Dr David Chrimes
Research Associate,
University of Manchester

I would like to add my name to those who have already been highly impressed with the Nanodrop spectrophotometer. The group for which I work have recently bought a NanoDrop Technologies ND-1000 spectrophotometer from Labtech International in the UK.
I have been routinely using the ND-1000 to analyse my samples and like many people working in research, my most precious samples seem to be in very small volumes. Having a spectrophotometer of very high accuracy and reproducibility that requires using only 1 microlitre of my sample is a dream come true. This coupled to a very wide linear range is also of great importance.
Using the Nanodrop to quantify samples has improved reproducibility of data acquisition across all DNA and RNA based experiments. As for the Nanodrop itself, it is so easy and quick to use, analysing samples has become routine rather than dreaded task.

I would recommend the Nanodrop to any person interested in buying a spectrophotometer and have been absolutely delighted with its performance

Stuart Pepper
Molecular Biology Core Facility
Paterson Institute for Cancer Research

"We bought the Nanodrop so we could measure amounts of RNA for our
microarray experiments. The machine works perfectly for us, giving good
reliable data and eliminating the need for cuvettes or dilutions. It is
quick, reliable and accurate and is so easy to use we now have people from all over the Institute coming down to measure DNA and proteins as well."

Chandi Griffin
Director, Molecular Core Laboratory
University of California San Francisco

"Since our purchase of the NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer we have all but abandoned our standard spectrophotometer. Initially purchased some years ago for use in our DNA Banking Core facility, our ND-1000 unit has since been further adopted for regular use in evaluation of total RNA, cRNA, and Cy3 and Cy5 labeled cDNA and cRNA samples for microarray experimentation in our various genomics cores with great success. Of particular appeal has been the very low sample volume requirement, we routinely use 1.5 microliters for all measurements. The small sample requirement precludes the need for the dilutions typically required with standard spectrophotometers, dilutions which in turn often yield questionable measurements. Given the very limited RNA sample sizes many of our client researchers present, via LCM and biopsy, the ability to acquire reliable and consistent ODs with a minimal amount of material has proven invaluable. Yet another feature of the ND-1000 that we find very favorable is its robust construction, a real world plus for any instrument used by a large number of researchers, and the fact that one doesn't need cuvettes, which have the strangest way of disappearing or being damaged. Frankly, for general spectroscopy, I really can not see any reason why one would choose any other instrument other than the ND-1000."

Rhonda Friedberg, PhD
Center for Biomedical Inventions
Southwestern Medical Center , University of Texas

"The NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer was recommended to us by the R&D folks at Ambion and it has proven to be a great asset for the entire Center. While the instrument was purchased for RNA quantitation within the microarray group, the ease of use (no dilutions or cuvettes!) and the flexibility of the instrument quickly made it the general favorite for all types of quantitation performed within the Center. In our array studies, we routinely perform analyses using RNA extracted from whole blood hematocrit samples (~30 ul whole blood). As would be expected, until we got the ND-1000, quantitation of the RNA obtained from these samples was extremely problematic to say the least. The fact that the ND-1000 can accurately determine the full absorbance spectrum with only 1ul of such dilute RNA samples has proven invaluable. In addition, the microarray module of the NanoDrop software allows us to easily and accurately determine the percent incorporation of fluorophores into our microarray samples prior to hybridization. Actually, the ND-1000 is an integral part of our quality control measures; we use it to assess each step in the generation of our amplified probes for array analysis. In short, I recommend the ND-1000 to anyone and everyone. It's the most innovative instrument to come out in years and I wish I had stock in the company."

Russ Carmical, PhD
Director, Quality Control
SeqWright, Inc.

"The NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer has proven to be indispensable in our sample quality assessment. We are a Genomics Core facility that receives RNA samples from a multitude of sources and in varying quality and quantities. For those clients wishing to carry out gene expression studies on limited quantity samples such as LCM derived or tumor biopsies, it is imperative that we are able to accurately measure nanogram quantities of RNA. In addition, accurate quantity assessment allows us to normalize the amount of input RNA for both MicroArray and Real-Time PCR experiments. Obviously equal RNA input is important when the end-point is a ratiometric measure. With regards to MicroArrays. After years of struggling to accurately assess Cy dye incorporation, the ND-1000 not only is capable of this measurement, but has made it simple with dye incorporation calculations as a menu item in their software. With regards to Real-Time PCR. Accurate quantitation of nucleic acids is not only important for sample input normalization, but in generating a standard curve for Absolute Quantitation assays. The ND-1000 affords us the ability to make these measurements with the precision required by Real-Time PCR assays. Personal thoughts. How can you argue with absorbance measurements being made through fiber optics versus those being made from a light source passed through several different media which scatter light? Furthermore, the ND-1000 offers a faster and easier means of obtaining absorbance measurements over a spectrum of wavelengths."

