Do you trust your PCR machine?

Most PCR protocols use three temperatures in the process, (92°C-96°C) denaturation step, (37°C-60°C) annealing step and (70°C-74°C) extension step. PCR cyclers should perform as accurately as possible. The displayed temperatures should be comparable to the actual absolute temperatures. The temperature uniformity (spread) within a block should be low. If a cycler does not perform to these criteria, one should know what the temperature deviations are. This information could then be used when developing a protocol, positioning samples in a block, or interpreting results.

The CYCLERtest multi channel temperature acquisition system is designed for dynamic temperature performance monitoring and validation testing of thermal cyclers. The CYCLERtest system has unique features and capabilities and is suitable for temperature validation of most instruments in the market. This includes thermal cyclers manufactured by MJ Research, PE/ABI, Eppendorf, Biometra, MWG , Hybaid, BioRad, and Techne. For a more complete list, or to verify that your cycler is on the list, please call ATR at (800)827-5931.

The CYCLERtest system has been calibrated against the NIST standard and verified by the Dutch Council of Accreditation. A great advantage of the MTAS the transportability of the system and offers "on-site" testing and "in field" validations, avoiding the need to send the instrument to a test laboratory. Test results are analyzed and reported by an automated process.

CYCLERtest's policy is that only trained and certified technicians are allowed to do temperature validations. CYCLERtest educates and certifies engineers for operation of the system, to ensure correct and reliable temperature measurements.

Test results are presented in a detailed report. MTAS offers three types of reports: "Compact", "Standard" and "Extended" which differ from each other in the amount of information. Secondly, it offers to include conclusions about the test results and recommendations for the future use of the instrument. The reports are generated in Microsoft Word, which comes standard with the MTAS and has the advantage that the reports can be treated as standard Word documents. An issue is that data in the reports cannot be modified, which is an important issue in GLP/GMP Quality Programs. The layouts of the reports cannot be changed and modified; CYCLERtest's policy is to have uniformity and reconcilability in the service. A copy of an example "Standard Report" is available on request.

A "Certificate of Thermal Validation" accompanies every test report. This certificate represents the results of the measured and calculated main parameters of the tested instrument. Tested instruments are qualified against three different "Thermal Performance Classifications". Class I means that instrument accuracy, homogeneity and ramp speeds are within the manufacturer's specifications. Classification II indicates that the results are not within the manufacturer specifications but are within the field specification range. All other results are specified as Class III.