Western blottingWestern blotting enables the detection and characterization of minute amounts of a specific target protein from complex protein mixtures. However, because multiple steps must be performed sequentially, the method is very time consuming and costly. This section explores strategies to make Western blotting faster, simpler, and thus more efficient. The procedure of some steps can be modified, optimized, and accelerated. This chapter provides an overview of the steps for which this is possible. We only consider simplifications that lead to equally good results as the classic method in terms of signal strengths, suppression of background, spots, and nonspecific bands.