QGel disc casters can be used several times provided that they are sterilized following instructions below (also sticked on the packaging material):

1. spray the caster with 70% ethanol and wipe it carefully with a tissue
2. soak it in ethanol (in laminar flow hood) for ca. 10 minutes
3. take the caster out the ethanol bath and allow it to dry in hood (have it standing on its side will speed up the drying process)

note1: After use, casters are washed with 70% ethanol and stored in a proper box for next usage.
note2: Repeated use will reduce surface properties. Replace casters regularly.

You may ask whether there are contamination issues when gels are cast using the QGel Disc Caster and moved from under the laminar flow hood to the incubator. Contamination problems have never been reported when following the standard QGel protocol to make the gel discs and using antibiotics in the cell culture media. However, please note that it is necessary to maintain the cell culture room and the incubators according to basic lab bench cleanroom standards.

If you are still concerned with the sterility of your cells in the gel discs, you can take extra precautionary measures as follows:

1. Cast gel discs with the QGel 3D Disc Caster as usual (do not forget to sterilize it beforehand).
2. Close the cover of the caster
3. Carefully place the caster into a standard petri dish commonly used in laboratories (transparent, 15cm diameter)
4. Close cover of the petri dish (seal with parafilm -optional for extra protection)
5. Remove from the laminar flow hood and place the petri dish containing the disc caster into the incubator

By following these simple steps, the cells in the drops will never be in contact with unpurified, or potentially contaminated air.