Real-Time PCR specificity and efficiency depend upon precise temperature control during the denaturation and annealing steps. For the highest accuracy, the temperature must remain uniform across the entire heat block, ensuring that all samples are processed equally. Most thermocyclers are large and demonstrate a ±0.5°C variation in temperature across their heat blocks, potentially leading to inaccurate results. In addition, they can take up to 15 seconds to complete each temperature change in a cycle, increasing the time to complete a qPCR run.
The Eco Real-Time PCR System overcomes these shortcomings with a proprietary thermal system that provides complete uniform control and quickly cycles form one temperature to the next. To achieve true temperature control, the Eco thermal system incorporates a precisely electroformed hollow silver block that is heated and cooled by a single Peltier device. The hermetically sealed hollow block contains a conductive fluid and two opposing agitators driven by electromagnetic motors. During PCR cycling, these agitators rapidly circulate the fluid throughout the hollow block, transferring heat from the Peltier device evenly across the block. This unique design virtually eliminates thermal non-uniformity and block edge effects, providing a new level of thermal performance of ± 0.1°C well-to-well uniformity across the 48-well plate. The result: higher PCR performance (tighter Cq, greater PCR efficiency, higher R2) and the ability to perform demanding applications such as HRM. In addition, this unique thermal block design increases thermal ramp rates to 5.5°C / sec., reducing overall PCR run times. Typical run time for a 40-cycle PCR protocol average < 40 min.