Bibby Scientific Launches the World’s Smallest Gradient Thermal Cycler

Joining the Techne range of personal thermal cyclers from Bibby Scientific – the TC-3000G gradient model enables eight different temperatures to be tested simultaneously, within a small footprint of only 17 x 33 cm.

With the same expanded capacity as the TC-3000X, the TC-3000G gradient thermal cycler has two block options, which are easily interchangeable by the user. The 48-well thermal block is arranged to provide eight columns for temperature optimisation and six rows for optimising reagents and primer concentrations. Annealing temperatures, at which primers bind to DNA templates, can be optimised over a 15 °C gradient between 20 and 80 °C, and the heating rate of 3.3 °C per second is the fastest of all 48-well cyclers in the market, including gradient units.

Rob Skehens, Marketing Director, Bibby Scientific, comments: ‘The TC-3000G will prove the ideal solution for life science and molecular biology laboratories needing to optimise annealing temperatures for their PCR reactions, where throughput is insufficient to justify the expense of a 96-well gradient system. The Techne brand is known for innovation, and rotating the 48-well block through 90 degrees has enabled a wider range of temperatures to be applied, across eight rather than only six columns. In a further benefit for labs short on bench space, the additional functionality is contained within the same small footprint of the other models in the TC-3000 range, making this the world’s smallest gradient thermal cycler.’

The 30 x 0.5 ml thermal block option offers significantly greater capacity than the usual 12 or 20 tubes of this size. The fully height-adjustable heated lid of the TC-3000G gives researchers the widest possible choice of consumables, including Techne’s 24 and 48-well plates and 8-tube strips. Intuitive software with speed dial functionality facilitates fast program location and, utilising the USB connection, one standalone unit or up to 32 cyclers linked together can be controlled by Techne’s free Gensoft PC software.