The Birth of Gel Electrophoresis

The father of electrophoresis is considered to be Arne Tiselius who, in the 1930s, invented the U-shaped Tiselius apparatus used for separation of molecules by an applied electric current. Although generally effective, the Tiselius method had some major drawbacks as to the amount of protein sample needed, contamination, and incomplete separation of polypeptides. Tiselius later invented a better method of electrophoresis using filter paper, but the proteins often stuck to the paper and "unrolled" themselves. However, in the 1950s, UNC's own Oliver Smithies invented the gel electrophoresis after reminiscing about helping his mother do the laundry as a child. He remembered how the starch concoction his mother used to starch the collars of his father's shirts would turn into a jelly when left sitting out. He postulated that he could make a starch gel in which the proteins could travel and separate, and be observed by applying a stain. Today, gel electrophoresis is widely used in laboratories, and taught in schools around the world.

• An Improved Procedure for Starch-Gel Electrophoresis

Zone Electrophoresis in Starch Gels
How It All Began: a Personal History of Gel Electrophoresis written by Oliver Smithies (contains pictures from his original lab notebooks, including the one pictured above)