Rapid thermal cycling for sample analyses and processing
AssigneeStar Array Pte Ltd
InventorsHaiqing Gong, Yan Wen, Xudong Zeng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for thermal processing of nucleic acid in a thermal profile. The method employs at least a first bath and a second bath, the method further employing a reactor holder for holding reactor(s) accommodating reaction material containing the nucleic acid. The method includes maintaining bath mediums in the baths at two different temperatures; and alternately allowing the reactor(s) to be in the two baths in a plurality of thermal cycles to alternately attain a predetermined high target temperature THT, and a predetermined low target temperature TLT, wherein the bath medium in at least one of the baths is a high thermal conductivity powder.
Claims23
A method of thermal cycling for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of nucleic acid, the method employing at least a first bath and a second bath, the method further employing a reactor holder for holding reactor(s) accommodating reaction material containing the nucleic acid and the reactor(s) being in a form of capillaries or tubes or wellplates or chips or cartridges, the method comprising:
- maintaining bath mediums in the baths at two different temperatures;
- and
- alternately allowing the reactor(s) to be in the two baths in a plurality of thermal cycles to alternately attain:
- a predetermined high target temperature THT, and
- a predetermined low target temperature TLT,
- wherein the bath medium in at least one of the baths is a powder,
- wherein the powder comprises particles of substantially spherical shape with a diameter of 0.1 mm-1 mm.
An apparatus of thermal cycling for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of nucleic acid, the apparatus employing a reactor holder for holding reactor(s) to accommodate reaction material containing the nucleic acid and the reactor(s) being in any form such as capillaries or tube(s) or wellplate(s) or chip(s) or cartridge(s), the apparatus comprising:
- a first bath;
- a second bath, bath mediums in the baths being respectively maintainable at two different temperatures, and
- a transfer means for allowing the reactor(s) to be in the two baths in a plurality of thermal cycles to alternately attain:
- a predetermined high target temperature THT, and
- a predetermined low target temperature TLT;
- and
- an amount of powder to serve as the bath medium in at least one of the baths,
- wherein the powder comprises particles of substantially spherical shape with a diameter of 0.1 mm-1 mm.
A method of thermal cycling for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of nucleic acid, the method employing at least a first bath and a second bath, the method further employing a reactor holder for holding reactor(s) accommodating reaction material containing the nucleic acid and the reactor(s) being in a form of capillaries or tubes or wellplates or chips or cartridges, the method comprising:
- maintaining bath mediums in the baths at two different temperatures;
- and
- alternately allowing the reactor(s) to be in the two baths in a plurality of thermal cycles to alternately attain:
- a predetermined high target temperature THT, and
- a predetermined low target temperature TLT,
- wherein the bath medium in at least one of the baths is a powder
- and employing a reactor guard to partially confine the reactor(s) to prevent the reactor(s) from getting deformed under resistive forces of the bath medium and the THT when the reactor(s) is/are received in the powder.
An apparatus of thermal cycling for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of nucleic acid, the apparatus employing a reactor holder for holding reactor(s) to accommodate reaction material containing the nucleic acid and the reactor(s) being in any form such as capillaries or tube(s) or wellplate(s) or chip(s) or cartridge(s), the apparatus comprising:
- a first bath;
- a second bath, bath mediums in the baths being respectively maintainable at two different temperatures, and
- a transfer means for allowing the reactor(s) to be in the two baths in a plurality of thermal cycles to alternately attain:
- a predetermined high target temperature THT, and
- a predetermined low target temperature TLT;
- and
- an amount of powder to serve as the bath medium in at least one of the baths
- and a reactor guard, wherein the reactor guard comprises a confining means to partially confine the reactor(s) to prevent the reactor(s) from getting deformed under resistive forces of the bath medium and the THT when the reactor(s) is/are received in the bath medium comprising the powder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.