Accurate determination of DNA in agarose gels using the novel algorithm GelScann(1.0).

GelScann(1.0) is a user-friendly program that accurately quantitates DNA from CCD imaged agarose gels. The algorithm automatically locates lanes, locates bands within a given lane, and quantitates the intensity of each band. GelScann (1.0) uses a statistical method to discriminate DNA from local background fluorescence. The sensitivity of the LaneFinder and BandFinder can be adjusted by the user interacting with GelScann (1.0)'s option box. We demonstrate that GelScann(1.0) can accurately determine DNA that GelScann(1.0) can accurately determine DNA concentrations for routine molecular biology applications and determine the relative intensities of PCR amplified fragments for genetic testing.