Rotary thermocycling apparatus
First Claim
1. A rotary thermocycling apparatus, especially for biochemical reactions, comprising:
- (a) a plurality of stations for receiving samples in a flat-bottomed container, each station having a flat heated plate on which said container is placed and having means to independently control said heated plate at a pre-determined temperature;
(b) means to move each said flat-bottomed container from one station to another station in a pre-determined sequence;
(c) at least two of said stations having a heating unit adapted to be lowered over a container located on said station, each heating unit being comprised of a section with a flat lower surface that is adapted to be lowered into said container close to but not in contact with the sample in said container; and
(d) at least one station, in addition to the stations of (c), having a spray unit adapted to spray a liquid reagent(s) into a container located at said one station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for carrying out sequential reactions, e.g., sequential biochemical reactions, and a rotary thermocycling apparatus especially adapted for conducting such reactions, for example, polymerase chain reactions, are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a plurality of stations, e.g., four stations, for receiving biochemical samples in flat-bottomed containers. Heating means are provided to independently control the temperature of each station, transport means are provided to move the containers from one station to another in a predetermined sequence, and at least one station has a spray unit to spray liquid reagents into a container at that station. The method includes sequentially cycling a sample through predetermined temperature changes and spraying the sample with at least one reagent.
52 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A rotary thermocycling apparatus, especially for biochemical reactions, comprising:
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(a) a plurality of stations for receiving samples in a flat-bottomed container, each station having a flat heated plate on which said container is placed and having means to independently control said heated plate at a pre-determined temperature;
(b) means to move each said flat-bottomed container from one station to another station in a pre-determined sequence;
(c) at least two of said stations having a heating unit adapted to be lowered over a container located on said station, each heating unit being comprised of a section with a flat lower surface that is adapted to be lowered into said container close to but not in contact with the sample in said container; and
(d) at least one station, in addition to the stations of (c), having a spray unit adapted to spray a liquid reagent(s) into a container located at said one station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for a sequential reaction especially a sequential biochemical reaction at different temperatures, comprising:
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(a) placing a sample in a flat-bottomed container;
(b) sequentially cycling said sample through predetermined changes in temperature by placing said flat-bottomed container on flat heated plates at each said temperature for a predetermined period of time;
(c) spraying said sample with at least one liquid reagent;
(d) controlling (i) the temperature at each station, (ii) the dwell time in each station, (iii) the duration and timing of the spray(s), and (iv) the number of sequential cycles for the biochemical reaction, said controlling of the temperature is at at least two stations and includes the step of lowering a heating unit over the containers at said at least two stations, each heating unit being comprised of a section with a flat lower surface that is adapted to be lowered into said container close to but not in contact with the sample in said container. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification