Unveiling Melanie 9.3
The Solution You Didn’t Know You Needed—Until Now
Melanie software has been your partner in 2D gel and blot image analysis for years. Now, we’ve gone even further, introducing powerful new tools designed to elevate your workflows and uncover deeper insights.
Melanie 9.3—Built on Trust, Designed for Discovery
With over 35 years of experience and innovation, Melanie software is the preferred choice for scientists navigating the complexities of 2D gel and blot image analysis. Developed by the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Melanie combines Swiss precision with cutting-edge tools that help scientists detect subtle protein expression changes and categorize proteins as present or absent with confidence.
As research challenges evolve, so does Melanie. Version 9.3 enhances efficiency, collaboration, and insight with powerful new features designed to make your analyses more impactful than ever.
Discover Melanie's Solutions
One Software, Two Workflows—No Compromises
Melanie is the only software that fully supports all 2D electrophoresis-related applications within a single software product, eliminating the need to install or adapt to multiple programs. When your needs change, modules with additional functionality can be seamlessly unlocked through a flexible licensing model, ensuring that Melanie continues to evolve alongside your research. Melanie supports two distinct analytical workflows, each designed to address specific research needs:
Expression Analysis
Detect statistically significant differences in protein expression between experimental groups, with high objectivity, sensitivity and confidence.
Coverage Analysis
Analyze 2D-PAGE-based coverage, measuring the percentage of immunodetection that an antibody reagent provides to a total population of host cell proteins (HCPs) or any other antigen sample.
There is a high degree of overlap and similarity between the expression analysis and coverage analysis workflows. So you won’t feel lost when analyzing different types of projects. Yet, the process, views, and tools are tailored to each application for maximum efficiency and the most specific answers to your biological questions.
Your Research, Your Method—Find the Perfect Melanie Module
Melanie offers specialized modules to support different workflows and methods. Not sure which one is best for your application? The choice depends on your research question—quantitative or qualitative—and the method used in your experiment. Use this guide to find your ideal solution.
Still confused about which module is right for you? The table below provides a quick overview of each module, including its primary application, typical users, key use cases, supported methods, and core functionality. For personalized guidance, book a free Discovery Session and we’ll help you find the best fit for your research. And if you need all modules, our Package offer is for you!
Explore Melanie's Capabilities
The Features You’ve Been Waiting For—And More
Melanie 9.3 builds on the features you already love while introducing transformative tools to elevate your analysis. It reinvents the way you approach 2D gel and blot analysis, introducing practical innovations to streamline your workflows, empower collaboration, and ensure traceability and compliance, while further expanding its industry-leading visualization tools. Each new feature has been crafted to solve real research challenges, making your analysis easier, faster and more insightful than ever before.
Essential Tools and New Innovations—See What's Inside
Melanie 9.3.0 brings powerful new tools alongside its trusted core functionalities, ensuring seamless 2D gel and blot analysis for both expression and coverage workflows. The table below provides a detailed breakdown of features available in the Classic, DIGE, and Coverage modules, categorized by common and module-specific capabilities. New features are marked so you can easily see what has been added in this release.
Check out Melanie's Benefits
From Streamlined Workflows to Sharper Insights—What You Gain with Melanie 9.3
Stand Out with Stunning Figures
With Melanie’s multichannel color overlay, powerful 3D views, insightful graphs and diagrams, and flexible layouts, labels, and color options, protein differences stand out instantly. No external software. No manual image stitching. Just crisp, publication-ready visuals that facilitate interpretation and make an impact in your papers and presentations.
Get the Peace of Mind You Deserve
Melanie helps you comply with regulatory requirements. Every action is logged in a detailed audit trail, while data integrity checks flag unauthorized file changes. Automatically generated PDF reports consolidate quality control checks, analysis parameters, and results—creating submission-ready documentation in just a few clicks.
