A Rapid, Cost-Effective Method for High-Yield DNA Purification from PCR Products and Agarose Gels.

Nucleic acid purification is essential for molecular biology workflows, enabling successful downstream applications like cloning, sequencing, and PCR amplification. While commercial kits are widely used for DNA extraction from PCR products and agarose gels, their high costs can burden resource-limited laboratories. To provide a viable alternative, we developed an optimized, cost-effective in-house protocol for high-yield DNA purification. This study evaluates the performance of our protocol for plasmid DNA and PCR products, comparing it with commercial kits from Qiagen, Thermo Fisher, and WizBio in terms of cost, time, DNA concentration, and purity. Results from gel electrophoresis demonstrated that the in-house protocol significantly enhances PCR product clarity and reduces background smearing, yielding high-purity DNA compatible with sensitive applications. Restriction-digested plasmid samples showed successful ligation and transformation in E. coli (DH5), with Sanger sequencing chromatogram further confirming the sequence integrity of the purified DNA. Our findings highlight the in-house protocol as a cost-effective, efficient, and reliable alternative to commercial kits, delivering high-quality DNA suitable for various molecular applications. This method offers an accessible and practical solution for laboratories seeking to optimize DNA purification under budget constraints.