Next Generation PCR Thermal Cycler Adopted by University Medical Center, Rotterdam for BRCA 1 Testing

Dutch biotechnology company Molecular Biology Systems(MBS) today announced that the Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam is to become the first customer for its revolutionary new NEXTGENPCR 1 thermal cycler which dramatically reduces current time consuming DNA amplification from hours to minutes. Erasmus made their decision having succeeded in amplifying the complete BRCA1 gene (29 fragments) in less than 10 minutes; work presented recently at ESHG.

The NEXTGENPCR 1 cycler employs 3 temperature zones with two heated blocks each. Zones are set to denaturing, extension and annealing temperatures. Standard microplates with samples embedded in polypropylene foil are moved between zones, where they are slightly compressed by the temperature blocks. This ensures sample mixing and optimal heat transfer. Temperature transition is practically instantaneous.

“Until now attention has been focused on the sequencing and interpretation end of the genetic analysis chain,” says MBS CEO and founder Gert de Vos. “Amplification remains a necessary but incredibly time-consuming task. NEXTGENPCR 1 changes all this – with ramp rates of more than 1000 degrees per second we can slash amplification times from hours to minutes and fit seamlessly into any lab routines and protocols. We are delighted Erasmus has shown this commitment to use NEXTGENPCR 1 for their important BRCA1 work.”

“Time spent on amplification has been an issue for us, but until the NEXTGENPCR 1 we could not see a solution,” says Professor Robert Hofstra, Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC. “The machine now enables us to amplify all 29 amplicons of the BRCA1 gene within 10 minutes. In fact, a 100 base pair fragment can be amplified in less than 2 minutes. As the time for amplification can be reduced 10-20 times, we can perform 10-20 times more reactions per cycler per day. Therefore, this machine results in extremely fast amplification. It also raises the throughput or reduces the number of instruments needed, reducing costs in purchase and maintenance contracts.”

In addition to speed, NEXTGENPCR 1 offers a range of other major benefits. Any plate format can be run – 24, 48, 96 or 384 well in the same machine. NEXTGENPCR 1 operates both as a personal cycler or can be run in tandem using a robot for ultrahigh throughput work. Energy consumption is significantly reduced to 50 watts per hour.