A new instrumental design is provided for in-gel detection and quantification of proteins. This new platform, called Cumulative Time-resolved Emission 2-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis, utilizes differences in fluorescent lifetime imaging to differentiate between fluorescence from specific protein labels and non-specific background fluorescence, resulting in a drastic improvement in both sensitivity and dynamic range compared to existing technology. The platform is primarily for image acquisition of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, but is also applicable to protein detection in one-dimensional gel systems as well as proteins electroblotted to e.g. PVDF membranes. Given the increase in sensitivity of detection and dynamic range of up to 5-6 orders of magnitude compared to existing approaches, the described invention represents a technological leap in the detection of low abundance cellular proteins, which is desperately needed in the field of biomarker discovery.
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