Patrick H. O'Farrell
Encyclopedia
Patrick H. O'Farrell received his B.Sc. in 1969 from McGill University
in Montreal, Quebec. He then went on to graduate school at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he worked with Jacques Pène. To optimize the resolution of the Electrophoresis
of the proteins, he needed to separate the proteins according to independent parameters. Two parameters were used:
This permitted the simultaneous determination of molecular weight and isoelectric point
for the proteins. Because the two parameters are unrelated, it was possible to obtain an almost uniform distribution of protein spots across the two-dimensional gel. Using his technique, O'Farrell was able to resolve 1100 different components from Escherichia coli and predicted his system should be capable of resolving up to 5000 proteins.
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal, Quebec. He then went on to graduate school at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he worked with Jacques Pène. To optimize the resolution of the Electrophoresis
Electrophoresis
Electrophoresis, also called cataphoresis, is the motion of dispersed particles relative to a fluid under the influence of a spatially uniform electric field. This electrokinetic phenomenon was observed for the first time in 1807 by Reuss , who noticed that the application of a constant electric...
of the proteins, he needed to separate the proteins according to independent parameters. Two parameters were used:
- isoelectric focusingIsoelectric focusingIsoelectric focusing , also known as electrofocusing, is a technique for separating different molecules by their electric charge differences...
in the first dimension - sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis in the second dimension.
This permitted the simultaneous determination of molecular weight and isoelectric point
Isoelectric point
The isoelectric point , sometimes abbreviated to IEP, is the pH at which a particular molecule or surface carries no net electrical charge....
for the proteins. Because the two parameters are unrelated, it was possible to obtain an almost uniform distribution of protein spots across the two-dimensional gel. Using his technique, O'Farrell was able to resolve 1100 different components from Escherichia coli and predicted his system should be capable of resolving up to 5000 proteins.