What are the advantages of capillary electrophoresis compared to conventional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis?

Capillary electrophoresis offers several advantages over traditional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). It has a simplified setup as it is not required to pour gels, making it more time-efficient. Capillary electrophoresis generally provides faster separation times compared to PAGE. Additionally, some capillary electrophoresis systems allow for the reuse of the polymer matrix, reducing waste. Optical sequence reading enables automated detection and analysis of fragment sizes, improving efficiency and reducing error. Capillary electrophoresis can achieve better resolution, allowing for the detection of single-base pair differences in DNA fragments. Automatic genetic analysis systems offer a fully integrated workflow, including capillary electrophoresis, which can be automated from sample loading to data analysis. Multiple capillaries can be used simultaneously in capillary electrophoresis systems, allowing for higher throughput and the analysis of more samples in a shorter time.