Water – Back to Basics for Thermal Cycling

Updated : Mon, September 19, 2022 @ 2:20 PM

It’s time to forget what you know about heating your PCR plates for end-point PCR. Water is the way to go. Where cooling and heating speeds in traditional Peltier-based thermal cyclers rely on ramping the temperature of a metal block up and down, the new Hydrocycler²™ - unveiled by LGC at both PAG and SLAS2017 this past month - only needs approximately three seconds to move reaction plates to the next water bath – and it’s all automated. This translates into 44% reduction with KASP chemistry and protocol. The water bath approach also allows the Hydrocycler² to hold temperatures more accurately with little plate to plate variation. These features lead to precision control and elimination of edge effect. ±

Not only does this automated water bath approach lead to higher throughput, but also higher data quality compared to standard thermal cyclers. Water bath systems such as the Hydrocycler² also are far more energy efficient relative to Peltier-based thermal cyclers. They generate very little heat – which in turn eliminates the need for any type of special air-conditioned environment.

Not only does the new Hydrocycler² take up less space, but it also brings about reduced setup costs and easier service. Combing throughput, efficiency and robust design to offer an effective alternative to traditional Peltier-based thermal cyclers, all while allowing labs to process more than 145,000 samples in an eight-hour day, only further showcases the Hydrocyclers enticing draw.

To learn more about the new Hydrocycler² click here.