UltraScan – A Comprehensive Data Analysis Software Package for Analytical Ultracentrifugation Experiments

With the introduction of the Beckman XL-I/A in the early 1990s, digital data acquisition from the analytical ultracentrifuge has made it possible to readily analyze sedimentation data with a PC. UltraScan, one of the several data analysis software packages available for such analysis, is a comprehensive, multi-platform software package designed to not only address the tasks associated with the interpretation of analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) experiments, but also to provide guidance with the design of sedimentation experiments and to address data management challenges arising in multi-user facilities. The availability of data in digital format has led to a wealth of AUC data, which demand new approaches for dealing with the large amounts of data generated. To address this challenge, UltraScan now includes a laboratory information management system (LIMS) which is based on a relational database. In addition, UltraScan integrates many routines for designing, analyzing, interpreting, and displaying sedimentation equilibrium and velocity experiments in a user-friendly graphical interface to make sophisticated analysis methods approachable for a wide audience, including new and less-experienced users. In this publication, an overview of the design philosophy of the software and its algorithms is presented, and the various modules, methods, and their applications are discussed. Examples for each method are shown, and a guide for the experimental design and implementation is given.