• FAQ

    Your Knowledge Hub for BioEcho Products

General

There are several ways you can benefit by switching to BioEcho; here are just a few:

  • The EchoLUTION technology is a single-step purification, which makes it faster compared to conventional methods
  • Due to the reduced number of steps and less packaging, EchoLUTION is a sustainable choice.
  • EchoLUTION uses a different technology than magnetic beads and silica methods, which means it might work better for samples for which these methods do not work well.
  • Only standard lab equipment is needed (centrifuge with swing-out rotor).


Please also visit our technology and product pages for further information.

Please request the MSDS via contact@bioecho.de or contact your Sales Representative

We decided to not provide a printed user manual with every kit to reduce waste and contribute to sustainable science. You can find a QR code in the kit to download the user manual. You can also find manuals on the corresponding product page under “Product Resources”.

In accordance with our sustainable approach, we do not include reusable components, such as the Conditioning Plate in our kits as they can be reused several times. These reusable components are purchased separately.
You may be interested to know that we also offer core kits. These kits do not contain all the required components, as some customers prefer to use materials or reagents of their choice.

Technical questions

You should use plates and columns within an hour after conditioning, otherwise, the matrix might become too dry.

No, it is not possible to use unused wells after conditioning, as all the wells in the plate are conditioned. If you usually do not need the full plate, check if the 48-well plate or single spin-column formats are available and more suitable for your purpose.

As different kits use different matrices, depending on the sample kit, we recommend using only the matrix specified for each sample type. Using a column or plate for another sample type could result in insufficient quality, quantity, and performance in downstream applications. 

No, using higher than recommended volumes can result in incomplete removal of unwanted components.

Since the EchoLUTION Kits for DNA extractions purify all the DNA in the sample, genomic DNA would be isolated along with plasmid. Therefore, it is not recommended to isolate plasmids from cultures or tissue directly. If your plasmid DNA sample is not clean enough, we recommend using our CleanUp Kits. 

  • To ensure optimal performance of the purified nucleic acids, proceed immediately with your downstream application (such as RT-PCR or NGS). If this is not possible, store RNA at -70 °C and DNA at -20 °C and prevent freeze-thaw cycles.

General prerequisites for a plate centrifuge:

  • Rotor type: swing-out
  • Rotor bucket height: 6.5 cm
  • Relative centrifugation force: 1000 x g

The EchoLUTION technology is a completely new way of nucleic acid extraction and cannot be compared with silica-based methods. To ensure that the matrix sediments correctly, it is recommended to use swing-out rotors. If you use single spins, we have adapters that can be used to centrifuge single spin columns in plate centrifuges. You can find them here.

Yes! Learn about our automation options here.

Troubleshooting

The EchoLUTION technology is different from methods based on silica or magnetic beads and, if you are used to these methods, a few things need to be considered:
  • Pipet slowly and vertically drop by drop onto the prepared column or plate. Avoid touching the matrix with the pipette tip!
  • Purification plates should be stored horizontally (not on the side) to ensure that the matrix is settled. 
  • Spin columns should be vortexed thoroughly and placed in the upright position for at least 10 minutes to sediment the matrix.
  • Check to be sure you switched your centrifuge to relative centrifugal force (rcf) or g. Do NOT use rpm! An incorrect centrifugation speed can result in poor DNA yield and purity!
  • Low DNA content may indicate a strong degradation of the sample itself. This might happen, for example when the sample was stored too long or incorrectly. To prevent degradation of tissue samples, you can stabilize your samples in stabilizing reagents, such as BioEcho PurifyLater Tissue Stabilizer.
  • If you get a lower DNA content than you would using the silica method (bind–wash–elute), the difference might be a result of the method you used to measure the DNA yield. DNA extracted using silica kits contains small, fragmented DNAs. In contrast, the EchoLUTION technology depletes small fragments and elutes only amplifiable DNA. Therefore, the DNA content measured with a spectrophotometric method such as the Nanodrop (260 nm) might result in lower calculated quantity, although the actual double-stranded DNA content is comparable or higher with EchoLUTION. It is recommended to measure the quantity with more accurate methods, such as the TapeStation.
  • Low yield may indicate incomplete digestion. Solid samples might need more mechanical grinding to improve the yield compared to other sample types. An increase in lysis time could also help. But be careful with such adjustments, as they could also lead to degradation of nucleic acids. Digestion efficiency highly depends on the sample conditions and the kit used. It is recommended to perform test runs before using the protocol on important samples. 
  • If the kit used includes a clearing solution, make sure to thoroughly pipette up and down or vortex briefly after addition of the solution.

  • Coloration of the eluate may indicate column overloading. If you see effects in your downstream application when using colored eluates, the amount of sample used should be reduced.  Here you can find a nice overview of known PCR inhibitors from different sample types.
  • • The coloration of the eluate may indicate incomplete digestion. Increasing lysis time can help here.

Product-specific questions

Yes, the DNA CleanUp Kit can be used for any DNA that is longer than 40 bp.

The risk of degradation highly depends on the type of tissue you are using. Here are a few things that might help solve the issue:

  • Before using the tissue sample for DNA isolation, it should be rinsed thoroughly to remove the stabilizing solution.
  • Tissue mixed with BioEcho`s PurifyLater Tissue Stabilizer should be stored at 4 °C.


Shipment

For long-term storage, some components should be stored at 2 – 8 °C, as indicated on the labels. You don’t need to be concerned about a few days at temperatures up to 40 °C. That is also why we ship our products at room temperature and not at 2 – 8 °C.

We ship worldwide! You can find our official distributors here. If your country is not listed, please send your request to contact@bioecho.de or use our contact form here. 

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