Keep Your Team in Sync with Ease
The shared project folder lets teams work on the same projects while preventing overwrites. The audit trail tracks who made what changes and when. Aliases allow preservation of original file names for cross-platform referencing, while alternative image names can be customized to meet reporting needs. Metadata import from Excel streamlines experimental data entry, keeping everyone aligned with minimal effort.
Work Faster with Smarter Tools
Reduce time spent on file management and data entry with aliases and metadata import. The step-by-step workflow gets you started quickly, while image capture feedback eliminates wasted time analyzing images unlikely to yield relevant results. Efficient algorithms and clever alignment strategies minimize match and spot editing, and one-click spot validation instantly resolves coverage uncertainties.
Our Product Offer
Perpetual Licenses
With Melanie, you get more than just cutting-edge features to enhance your protein analysis. You also benefit from comprehensive expert support. Our perpetual license offer for all Melanie versions—Classic, DIGE, Coverage or Package (DIGE + Coverage)—includes these key advantages:
Perpetual License
When you purchase Melanie, you’re buying a perpetual license, removing recurring payment worries. Continue using the software indefinitely after your 2-year maintenance period expires, with access to the most up-to-date version from that time. Should you wish to extend your maintenance, renewal licenses are available for another 2 years.
2 Years of Software Updates
Stay ahead with 2 years of free software updates. Benefit from both minor and major version upgrades, ensuring you’re always equipped with the latest tools for your research.
2 Years of Expert-Led, Direct Technical Support
Receive immediate support from the core Melanie team via various channels like e-mail, phone, and online meeting tools. There are no middlemen, hence quicker service. Post-maintenance, we aim to provide continued, albeit lower-priority, support.
Comprehensive Training
Enjoy customized online training, flexible in both format and subject matter, set on your own timetable. Cover essential areas from experimental design through data analysis to reporting. Post-training, we offer an exclusive review session to jointly assess your initial independent analysis. This proactive step allows for early clarification of misunderstandings and ensures participants are proficient in routine image analysis.
Image Quality Review
Optimize your research by sending us typical images for a free quality review. We’ll advise on device settings and file formats to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Free Viewer Functionality to Share Your Work
Easily share your work and scientific discoveries. Any collaborator who has Melanie installed, even without a license, can view the results of an analysis performed with the licensed software.
3-month Lease Licenses
All Melanie versions are also available with 3-month lease terms, including software access, free upgrades, and technical support. Training is capped at four hours per module and excludes project reviews. After the lease expires, core functionality such as spot detection, gel matching, and data editing is disabled, but results can still be accessed using Melanie’s free viewer functionality.
For ongoing use, additional 3-month lease extensions allow continued full functionality for 6, 9 months, or longer. If a perpetual license isn’t in your budget and you only need the software for occasional projects, the 3-month lease is a flexible alternative. You can start with a lease and upgrade to a perpetual license at any time.
Node-locked and Floating licenses
Our perpetual licenses come in two flavors: node-locked and floating. Floating licenses offer greater flexibility at a moderate additional cost. Lease licenses are only available as node-locked licenses.
All License Options
In this table, we summarize our different license options:
| 3-month Lease | Perpetual Node-locked | Perpetual Floating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appropriate for | Users who require Melanie only for a given project and time period | Non-networked system environments or users who require constant availability of Melanie | Customers wanting to share any number of software licenses between multiple users who require Melanie infrequently or for short or irregular periods |
| Computer on which Melanie can be used | fixed | fixed | any computer in same network as license server |
| Number of concurrent users | 1 | 1* | any** |
| Use of all software functionality | 3 months*** | unlimited | unlimited |
| Free upgrades and support | duration of lease | 2 years | 2 years |
| Available product versions | Classic, DIGE, Coverage, Package | Classic, DIGE, Coverage, Package | Classic, DIGE, Coverage, Package |
* Additional licenses are available at a discounted price.
** Limited to the purchased number of users.
*** After the lease expires, results can be accessed using Melanie’s free viewer functionality.
Schedule a Free Discovery Session to Explore Melanie's Full Potential.