Paula Wetzsteon, C.H.S
Immunogenetics Laboratory Supervisor
Oregon Health & Science University

"It sounds too good to be true, but it is true. The NanoDrop^® ND-1000 Spectrophotometer uses just 1ul of DNA for quantification without performing dilutions or washing cuvettes. We are a certified transplantation laboratory and have been using the ND-1000 for over a year. We use extracted DNA for SSP and SSOP HLA typing and have had no problems related to DNA concentrations measured by the ND-1000. We simply place a 1ul-drop of sample directly on the instrument's optical surface, place the lever arm over the drop, take the measurement, and wipe off the drop with a cloth. That is all there is to it. It takes just a few seconds. I am freely endorsing this instrument just for the pleasure of bringing it to the attention of my friends and colleagues in the field. Our turn around time has improved, always a goal within the histocompatibility testing community, and we do not miss making dilutions and washing cuvettes one bit!"

Kacie Phizackerley
Solid Forms Group
Theravance, Inc.

"The NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer was displayed at a recent conference. Our interest was to test this technology for small molecule pharmaceutical crystallization applications. Quantifying the concentration during batch crystallizations and doing so from minimal amounts assists our work, especially at the screening phase, where only small quantities of drug are available. The ND-1000 has been an invaluable asset in rapidly determining concentration of drug molecules during the crystallization process. This device can help us to rapidly measure the metastable zone width for multiple solvent systems. The ability to make 1ul measurements from less than 10 microliters of fluid, often without dilution, enables these measurements to be made using surprisingly small quantities of the drug candidate. The ND-1000 has also enabled us to measure solubility data more rapidly than conventional spectrophotometry, by avoiding dilution steps and use of cuvettes. These measurements provide useful data in the selection of appropriate solvent systems for crystallization processes being developed. The ND-1000 has shown value and utility."

Stuart A. Newman, PhD
Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy
New York Medical College

"The NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer has been a major boon to our program in vertebrate developmental biology. Experiments that were all but unfeasible using conventional spectrophotometers can now be done routinely with the use of the ND-1000. Up till now our ability to quantitate gene expression patterns in embryonic organ primordia and cultured embryo cells by RT-PCR has been hampered by the requirement of labor-intensive and costly procedures for obtaining measurable amounts mRNA from minuscule tissue samples. Standardizing the electroporation of embryonic tissues with in vitro-generated transcripts also requires precise quantitative assay of small RNA samples. The ability to make such measurements with the ND-1000 has greatly increased the pace and efficiency of our work."

"The combined application of fiber optics for excitation/detection with surface tension to create a low volume light path through the sample, has resulted in an extremely easy to use, small footprint, cuvette-independent spectrophotometer. The NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer is the only spectrophotometer our group uses for all our molecular biology-related needs ranging from simple nucleic acid quantitation to fluorescent dye incorporation assays. The simplicity of the system allows first time users to be independent in a matter of minutes. The engineers at NanoDrop Technologies continue to provide innovative and user-driven updates to the software and hardware which has resulted in a very reliable system. I enthusiastically recommend the ND-1000 to anyone seeking a small volume (1-2uL) solution to spectrophotometric analysis."

Surekha Krishnan
Human Genome Sciences, Inc.

"The NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer purchased by us at the end of 2001, is all that it claims to be and more. Its simplicity, elegance, precision and reproducibility of measurements and a small footprint are phenomenal. For a busy laboratory such as ours, which measures the concentration/purity of scores of RNA samples everyday, the time and effort alone saved through the elimination of making cumbersome dilutions, without using and washing cuvettes is a valuable feature. We use it for different applications and every user has been impressed with the ease and speed of the RNA quality measurements. We plan on using it for microarray dye measurements as well in the near future. Most importantly, we believe with a high degree of confidence, that we are getting accurate measurements by using minimal amounts of precious samples. We purchased it with a laptop computer from NanoDrop Technologies with pre-loaded software and so it arrived ready for operation. We also purchased the Dymo printer. The performance of the unit has been flawless so far. Since our department purchased it, it is worth noting that it has caught the serious attention of investigators in other departments as well. One department, in fact, is currently looking into ordering one soon. Based on our experience, the ND-1000 is an excellent cost-effective solution that will pay for itself in a relatively short time. We have no hesitation in recommending this product to other users."

