorescent dyes bind specifically to the substances of interest.
The Qubit assays were previously developed and manufactured by Molecular Probes (now part of Life Technologies).[8][9] Each dye is specialized for one type of molecule (DNA, RNA, or protein).[10][11] These dyes exhibit extremely low fluorescence until bound to their target molecule. Upon binding to DNA, the dye molecules assume a more rigid shape and increase in fluorescence by several orders of magnitude, most likely due to intercalation between the bases.
The Qubit fluorometer correlates the level of fluorescence with known concentrations of probes. This process enables it to transform the fluorescence data into a quantified concentration measurement. Different kits are required for different concentration ranges.
| Reagent/Assay | Assay range | Sample starting concentration range |
|---|---|---|
| Qubit dsDNA HS Assay | 0.2–100 ng | 10 pg/μL–100 ng/μL |
| Qubit dsDNA BR Assay | 2–1,000 ng | 100 pg/μL–1 μg/μL |
| Qubit ssDNA Assay | 1-200 ng | 50 pg/μL-200 ng/μL |
| Qubit RNA Assay | 5–100 ng | 250 pg/μL–100 ng/μL |
| Qubit RNA BR Assay | 20–1,000 ng | 1 ng/μ-1 μg/μL |
| Qubit Protein Assay* | 0.25–5 μg | 12.5 μg/mL–5 mg/mL |
Versions
[edit]The second generation, the Qubit 2.0 Fluorometer, was released in 2010, and the 3rd generation as Qubit 3.0 in 2014.[citation needed] The newest version is the 4th generation Qubit 4, introduced in 2017.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ Versmessen, Nick; Van Simaey, Leen; Negash, Abel Abera; Vandekerckhove, Marjolein; Hulpiau, Paco; Vaneechoutte, Mario; Cools, Piet (17 June 2024). "Comparison of DeNovix, NanoDrop and Qubit for DNA quantification and impurity detection of bacterial DNA extracts". PLOS ONE. 19 (6): e0305650. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0305650.
- ^ Nakayama, Yuki; Yamaguchi, Hiromi; Einaga, Naoki; Esumi, Mariko (3 March 2016). "Pitfalls of DNA Quantification Using DNA-Binding Fluorescent Dyes and Suggested Solutions". PLOS ONE. 11 (3): e0150528. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150528.
- ^ Bruijns, Brigitte; Hoekema, Tina; Oomens, Lisa; Tiggelaar, Roald; Gardeniers, Han (16 September 2022). "Performance of Spectrophotometric and Fluorometric DNA Quantification Methods". Analytica. 3 (3): 371–384. doi:10.3390/analytica3030025.
- ^ "R&D 100 Award Winners Archive". Research & Development World. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ^ "Life Science" (PDF). R&D Magazine. September 2007. p. 36.
- ^ "Invitrogen Corporation's Qubit Platform Wins 2007 R&D 100 Award". BioSpace. 15 August 2007.
- ^ Heney, Paul (21 September 2020). "Finalists for 2020 R&D 100 Awards are unveiled". Research & Development World.
- ^ Adai, Sarah, ed. (April 2011). "The Qubit 2.0 Fluorometer: The Next Generation in Nucleic Acid and Protein Quantitation - US". BioProbes. Thermo Fisher.
- ^ "Invitrogen to Acquire Biotech Company". Los Angeles Times. 25 December 2003.
- ^ "Qubit Assays - US". www.thermofisher.com. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ^ "Qubit fluorometers and assays" (PDF). Thermo Fisher (Brochure). 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2025.