Curious about how Melanie can streamline your 2D gel and blot analysis? Our free Discovery Session is a personalized, interactive meeting designed to help you find the best fit for your research. During this session, we can:
- Understand your specific analytical needs and challenges
- Walk you through Melanie’s intuitive workflow and key features
- Share expert recommendations to help you get started quickly
- Provide guidance on image acquisition, experimental design, and best practices for reliable results
- Answer your questions about the software, product options and flexible licensing
- Explain the two trial options so you can evaluate Melanie with your own gel or blot images
This is more than just a demo—it is an opportunity to get tailored advice and see first-hand how Melanie can benefit your research. Book your Discovery Session today and take the first step towards more accurate, efficient analysis!
Your Questions About Melanie 9.3—Answered
We’ve compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions to help you get started with confidence. If you don’t see your question here, book your Discovery Session so we can give you a personalized answer.
What’s new in Melanie 9.3 compared to previous versions?
Melanie 9.3 introduces multichannel color overlays for enhanced visualization, and supports streamlined metadata management with image aliases and direct Excel imports. Projects can now be saved in a shared folder with concurrent access management, enabling seamless collaboration with team members. A comprehensive audit trail and data integrity checks facilitate compliance with standards such as FDA 21 CFR Part 11, ensuring traceability, accountability and data integrity. Spot labels are now also available in 3D view, enhancing result presentation, particularly for charge variant analysis. Version 9.3 adds support for 16-bit float TIFF (LI-COR) and SCN (Bio-Rad) images. New functionality in the Coverage module allows users to calculate coverage by volume and to visualize coverage percentage and range using an intuitive Counter chart. Melanie 9.3 has been validated for Windows 11 and will alert users when a new version is available. Finally, it benefits from numerous usability enhancements and defect fixes, offering an even more robust experience.
Can I try Melanie before purchasing?
Yes, you can download a trial version of Melanie to evaluate the application and see how it can benefit your research. Book your Discovery Session where we’ll help you get started and explain how to evaluate the software using your own images.
Does Melanie 9.3 open projects created in previous versions?
Melanie 9.3 is designed to ensure compatibility with projects created in Melanie 8.0.0 (released in 2015) and later. Projects created with Melanie 7.0.7 or ImageMaster 2D Platinum 7.0.7 or older versions cannot be opened in Melanie 9.3.
How can I upgrade from a previous version?
If you have an active maintenance (generally two years), the upgrade process is quick and seamless. First, make sure your license is still under maintenance and supports this release. If your maintenance has expired, contact us to renew it and get access to the latest features, enhancements and fixes in Melanie 9.3.
To upgrade, simply download Melanie 9.3, uninstall the previous version and install the new one. As long as you don’t manually delete any files or folders, all your data, preferences and license files will be preserved, so you can continue your work without interruption.
Do I need a new license for Melanie 9.3?
If the maintenance period of your current license is still active, no new license is needed. If your maintenance period has expired, contact us to renew it and regain access to the latest features, improvements, and support.
What type of licenses do you offer?
We offer perpetual node-locked and floating licenses, and three-month lease licenses. We explain the differences here.
What are Melanie's system requirements?
Before downloading and installing Melanie, you may want to check that your system meets the following requirements:
- Windows® 10 or 11 operating systems.
- Administrative privileges to install Melanie, the license server, and the license.
- Minimum 8 GB of RAM. Increased memory enhances the performance when many and/or large images are analyzed.
- Minimum 24-bit color resolution and 1024 x 768 screen resolution.
- Browser to view the software documentation and access databases on the web. Recent versions of Microsoft® Edge, Google Chrome™ or Mozilla™ Firefox™ are recommended.
- Mouse with scroll function.
What if I have more questions about Melanie?
If you didn’t find an answer to your questions, you can book a Discovery Session so we can give you a personalized answer.