Gelbox — An Interactive Simulation Tool for Gel Electrophoresis

Abstract

Gel electrophoresis enables separation and visualization of biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, or proteins. Like many powerful tools, mastering the use of gels and making the information gained from them productive, can be dificult. Gelbox is a simulation tool that helps users understand how changing experimental input parameters can affect the data output from gel electrophoresis. Our simulation model handles a wide range of settings, including many “suboptimal” values that may be useful for troubleshooting common mistakes made by novices.