The Model 785 Vacuum Blotter quickly and efficiently transfers DNA or RNA from an agarose gel onto a nylon membrane. The blotter produces even transfers from top to bottom and side to side, regardless of the gel size. The unique regulator makes it simple to control pressure from an in-house vacuum or a Bio-Rad vacuum pump (included with the complete system), avoiding high pressures that can lead to gel collapse and DNA trapping.

Assembly of the unit is easy. The vacuum blotter has a simple snap-on sealing frame. Gel-to-membrane alignment is easy using the green window gaskets, which can be cut to accommodate gels as large as 20 x 25 cm. The sealing frame requires no screws or clamps to tighten; just press into place to seal in the vacuum. Because small fragments (≤1,500 bp) transfer in 30 minutes and genomic DNA-size fragments transfer in 90 minutes, the hybridization reaction can be started on the same day.

The vacuum blotter is made of a durable molded plastic that is resistant to the chemicals commonly used in transfers, such as 0.25 N HCl and 0.5 N NaOH. The window gaskets are also resistant to these chemicals.