US 7,459,302 B2Granted

Side-wall heater for thermocycler device

AssigneeStratagene California

InventorsTaylor Reid, Roger Taylor, Larry Brown

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Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus and methods for preventing condensation on the interior surfaces of sample tubes which are being exposed to temperature cycles, such as during a PCR amplification reaction. In particular, the invention relates to apparatus comprising a sample block comprising a plurality of sample wells for receiving sample tubes and heating elements disposed in the sample wells for heating at least a portion of the sides of sample tubes (e.g., at least the portion which forms the head space after a tube is filled with a PCR reaction mixture). In a preferred aspect, the sample block is part of a thermocycling device for performing PCR and the side-wall heater is used to enhance uniformity and speed of amplification reactions. For example, by decreasing or eliminating condensation, signal strength jumps in a real-time PCR assay can be minimized as can reaction non-homogeneity.

Claims40

Dependent claims

A thermocycling apparatus comprising:

(a) a sample block having a top surface and at least one sample well for receiving a sample tube, said sample block having the ability to cycle between different temperatures;
(b) a sample tube having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being the portion protruding past the top surface of said sample block;
(c) a side-wall heating block comprising a heat-conducting material, said heat-conducting material comprising at least one sample hole for receiving at least a part of the upper portion of the sample tube;
wherein said sample hole runs from an upper surface of said side-wall heating block through a lower surface of said side-wall heating block, said sample hole alignable with said sample well, wherein said side-wall heating block is selected to heat only the upper portion of the sample tube, and wherein said lower portion of said sample tube protrudes past the lower surface of said side-wall heating block;
(d) a heating element disposed on or in said side-wall heating block, said heating element connectable to a power supply for activating said heating element to thereby provide heat to the heat-conducting material;
and
(e) a processor programmed to cycle the temperature of said sample block said processor also programmed to maintain the temperature of said side-wall heating block at a temperature that is greater than the temperature of said sample block while said sample block is cycled.

4 more elements

A method for heating the upper portion of a sample tube above a portion of the tube which is filled with a fluid, said method comprising:

a) placing said sample tube in a sample hole of an apparatus for heating an upper portion of the interior of a sample tube, said upper portion extending from the top of the tube to a point above a lower portion of the tube which is filled with a fluid, wherein said apparatus comprising:
(i) a side-wall heating block comprising a heat-conducting material, said heat-conducting material comprising at least one sample hole for receiving the sample tube;
wherein said sample hole runs from an upper surface of the block through a lower surface of said block, said sample hole alignable with a sample well of a sample block for a thermocycler apparatus, wherein the height of said side-wall heating block is substantially the same as the longitudinal length of the upper portion of the sample tube;
and
(ii) a heating element disposed on or in said side-wall heating block, said heating element connectable to a power supply for activating said heating element to thereby provide heat to the heat-conducting material, wherein said portion of said tube comprising said fluid protruding past said lower surface of said side-wall heating block;
and
b) activating said heating element, to heat said upper portion of said sample tube.

4 more elements

A thermocycling apparatus comprising:

(a) a sample block having a top surface and at least one sample well for receiving a sample tube, said sample block having the ability to cycle between different temperatures;
(b) a sample tube having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being the portion protruding past the top surface of said sample block;
(c) a side-wall heating block comprising a heat-conducting material, said heat-conducting material comprising at least one sample hole for receiving at least a part of the upper portion of the sample tube, wherein said sample hole runs from an upper surface of said side-wall heating block through a lower surface of said side-wall heating block, said sample hole alignable with said sample well, wherein said side-wall heating block is selected to heat only the upper portion of the sample tube, and wherein said lower portion of said sample tube protrudes past the lower surface of said side-wall heating block;
(d) a heating element disposed on or in said side-wall heating block, said heating element connectable to a power supply for activating said heating element to thereby provide heat to the heat-conducting material;
and
(e) a hot top for heating the external surface of the top of said at least one sample tube placed in a sample hole in said side-wall heating block.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/261,751Filed 1 Oct 2002 · us provisional application
Priority: 2 Oct 2001
Published: US 2003/0106682 A112 Jun 2003
Granted: 2 Dec 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B01L 7/52
Heating or cooling apparatus ; Heat insulating devices: with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different…
B01L 2200/142
Process control and prevention of errors: preventing evaporation
B01L 2200/147
Quality control, feedback systems: employing temperature sensors
B01L 2300/0829
Rectangular shaped: multi-well plates; Microtitration plates