Published online 28 June 2006
© 2006 The Author(s)
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commerical use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Methods Online |
Ultra fast miniaturized real-time PCR: 40 cycles in less than six minutes
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, #04-01, Singapore 138669
*To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: pneuzil{at}ibn.a-star.edu.sg
Received March 9, 2006. Revised April 28, 2006. Accepted May 24, 2006.
We have designed, fabricated and tested a real-time PCR chip capable of conducting one thermal cycle in 8.5 s. This corresponds to 40 cycles of PCR in 5 min and 40 s. The PCR system was made of silicon micromachined into the shape of a cantilever terminated with a disc. The thin film heater and a temperature sensor were placed on the disc perimeter. Due to the system's thermal constant of 0.27 s, we have achieved a heating rate of 175°C s–1 and a cooling rate of –125°C s–1. A PCR sample encapsulated with mineral oil was dispensed onto a glass cover slip placed on the silicon disc. The PCR cycle time was then determined by heat transfer through the glass, which took only 0.5 s. A real-time PCR sample with a volume of 100 nl was tested using a FAM probe. As the single PCR device occupied an area of only a few square millimeters, devices could be combined into a parallel system to increase throughput.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. Zhang and D. Xing Miniaturized PCR chips for nucleic acid amplification and analysis: latest advances and future trends Nucleic Acids Res., July 26, 2007; 35(13): 4223 - 4237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|