How do I clean and store the qEV column after I've collected my vesicles?

The table below shows the cleaning steps required for each of the qEV columns:

Column	Cleaning Instructions
qEVoriginal	10 mL 0.5 M NaOH, followed by 20 mL buffer.
qEVoriginal Gen 2	8.5 mL 0.5 M NaOH, followed by 17 mL buffer.
qEV1	13.5 mL 0.5 M NaOH, followed by 27 mL buffer.
qEV2	90 mL buffer, followed by 2 mL 0.5 M NaOH, followed by 90 mL buffer.
qEV10	140 mL buffer, followed by 5 mL 0.5 M NaOH, followed by 140 mL buffer.
qEV10 Gen 2	140 mL buffer, followed by 20 mL 0.5 M NaOH, followed by 140 mL buffer.

Unused qEV columns can be stored at room temperature. Used qEV columns can be stored at room temperature providing they have been cleaned according to the instructions in this document and stored in 20% ethanol or 0.05% w/v sodium azide. If the appropriate solutions are not available for storage at room temperature then columns can be stored at +4 to +8 °C after use.

20% Ethanol can also be used to store columns, however if a concentrated electrolyte such as 2x PBS is used, flush the column with DI water before introducing 20% ethanol otherwise salt will precipitate out inside the column and render the column unusable.

Single use is advisable where the vesicle fractions are to be analysed using PCR or RT-PCR.
Degassed buffers will help avoid air bubbles forming in the gel bed. A small number of air bubbles will have minimal effect on the column performance.
It is recommended to use a buffer with an ionic strength of 0.15 M or greater to avoid any unwanted ionic interactions between the solute molecule and the matrix.
To avoid clogging of column filters, it is recommended to filter or low-speed centrifuge the biological sample to remove large particulate matter.