Part 1: Bring clarity to nucleic acid quantification and QC with Lunatic
Blog
This blog is part 1 of a 3-part series exploring genomics quantification with UV/Vis and Lunatic. Part 1 covers how UV/Vis is a first confidence check that keeps genomics workflows moving. Part 2 goes into unique Lunatic applications that simplify and accelerate DNA QC for sequencing. Part 3 follows Lunatic through real-world next-gen sequencing workflows.
Start sequencing workflows with confidence
High-throughput genomics is changing what’s possible in human health. It helps diagnose genetic diseases, power cancer screening and detection, and make personalized medicine a reality. The teams behind these workflows keep samples moving and answers coming while handling more samples, sources, collection sites, and purification methods. All that variability makes DNA QC a critical checkpoint, with no room for bottlenecks to gum up the works.
Before DNA hits a sequencer or genotyping array, scientists need to know 2 things: how much DNA is there, and is it clean enough to trust? Fluorescent assays are specific, familiar, and trusted, but they need reagents, standard curves, dilution steps, and extra time.
UV/Vis on Lunatic gives a reliable, reagent-free, standard-free look at quantity and quality in a single read. Simply load 2 µL per sample in an automatable plate format and measure up to 96 samples in about 5 minutes. This kind of genomics quantification gives you the confidence check you need to catch concentration and purity differences before they become expensive downstream problems. With a broad double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) concentration range from 1.5–13,750 ng/µL, Lunatic helps reduce dilution-driven delays.
DNA concentration and purity in one read
Nucleic acids strongly absorb light at 260 nm, making this wavelength optimal for genomics quantification. Absorbance scales with concentration, as described by the Beer-Lambert Law, so more DNA means higher A260 values. For purified dsDNA, the math is simple:
DNA concentration = 50 × A260
Or, an A260 of 1 OD equals 50 ng/µL of dsDNA. This is the heart of UV/Vis genomics quantification. It’s fast, direct, and doesn’t need fluorescent dyes, additional reagents, or a standard curve.
The same spectrum also gives quick sample purity checks. An A260/A280 ratio flags protein contamination because proteins absorb strongly around 280 nm. Pure DNA has an A260/A280 ratio of ~1.8; lower values indicate protein carryover while higher suggests RNA may be present. Even if a sample contains plenty of DNA, it still can carry contaminants that will cause headaches later in library prep, genotyping, or sequencing. Using UV/Vis at the beginning of a high-throughput workflow lets you identify problem samples before downstream steps where failures get expensive.
Spot on results every time
Fast genomics quantification only works if the numbers are worth trusting. Lunatic delivers 2% accuracy and 1% precision on its absorbance and concentration measurements to give you the confidence you need to move samples to sequencing or genotyping.
Lunatic was tested against NIST SRM 2372a, a human DNA quantitation standard mainly used for qPCR, with 3 components: male donor DNA, female donor DNA and a 3:1 female-to-male DNA mixture. Each has a certified mass concentration value, making it a solid benchmark for DNA quant. Lunatic was easily within the manufacturer’s uncertainty and had 1% CVs for all 3 components.
Conclusion
UV/Vis spectroscopy on Lunatic earns its spot at the front of any genomics workflow. A260 measurements deliver nucleic acid concentration, while A260/A280 and A260/A230 ratios reveal potential contaminants, enabling fast go/no-go decisions. That’s the power of UV/Vis: genomics concentration and sample quality from the same read, before downstream steps get expensive.
Lunatic
Lunatic is a UV/Vis spectrophotometer designed for accurate, microvolume quantification of proteins and nucleic acids. It delivers the capabilities of a general-purpose UV/Vis spectrophotometer, optimized for high-throughput, low-volume UV/Vis absorbance data from just 2 µL per sample across up to 96 wells of an SBS format plate. It precisely quantifies proteins, DNA, and RNA in minutes - revealing both concentration and purity without dilutions or extra prep.