Qubit fluorometer

Method

The Qubit fluorometer uses fluorescent dyes to determine the concentration of either nucleic acids or proteins in a sample. Specialized fluorescent dyes bind specifically to the substances of interest.

The Qubit assays were previously developed and manufactured by Molecular Probes (now part of Life Technologies). Each dye is specialized for one type of molecule (DNA, RNA, or protein). These dyes exhibit extremely low fluorescence until bound to their target molecule. Upon binding to DNA, the dye molecules assume a more rigid shape and increase in fluorescence by several orders of magnitude, most likely due to intercalation between the bases.

The Qubit fluorometer correlates the level of fluorescence with known concentrations of probes. This process enables it to transform the fluorescence data into a quantified concentration measurement. Different kits are required for different concentration ranges.