Things to know when choosing a Realtime PCR machine in Vietnam

Realtime PCR technique is widely applied in diagnosing human diseases, detecting diseases on plants and animals and many more. So what parameters should be considered when choosing a Realtime PCR machine?
Let’s explore with ABT Equipment Co., Ltd in the article below.

What is Realtime PCR Machine?

– Realtime PCR (Polymerase chain reaction-PCR) is a molecular biology technique applied in the laboratory based on chain synthesis reaction, in order to amplify DNA and quantify the desired DNA molecule in a period of time.
– What is Realtime PCR machine? Realtime PCR machine (or quantitative PCR machine) is a device used in the laboratory to amplify DNA and the reaction results are displayed on the software according to each thermal cycle.

Real-time PCR machine structure

Realtime PCR machine is composed of two basic parts, the thermal part, and the optical part – controlled by a software on a laptop.

Thermal part:

It can be understood that this part is a PCR machine with the ability to conduct thermal cycles at different temperatures in the range of 115°C -4oC precisely and this thermal cycle can be repeated from 30-45 times.
Currently, on the market, most manufacturers mainly use 3 main lines of heating technology which are:

Peltier heating technology, also known as thermal block – when you connect the copper and iron wires together, one end is dipped in ice water, the other is in boiling water, the movement of electrons will generate an electric potential and vice versa, the movement of electrons also produces a change in temperature. With this technology, the heating and cooling speed are relatively slower than other technology, it falls in the range of 3 – 6oC/sec.
The second technology is referred to as gas heating, also known as rotor heating. This technology can be understood simply as the temperature of the sample will be adjusted by blowing hot and cold air into the working chamber. With this heating technology, the heating speed is relatively faster than the heat block technology, it is about 15-20oC/sec.
The third technology currently being applied in the world, although not yet popular in Vietnam, is the technology using MBS microchips with a published heating rate of up to 1000oC/s.

Optical part:

The optical part is used to detect multiple optical signals emitted at the same time. Currently, there are three common types of signal acquisition such as: Charge Couple Device (CCD Camera), Photomultipiler tube (PMT) and Photodiode.

CCD Camera technology receives information by emitting a beam at the same time and records all the received signals and the software will analyze and separate the received optical signals.
Photomultiplier technology (PMT) is often used with gas band heating technology, this technology will scan the bottom of the sample tube while the sample tube is rotating. The emitted fluorescence signal will be transferred to the PMT detector of each well in turn, with a data acquisition capacity of up to 100 wells in 0.15 seconds.
Photodiode technology is now very rarely used in modern Real time PCR machines.

Abt Cau Tao May Realtime Ccd Camera — Figure 1: Illustration of a real-time machine using a tungsten lamp as the excitation light source and the CCD camera recording the entire fluorescence signal of the reaction tubes illuminated by the excitation light source. (Source: Realtime PCR and basic information)

Things to know when choosing a Realtime PCR machine in Vietnam

Engine capacity: Right now in the market, there are block types such as 8, 16, 32, 48, 96, 384, etc. Each model is suitable for different purposes of users: For example, running in the field often requires mini machines with 8 wells, 16 wells; The number of samples at the facility is large and stable, usually requiring the 96 wells, the larger capacity models are for the purpose of studying communities, ecosystems, human genomes, the capacity can be up to 480 wells.

Temperature gradient function: for facilities that need to optimize the reaction: this function helps to subdivide the temperature range to investigate and find the optimal temperature for bait removal.

Number of color channels: help detect one or more agents at the same time, at least 2

Kits on the market for multiplex typically use 4-5 color channels at an average price
6 – 8 channels: is a large channel system, customers need to carefully consider whether their applications really need such large color channels or not.

Uniformity and temperature accuracy:

Uniformity: is the temperature uniformity of the block at different locations on the same block.
Accuracy: the difference between the setting temperature and the temperature of the tube at the time of reaction.

=> The more uniform and accurate the heat distribution is, the more reliable the results obtained after the reaction will be.

Heating and cooling capacity: depends on the technology and the block material, affecting the entire reaction time.

Current block heating technologies mostly fall in the range of 3 – 6oC/sec: The faster the heating speed, the shorter the reaction time.
The smaller the heating capacity, the longer the reaction time.

User Friendly:

About the interface of Realtime PCR machine: it is possible to use the built-in touch screen on the machine to support easy operation, and viewing raw data directly on the machine.
The analysis software is easy to install and use: it allows the user to select and rename many samples in one operation, the analysis process is easy to perform.
Common consumables, easy to find equivalent goods when there is a shortage of supplies
Open system, no chemical lock

Not to mention another important factor is the price of the Real time PCR machine. Currently, on the market, depending on the needs of users, there are many different manufacturers and in each manufacturer, there are many models from mini realtime machines to large capacity lines, and the price also ranges from about 170 million – 1 billion or more.

Where to buy Realtime PCR machine?

Currently, on the market, there are many suppliers that distribute different realtime PCR machines, in order to choose a good realtime machine in addition to choosing the right parameters for your needs, you need to choose a reputable supplier to buy.

ABT Equipment Co., Ltd. is proud to be an official distributor of prestigious Realtime-PCR machines in the world: IT-IS, Bioer, Roche, Benchmark, DLAB. Our customers are veterinary breeding companies, aquaculture facilities, hospitals, clinics, research institutes, and universities,…

Why choose ABT: