Revolutionizing qPCR with the IntelliQube®
1 Feb 2017
Array Tape® for IntelliQube®
LGC Douglas Scientific LGC is a global leader in the laboratory services, measurement standards, reference materials, genomics and proficiency testing market places. Their brand is born from the precision in what they provide for their customers and in how they lead the way in advancement in many areas of science.
The IntelliQube® from LGC Douglas Scientific is the first fully automated medium to high-throughput PCR. In this interview, SelectScience® discusses the technology with Luke Linz, Laboratory Operations Manager, and Cheryl Schwanke, Product Marketing Manager for Instrumentation at LGC Douglas Scientific.
Q: Describe the IntelliQube Project
The IntelliQube is unique to the market, and is the first fully automated medium to high-throughput instrument, capable of both endpoint and real-time PCR. It integrates liquid handling, thermal cycling, detection and data analysis. The IntelliQube® can do all four of these components in a single product, whereas most other instruments are only capable of doing one or two.
Q: What are the key features and benefits of the instrument?
The IntelliQube* is fully integrated, which is innovative and allows for walk-away operation in the laboratory, reducing the hands-on time.
A further key feature of the IntelliQube is Array Tape®, a single polymer strip which is replacing traditional plate-based PCR. The consumable is located on a reel, allowing for hands-free automation, with the system feeding the next sample array without human interaction. The Array Tape reduces the total reaction size to 1.6µl and provides an increased plate size of 768 wells, doubling a typical 384-well PCR plate size.
Q: Who do you see using this instrument and how will this help scientists?
We currently have several labs actively using the technology, with applications including: copy number variation testing, SNP genotyping and zygosity testing. Another key application area is animal health testing and pathogen detection, with the IntelliQube allowing analysis of a full range of pathogens from gram positive bacteria to viruses.
Q: What do you see for the future?
We see the IntelliQube becoming a mainstay in labs that do endpoint and qPCR because of its high performance characteristics with walk- away automation capabilities, especially as scientists want to increase laboratory efficiencies. We hope that it will allow laboratories to have their scientists focused on interpreting results and making new discoveries, rather than handling samples and reagents. We also see it becoming a mainstay in the agricultural market for qualitative and quantitative PCR analyses.
*For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
