Manual approaches to protein purification are complicated. Ready-to-go straight from the box, GE Healthcare’s Äkta start automates protein purification techniques, removing the hassles of manual preparation. It combines a front-facing flow path with a touchscreen interface that displays the UV curve and other run data in real time. All common techniques are supported, including affinity, ion exchange, desalting and buffer exchange, as well as gel filtration. It supports purification of tagged proteins, antibodies, untagged or native proteins and sample clean-up. The system can be run using predefined or custom protocols and built-in templates. Prepacked columns are offered for common applications. GE Healthcare