Eduardo Taboada, PhD
Pathogen Genomics Group; Institute for Biological Sciences
National Research Council of Canada

"I have in the past tried using standard specs with capillary cuvettes and but found that to be a near waste of time. My first readings were a series of DNA standards where I got 1-2% errors on the reads...this little gizmo has restored my faith on spectrophotometers !!! Using 1ul samples, the instrument is quite accurate across more than 50 optical units (we have tested it with *very* concentrated samples), so you can measure anything without having to dilute or concentrate the samples. Our ND-1000 has become extremely popular on the floor, and naysayers of the purchase (why on earth do we need *another* spectrophotometer !?!?) have been won over by how great the unit´s performing. People come from far and wide to use the thing. Its microarray sample module alone is worth the price of admission. This has been one of the best purchases our group has made."

"The NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer is great machine. Once you´ve used it, you´ll never want to go back to a cuvette-based spectrophotometer. It´s so small that when people see it for the first time they smirk and wonder what I´ve bought. But once they use it, they become hooked. It´s quick -- gives a complete scan 220 to 750nm within a couple of seconds. When my ND-1000 first arrived, I let another lab use it since my lab is under construction. Several weeks later I removed it and brought it back to my lab. I heard that people screamed when they noticed that it was missing. Now people from at least 5 different labs are walking over to my lab just to use the ND-1000. Those that come from another building and have to walk the furthest are trying to persuade their PI´s or lab directors to buy one. I'm very happy with my purchase."

David Caldwell
Scottish Crop, Research Institute

"The NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer makes quantifying DNA and RNA so fast & painless that you will find yourself measuring all of your samples on it. It has definitely become one of the more popular pieces of lab equipment across the institute."

"We purchased the NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer approximately five months ago, and it has proven to be an efficient and essential tool in our medical genetics research. We especially enjoy the small amount of sample required for the assay (1 microliter), and no dilution, no cuvette rinsing are required, as we deal with thousands of samples at a time and some of them are limited in the amount."

Laboratory of Orian Shirihai, MD, PhD
BioCurrents Research Center
Marine Biological Laboratory , Woods Hole Oceonographic Institute

"We have been very pleased with the performance and convenience of our NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer . We employ the machine daily for Pi, hemoglobin, total protein, and DNA spectrophotometric concentration analyses. Calibration and precise, reproducible measurements are a breeze with the ND-1000. The small sample volume greatly streamlines our experiments in terms of both time and expensive materials."

Mark Fielden
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michigan State University

"I found the NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer really easy to use, and its small footprint is a blessing. I get so much more information using less sample, less time, and it costs much less than similarly equipped instruments. No other product on the market came close to the ND-1000 for this price."

Anne-Laure Wizman
The Scripps Research Institute
DNA Array Core Facility

"We are extremely pleased with the performance of the NanoDrop^® ND-1000 spectrophotometer.  Upon arrival, we tested the accuracy of the ND-1000 in comparison with our standard cuvette spectrophotometer and found it to perform as well, if not better.  Working with microarrays, the instrument allows us to quantify both the amount of nucleic acids and fluorescence without compromising or sacrificing precious sample with accuracy and ease in a fraction of the time."

William A. Williams, PhD
Biology Department
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

"I am a research associate and the lab manager for Dr. George Plopper in the biology department at RPI.  We study the intracellular signaling processes involved in osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells.  I am cloning DNA in plasmids in order to make retroviruses that can be used to infect stem cells.  We also run many RNA and DNA isolations from cells grown in culture.  The NanoDrop ® ND-1000 spectrophotometer is used to quantify and assess the purity of the DNA and RNA in our samples.  It is an awesome little instrument: compact, convenient, user-friendly, quick, and perhaps most importantly - requires only one microliter of valuable sample.  Because of these qualities our instrument is used by several researchers throughout the day, and I would say that it is the must popular instrument in our department.  In December of 2004, I was looking to buy a spectrophotometer and I met the inventor of this instrument at the 2004 ASCB meeting.  He gave me a 2 minute demonstration and I was sold!  I got back to the lab and sent back all three of the alternative spectrophotometers I had as demos. The NanoDrop invention revolutionized the way in which biochemical spectrophotomic analyses are done, much in the same way Arnold O. Beckman's pH meter changed chemistry!  Moreover, I thought it was one of the coolest instruments at the ASCB meeting."