Lab Startup to Streamlined Workflow: Talking to Dr. Roberta Migale from Imperial College London

At PCR Biosystems, some of our most valuable insights come from the researchers who use our products every day. Their feedback helps us understand the challenges facing modern laboratories and how our reagents can make a meaningful difference.

In this customer story, we spoke with Dr Roberta Migale, an Assistant Professor in Embryology and Gamete Biology at Imperial College London. Dr Migale studies the regulation of gonadal development and function, and its impact on gametes – with the overarching objective of improving reproductive health and fertility outcomes. Currently leading a research group exploring how the ovary forms, she aims to uncover how female fertility develops in the earliest stages of life.

Having established her new laboratory in 2025, she faced a challenge familiar to many researchers: recreating trusted protocols while building a more efficient and cost-effective workflow.

We sat down with Dr Migale to learn more about how switching to PCR Biosystem’s products has shaped her workflow since.

Building a New Lab from the Ground Up

Starting a new research laboratory is an exciting milestone, but it also requires countless decisions about equipment, protocols and reagents. For Dr Migale, one of the biggest priorities was optimising a genotyping PCR that her team relied on regularly, to make her team’s work “faster and less expensive”.

Rather than simply replacing the reagents she had used previously, Dr Migale wanted to find an alternative that could deliver equivalent, or superior performance while reducing both time and costs.

She told us, “After setting up my new lab at Imperial, I wanted to get some of the techniques I’d used before up and running again, but using reagents that were cheaper and worked even better.”

Finding a Better Alternative

Like many group leaders working within limited budgets, Dr Migale was keen to evaluate many products before committing to a new supplier.

When asked what made her choose PCRBIO over other PCR reagent suppliers, she joked “the freebies” before telling us that her initial contact with Andrea, our London Account Manager, had been particularly positive.

“As a new lab with limited resources, I reached out to the company to ask whether we could test some of their reagents. Andrea, the account manager, was incredibly kind and sent us a few sample tubes so we could try out their PCR reagents and gel-loading dye.”

For Dr Migale, the opportunity to test the products before purchasing gave her team the confidence to directly compare them against their existing workflow. She also disclosed that she had worked out that if the reactions worked to her liking, switching to PCRBIO products would result in a “significant cost-effective change” for the lab’s protocols.

Simplifying the PCR Workflow

Today, Dr Migale’s laboratory uses the PCRBIO Rapid Extract Lysis Kit alongside PCRBIO Taq Mix Red for routine genotyping.

The PCRBIO Rapid Extract Lysis Kit enables quick DNA extraction, while PCRBIO Taq Mix Red combines all the components required for PCR amplification with a built-in loading dye. By eliminating additional preparation steps before gel electrophoresis, the workflow becomes simpler, faster and easier to reproduce.

Better Results in Less Time

Dr Migale emphasised the decision to switch wasn’t based on convenience alone – for her, performance was equally important.

After comparing PCR Biosystems reagents directly with those previously used in the lab, the results exceeded her expectations.

“The results were just as good, if not better, and the new products allowed us to cut both the time and the cost of each experiment – a huge advantage for a new lab like ours.”

On top of this, Dr Migale noted an improvement which had stood out to her, telling us she “particularly noticed the ability to reduce the number of PCR cycles and obtain an equally crisp and visible DNA band.”

This simple efficiency gain quickly translated into measurable savings across her laboratory. She told us she was able to “save 30 minutes on each PCR cycle” and estimated that she could “run the same assay at half of the original cost per reaction” using her PCRBIO reagents of choice.

For research groups running large numbers of PCR reactions, such savings can accumulate rapidly, freeing up valuable time and helping research budgets go further.

More Than Just Reagents

While product performance was the deciding factor, Dr Migale also emphasised that the support she received from the PCR Biosystems team had been equally valuable.

“PCR Biosystems has been incredibly kind and supportive – Andrea in particular. We even met for a coffee at Imperial to talk through what my new lab might need in the future. She suggested several additional reagents that could be useful for our work, and her advice was genuinely helpful.”

Dr Migale also added that having easy access to our knowledgeable technical support had helped build her confidence, not only in using PCRBIO products, but in optimising her PCR workflows more broadly. Summarising this, she told us, “Getting to know the people behind a company really matters. We already trusted PCRBIO reagents, but now we also appreciate the people who make them. It feels like the start of a real partnership, and we’re very grateful for PCRBIO’s support.”

A Recommendation to Fellow Researchers

When asked whether she would recommend PCR Biosystems to other researchers, Dr Migale didn’t hesitate, telling us “Yes, definitely.”

Expanding upon this, she highlighted several reasons behind her recommendation. Being a lab based in the UK, she told us that she “liked the idea of supporting a local business”, and had found her interactions with us to be “very helpful”.

“You can tell people know about PCR and can advise appropriately when you are in doubt about a reagent.”

In addition, she also mentioned that being able to evaluate product samples before purchasing has been an advantage, stating that “you can see for yourself how their products outperform other, more expensive options on the market.”

Looking ahead, we were pleased to hear her plans to continue using PCR Biosystems reagents as her lab expands.

“We are very happy to have switched to PCRBIO and look forward to continuing to work with them.”

Learn More About Dr Migale’s Research

We would like to thank Dr Roberta Migale for taking the time to share her experience with us. We wish her and her team continued success with their important research into reproductive biology and fertility.

If you would like to learn more about Dr Migale’s research, you can learn more about her lab here, or follow her on LinkedIn here.

Have a story to share with our scientific community? Please get in touch with us at [email protected]