NEB® Launches Environmentally-friendly Monarch™ Kits for High-Quality DNA Purification
New England Biolabs® (NEB) today announced the release of its Monarch Nucleic Acid Purification Kits. This new family of products utilizes a unique column design, as well as optimized protocols and buffer systems for robust DNA cleanup and purification of plasmid DNA.
 
Aligned with NEB's commitment to promoting sustainable ecological practices, Monarch kits are purposefully designed to minimize environmental impact.
 
"One of NEB’s founding principles is to develop state-of-the-art molecular biology reagents, while being mindful of their environmental impact," said John DeMartino, Associate Director of Business Development at NEB. "Nucleic acid purification techniques are notorious for producing large amounts of plastic waste. This was a concern we wished to address when designing our Monarch kits. Our kits use up to 44% less plastic and are packaged using responsibly-sourced, recyclable materials, which can help pave the way to a greener laboratory."
 
In addition to the environmental considerations, Monarch kits also offer several performance advantages. These include a unique column configuration, designed to eliminate buffer retention and carryover contamination. This design also allows for elution in smaller volumes, which facilitates direct use in downstream applications.
 
"Inefficient column design that retains buffer can introduce unwanted carryover contamination, such as salts, into your purified sample. This can significantly limit the efficiency of many downstream applications, such as ligation and restriction digestion," said Danielle Freedman, Associate Product Marketing Manager at NEB. “Monarch columns do not retain buffer, and therefore users can be confident that their DNA will perform as expected.”
  
Monarch kits demonstrate best-in-class performance for DNA clean-up and miniprep applications. When compared to leading suppliers, users can expect more highly concentrated DNA, with similar yield and purity, and equivalent or better transfection efficiencies.
 
Monarch kits are available for gel extraction, plasmid miniprep and PCR & DNA cleanup. Buffers and columns can also be purchased separately.
 
For more details about the Monarch Nucleic Acid Purification Kits, visit NEBMonarch.com.