MagMAX™-96 AI/ND Viral RNA Isolation Kit - FAQs

View additional product information for MagMAX™-96 AI/ND Viral RNA Isolation Kit - FAQs (AM1835)

14 product FAQs found

I need a recommendation for a MagMAX kit for automated viral RNA isolation from Animal Health samples such as serum, nasal fluid, and swab samples. What would you recommend?

Cat. No. AM1836 is a good choice if you want to process 50 µL of samples. If you want to maximize the input amount and use more than that (up to 300 µL) we recommend using the MagMAX RNA/DNA Pathogen kit (Cat. No. 4462359). The buffers and reagents included in these MagMAX kits are identical, but the volumes are larger for the MagMAX Pathogen RNA/DNA kit allowing for more sample input.

Is the the direct lysis approach to DNA/RNA analysis applicable for extraction of viral RNA?

Some customers have isolated RNA from viruses. Unfortunately, the protein coat could cause problems. Another option would be to use the MagMax Viral Isolation Kit.

Are MagMax kits compatible with RNAlater reagent-treated samples?

Only MagMax96 for Microarrays Total RNA Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1839) is compatible, since it uses Trizol reagent and most of the salt carry-over from RNAlater reagent is eliminated during the lysis steps and partitioned from the aqueous RNA layer on top. For other MagMax kits, optimization is needed. High salt carry over is not optimal for MagMax RNA isolation steps.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our RNA Sample Collection, Protection, and Isolation Support Center.

I am getting MagMAX bead carryover in some wells of my plate. What might be causing this and how can I resolve it?

Some bead carryover is common and has not been documented to affect downstream assays. The most common cause of bead carryover is too much input sample. The best way to determine if the sample amount is the cause of the issue is to run PBS with Xeno (artificial DNA/RNA) in the lysis buffer and then check if there is still bead carryover. If that is not the cause, the initial sample may require special processing, such as bead beating or liquification. If there is still bead carryover without the original sample, and in particular, if the carryover is present in the same wells for multiple runs, then this may be an instrument alignment issue.

Do I need any additional consumables when using MagMAX kits on the MagMAX Express-96 instrument or a KingFisher instrument?

Plastic consumables need to be purchased separately in order to use the MagMAX reagents on the MagMAX Express-96 or a KingFisher instrument. The particular consumables and the amount required will vary by kit and protocol so please check the user guide for the particular MagMAX kit to be sure that all required plastic consumables are available prior to sample processing.

Where can I find Bindlt script protocol (.bdz) files for use of MagMAX kits with the KingFisher Flex Purification System and KingFisher Duo Prime Purification System?

The best place to download KingFisher Flex and KingFisher Duo Prime protocols for a particular MagMAX kit is the relevant MagMAX kit product page. The Bindlt script protocol (.bdz) files can be found under the Documents>Product literature section.

Can I scale up the MagMAX kit reaction volumes? If so, how should I do this?

Yes, reaction volumes for MagMAX kits can be scaled up. In general, the amount of MagMAX reagents should be scaled up proportionally for the increase in sample input amount. Please see the specific kit user guide for any recommendation. If none are included, then optimization may be necessary.

Will addition of BME (2-mercaptoethanol) to the MagMAX lysis buffer cause any issues with nucleic acid extraction?

Addition of BME (2-mercaptoethanol) to the lysis buffer of MagMAX kits is fine. This can be beneficial with more RNase-rich samples like certain types of tissues.
In general, we recommend adding 0.3 µL BME per 100 µL of lysate.

What orbital shaker do you recommend using with the MagMAX-96 AI/ND Viral RNA Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1835) and MagMAX-96 Total RNA Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1830)?

For the MagMAX-96 AI/ND Viral RNA Isolation Kit and MagMAX-96 Total RNA Isolation Kit, we recommend using an orbital shaker for bead mixing and washing. We recommend the following orbital shaker:
Digital Microplate Shakers

Can I edit the manufactured KingFisher Flex protocols?

No, manufactured protocols are locked for editing, but they can be renamed using the ‘save as' function and edited as a new version.

Can I use magnetic beads from other vendors with the KingFisher Flex instrument?

For nucleic acid extraction, we recommend using our MagMAX kits and MagJET kits. Other magnetic beads should work well as long as they are 0.5 to 10 µm in size. However, you will have to write your own KingFisher protocols using the Thermo Scientific BindIt software and validate/optimize the protocol on your own.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Automated Nucleic Acid Purification Support Center.

I am working with liquid samples with high volume and want to extract nucleic acid from them using the KingFisher Flex instrument. Can I use more volume than the protocol advises?

Yes, this can be done by sample splitting. Set the protocol so that the magnet will collect samples from multiple wells before continuing to the next step. Be sure not to overload.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Automated Nucleic Acid Purification Support Center.

Can I scale up my reaction volume with the KingFisher Flex instrument?

Yes, reaction volumes can be scaled up, and all other volumes (i.e. wash volumes) will have to be increased by the same fold difference. It is generally not recommended to scale up reaction volumes more than 2-fold unless the plate's volume capacity will allow it.

Are all of the Applied Biosystems MagMAX kits validated for the KingFisher Flex Magnetic Particle Processor?

Yes, all MagMAX kits can be used with the KingFisher Flex Magnetic Particle Processor.