Animal Health Sample Preparation Support—Getting Started

Yes, watch our two-part video on animal health workflow solutions.

We recommend one of the following MagMAX kits for animal health experiments:

• MagMAX Viral RNA Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1939)
• MagMAX Total Nucleic Acid Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1840)
• MagMAX Pathogen RNA/DNA Kit (Cat. No. 4462359)
• MagMAX-96 AI/ND Viral RNA Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1835)
• MagMAX CORE Nucleic Acid Purification Kit (Cat. No. A32700)
• MagMAX-96 Viral RNA Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1836)

No. All buffers arrive pre-mixed with alcohol.

We do not have a manual purification protocol for the MagMAX CORE Nucleic Acid Purification Kit, but you can follow the manual purification instructions for the MagMAX Pathogen RNA/DNA Kit (please see page 49 of the user guide).

We recommend one of the following instruments:

• KingFisher Flex Purification System (Cat. No. 5400640)
• KingFisher Duo Prime Purification System (Cat. No. 5400110)
• MagMAX Express Magnetic Particle Processor (Cat. No. 4400074)

• The KingFisher Flex instrument has the option of using a 24-Deep-Well head in addition to a 96-Deep-Well head.
• The KingFisher Flex instrument has a USB communications port, whereas the MagMAX Express-96 instrument only has a RS-232 port.  
• The KingFisher Flex instrument uses snap-in heat blocks, while the heat blocks need to be screwed in for the MagMAX Express-96 instrument.
• Unlike the MagMAX Express-96 instrument, the KingFisher Flex instrument has a graphical user interface and expanded keypad (LCD screen). 

Yes, depending on the kind of protocol and head that is used, the following consumables will have to be purchased:

• MagMAX Express-96 Deep Well Plates (Cat. No. 4388476)
• MagMAX Express-96 Standard Plates (Cat. No. 4388475)
• MagMAX Express-96 Deep Well Tip Combs (Cat. No. 4388487)
• MicroAmp Clear Adhesive Film (optional) (Cat. No. 4306311)

The KingFisher Duo consumables are listed here and they vary depending on whether a 6- or 12-pin magnet is used.

The KingFisher Duo Prime Purification System comes with both a 12-tip and a 6-tip comb. When using the 12-tip comb, a 96-Deep-Well plate has to be used and 12 samples can be processed at a time. When using the 6-tip comb, a 24-Deep-Well plate has to be used and 6 samples can be processed at a time.

If the .kf2 scripts are not already loaded on the instrument, you can find them here. The scripts for the MagMAX CORE Nucleic Acid Purification Kit can be found here. 

The scripts for the MagMAX CORE Nucleic Acid Purification Kit can be found here. In order to obtain the .bdz scripts for the other animal health MagMAX kits (Cat. Nos. AM1835, AM1836, AM1840, 4462359), please email technical support at animalhealthandfoodsafety@thermofisher.com. 

We generally recommend using the lysis enhancer for all sample types, but it will be especially useful for efficient lysis of fecal and blood samples.

We generally recommend using the carrier RNA for all sample types, but you can empirically test it for your specific sample. It usually does not help with more complex samples such as oral fluids or feces. This artificial RNA will not interfere with qPCR assays, but it is not compatible with RNAseq downstream applications. 

Yes, we offer the MagMAX Wash Solution 1 Concentrate (Cat. No. AM8504) and MagMAX Wash Solution 2 Concentrate (Cat. No. AM8640), as standalone products. 

The lysis/binding enhancer & buffers, elution buffers, wash buffers, and magnetic beads included in the MagMAX-96 Viral RNA Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1836), MagMAX Pathogen RNA/DNA Kit (Cat. No. 4462359), and MagMAX Total Nucleic Acid Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1840) are all identical in composition, but the various kits contain different volumes of the buffers. We generally recommend using the MagMAX Pathogen RNA/DNA Kit over the MagMAX-96 Viral RNA Isolation Kit (especially when using an automated extraction procedure) since it comes with enough buffers so that up to 300 µl of sample can be processed. The MagMAX Total Nucleic Acid Isolation Kit (Cat. No. AM1840) contains bead tubes which allows for a bead-beating step. This is very important for difficult-to-lyse bacteria such as gram positive bacteria or mycobacteria. 

We recommend sealing MagMAX elution plates with MicroAmp Clear Adhesive Film (Cat. No. 4306311).

The MagMAX-96 instrument is compatible with the old KingFisher software and the new BindIT software (designed for KingFisher Flex). We generally recommend using the BindIT software over the KingFisher software since it is the newer software and it is the only one that is compatible with Windows7 and newer Windows versions. The KingFisher software is only compatible with Windows XP.

The old KingFisher 2.6 software only works on Windows XP, whereas the new BindIT software works on Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8. The speed selections are also different. The old KingFisher 2.6 software featured 13 different speed settings, whereas the BindIT software only has 5 mixing speeds (slow, medium, fast, bottom, and half mix). The BindIT software can run KingFisher Software 2.6 files (.kf2) just as they are, but it cannot edit the .kf2 file. We have an application note that has instructions for how to use a .kf2 file to create an editable BindIT protocol. Thus, it is possible to convert .kf2 protocols into BindIt protocols and still achieve excellent yield and purity of the extracted target. Minor optimization may be required due to the differences in mixing speeds and bead collection parameters, or to minimize protocol times.

The spare serial cable F9/F25 for the MagMAX instrument can be purchased through Unity Lab Services. 

No. Protocols cannot be transferred back from the instrument to the computer. Protocols need to be previously stored in the BindIt or KingFisher software to make edits.

You can find the .bdz files on the product page, within the “Documents section” under "Product Literature".

 Yes, as long as the script was specifically written for this instrument.

They are created by different software (BindIt and KingFisher software, respectively).

.kf2 files can only be used for the MagMAX Express instrument whereas .bdz files can be used for MagMAX Express and KingFisher Flex/Duo instruments (but scripts need to be specifically written for a particular instrument).

Yes, but you need to have the correct USB to serial adaptor. 

 A .kf2 file cannot be edited in the BindIT software, so it has to be first converted to a .bdz file, for which we have an application note. The speed settings are different in the two software (KingFisher software has 13 speed settings and BindIt software has 5 speed settings), so the application note has a conversion table for what speed to use in the BindIt software.