Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used to amplify small segments of DNA by cycling through a series of temperatures that facilitate denaturation, annealing, and extension. Building on this, quantitative PCR (qPCR) couples DNA amplification with concentration quantitation in real time. When purchasing technology for PCR and qPCR, consider the accuracy of the temperature and fluorescence measurements, and the robustness of the instrument as it will be running for long periods of time. For a list of manufacturers, see our online directory: LabManager.com/pcr-manufacturers
6 Questions to Ask When Buying a Thermal Cycler:
- How many samples can the instrument run at a time and can it run more than one protocol simultaneously to increase throughput?
- Can the heating block be swapped to accommodate different vessel sizes (e.g., 0.2 mL or 0.5 mL)?
- Is the instrument user-friendly?
- Does the instrument come with software?
- What is the thermal cyclers ramp rate?
- How much space will the instrument take up in your lab?
