Instrumentation

Instrumentation is a collection of devices and mechanics used to measure, evaluate, and test systems.

  • In biology, the instrumentation is considered a part of biomedical engineering where the working mechanism and the parts of a system are studies.
  • Instrumentation in biology or Bioinstrumentation is primarily concentrated on bringing the engineering and medical worlds together.
  • Different devices like centrifuges and autoclaves that are common in biological laboratories are a part of the instrumentation. Studies done in instrumentations allow the understanding of the parts and working mechanisms of such devices.
  • Other important techniques include chromatography which is routinely performed in laboratories to separate biological systems, which are also equally important.
  • Instrumentation is still an emerging discipline with new pieces of machinery still being produced for convenience in laboratories.
  • The application of bio-instruments is not only limited to laboratories as modern agriculture makes use of bio-instruments to monitor and evaluate soil and to measure plant growth.
  • Besides, these instruments can also be used to determine the physiological activities of plants like the carbon dioxide trade rate, net photosynthesis, etc.
  • Processes like electrophoresis make use of nucleic acids along with biosensors to compare the DNA sequences. This enables genetic testing and diagnosis of various diseases.
  • Genetic testing is heavily influenced by the progress made in instrumentation as new devices and techniques are discovered which makes the process faster, more accurate, and more reliable.
  • As RT-PCR and blotting are considered advanced molecular diagnosis methods, disease diagnosis becomes faster and more accurate than ever. 
  • Determination of radioisotopes and concentration of a solution has been made easier with techniques like spectroscopy and colorimetry.
  • As the discipline continues to grow, the main focus of the field remains in the improvements of technology to make the medical processes faster and more efficient.
  • Instrumentation, thus, is slowly becoming an integral part of all biological fields with new emerging new technology and the discovery of fast and reliable procedures.

Types of Centrifuge and Centrifugation (definition, principle, uses)

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Types of Centrifuge and Centrifugation

Centrifuge definition A centrifuge is a device used to separate components of a mixture on the basis of their size, density, the viscosity of the medium, and the rotor speed. The centrifuge is commonly used in laboratories for the separation of biological molecules from a crude extract. In a centrifuge, the sample is kept in a rotor that is rotated about a fixed point (axis), resulting in strong force perpendicular to the axis. There are different types of centrifuge used … Read more

Spectrophotometer- Principle, Instrumentation, Applications

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Spectrophotometer- Principle, Instrumentation, Applications

What is a spectrophotometer? A spectrophotometer is an instrument that measures the amount of light absorbed by a sample. Spectrophotometer techniques are mostly used to measure the concentration of solutes in solution by measuring the amount of the light that is absorbed by the solution in a cuvette placed in the spectrophotometer. Scientist Arnold J. Beckman and his colleagues at the National Technologies Laboratory (NTL) invented the Beckman DU spectrophotometer in 1940. Principle of Spectrophotometer The spectrophotometer technique is to … Read more

Flow Cytometry-Definition, Principle, Parts, Steps, Types, Uses

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Flow Cytometry-Definition, Principle, Parts, Steps, Types, Uses

Flow Cytometry Definition Flow cytometry is a standard laser-based technology that is used in the detection and measurement of physical and chemical characteristics of cells or particles in a heterogeneous fluid mixture. The use of flow cytometry has increased over the years as it provides a rapid analysis of multiple characteristics (both qualitative and quantitative) of the cells. The properties that can be measured by this process include a particle’s size, granularity or internal complexity, and fluorescence intensity. These characteristics … Read more

Mass Spectrometry (MS)- Principle, Working, Instrumentation, Steps, Applications

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Mass Spectrometry (MS)

Mass Spectrometry (MS) Definition Mass Spectrometry (MS) is an analytical chemistry technique that helps identify the amount and type of chemicals present in a sample by measuring the mass-to-charge ratio and abundance of gas-phase ions. In this instrumental technique, the sample is converted to rapidly moving positive ions by electron bombardment and charged particles are separated according to their masses. A mass spectrum is a plot of relative abundance against the ratio of mass/charge (m/e). These spectra are used to … Read more

22 Types of Spectroscopy with Definition, Principle, Steps, Uses

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Types of Spectroscopy

What is spectroscopy? Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between light and matter where the absorption and emission of light or other radiation by the matter are studied and measured. Spectroscopy mainly deals with the dispersion of light and other radiations that is caused by an object which allows the study of various properties of the object. The measurement in spectroscopy is a function of the wavelength of the radiation being observed. Spectroscopy has been widely exploited as it … Read more

Ultracentrifuge- Definition, Principle, Types, Parts, Procedure, Uses

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Ultracentrifuge

Ultracentrifuge Definition Ultracentrifuge is a sophisticated and advanced centrifuge that operates at an extremely high speed and separates smaller molecules that cannot be separated from the traditional centrifuges. The speed of the rotors in ultracentrifuge can range from 60,000 rpm to 150,000 rpm. Ultracentrifuges are mostly operated in more facilitated laboratories to perform more advanced operations. These are larger in size and can operate samples either in batches or as a continuous flow system. Most ultracentrifuges are refrigerated in order … Read more

Laminar flow hood/cabinet- definition, parts, principle, types, uses

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Laminar flow hood or cabinet

Definition A Laminar flow hood/cabinet is an enclosed workstation that is used to create a contamination-free work environment through filters to capture all the particles entering the cabinet. These cabinets are designed to protect the work from the environment and are most useful for the aseptic distribution of specific media and plate pouring. Laminar flow cabinets are similar to biosafety cabinets with the only difference being that in laminar flow cabinets the effluent air is drawn into the face of … Read more

14 Types of Chromatography (Definition, Principle, Steps, Uses)

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Types of Chromatography (Definition, Principle, Steps, Uses)

Chromatography Definition Chromatography is an important biophysical technique that enables the separation, identification, and purification of the components of a mixture for qualitative and quantitative analysis. A wide range of chromatographic procedures makes use of differences in size, binding affinities, charge, and other properties to separate materials. It is a powerful separation tool that is used in all branches of science and is often the only means of separating components from complex mixtures. Chromatography is a very useful technique as … Read more

Gel Filtration Chromatography

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Gel Filtration Chromatography

Biomolecules are purified using different techniques that separate them according to the differences in their specific properties such as size, hydrophobicity, biorecognition, charge, etc. Gel filtration is a technique in which the separation of components is based on the difference in molecular weight or size. It is the simplest and mildest of all the chromatography techniques and separates molecules on the basis of differences in size. Principle of Gel Filtration Chromatography Image Source: MBL Life Science. To perform a separation, … Read more

Gel Permeation Chromatography

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Gel Permeation Chromatography

Gel permeation chromatography is also called as gel filtration or size exclusion chromatography. In size exclusion chromatography, the stationary phase is a porous matrix made up of compounds like cross-linked polystyrene, cross-like dextrans, polyacrylamide gels, agarose gels, etc. The separation is based on the analyte molecular sizes since the gel behaves like a molecular sieve. This technique is used for the separation of proteins, polysaccharides, enzymes, and synthetic polymers. As a technique, size exclusion chromatography was first developed in 1955 … Read more