In science, particularly experimental science, good practice and methodology is critical to producing reliable results and using the right tools. Amongst these essential tools, a pipette tip! A pipette tip is small item that is attached to the end of a pipette. The pipette in itself is a kind of device that scientists use to accurately measure and transfer liquids.
Scientists have to be extremely cautious when handling proteins. That's because proteins can adhere to surfaces — even the plastic of the pipette tips. If proteins associate with the tip instead of remaining in the solution, it can lead to inaccurate results in experiments. Which is the reason why it is highly recommended to use special pipette tips which are specially made to be non-binding to proteins. These tips assist scientists in ensuring the validity of their results.
These are low protein binding tips, designed to prevent proteins from adhering to its plastic surface. This functionality is quite useful as it aids scientists in obtaining conclusive results from their experiments. Whilst using these tips, scientists also minimize contamination risk as in this way their samples can be protected from exogenous substance contamination.
And when combined with special pipette tips, it increases the reproducibility of the experiments. This implies that if scientists conduct the same experiment multiple times, they can expect to obtain the same results every time. Reproducibility is essential as it gives scientists more confidence in the results of their research, studies and findings.
But how exactly do scientists use these unique pipette tips in their research? Imagine one scenario where a scientist is measuring the protein concentration of a particular solution. Step 1: A low protein binding pipette tip would be attached to the pipette they have.used. They would slowly dispense a specific volume of the liquid they are investigating.
The special pipette tip with a revamped design ensures proteins do not stick. This also ensures that when the scientist dilutes the liquid, they know exactly how much protein is in the liquid, and there has been no carry over contaminating the previous samples they used. This prevents the experiment to not be precise and hence gives us authentic results.
The entire research process can also become simpler and more efficient for scientists if special pipette tips are used. By using these tips, scientists can spend a lot less time worrying about whether any proteins have stuck to the tips and more time dealing with what the scientists are actually trying to do — their research and experiments. It enables them to be far more productive and work more smartly.