This site contains a collection of protocols used in the Kaern lab. It is very common that different labs use different procedures to achieve the same outcome. There are many factors that contribute to this variation, including material costs, yields and convenience and practical experience is the most important one. Experienced user will often create their own variant of a standard protocol to optimize yield, cost or convenience given their specific circumstances. This doesn't mean that they will work for you.
Our lab has many undergraduate and STEM learners with limited or no practical laboratory experiences. For this reason, our protocols aim to be reliable and simple to follow. They give new lab members the tools they need to start doing experiments on their own, as well as the positive control conditions that are sometimes needed when nothing seems to work.
Our protocols are not meant to be convenient or give the highest yield, and it is not uncommon that experienced users use variations to improve yield or convenience.
These protocols have been tested repeatedly.