Hey all,

I realize this is a pretty general question but for those of you who routinely analyze short oligonucleotides (30mers and less), do you have a preferred capillary/buffer system? I need to build a robust protocol for quickly analyzing short oligomers and anticipate running hundreds of samples with it. A couple of days picking through the literature has left me a bit overwhelmed since it appears this technology has been advancing at an exponential rate in the last decade.

It seems that a standard fused silica capillary with 7M urea/tris-borate buffer is popular but is it robust? I know I'll inevitably be replenishing buffers but I'm looking for a system that yields reproducible results with a minimum of intervention. I've seen Agilent's micro PAGE capillaries and at least one company selling a urea-containing gel that's good for a dozen runs or so but does anyone out there have any first-hand experience using any of these systems?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!