User guide

Perform the PCR
■
Choosing a thermal cycler ............................................. 58
■
Thermal cycle the Digital PCR 20K Chips ................................ 61
Choosing a thermal cycler
IMPORTANT! Due to the unique physical characteristics of the QuantStudio
®
3D
Digital PCR 20K Chips, the ProFlex
™
2x Flat PCR System and the GeneAmp
®
PCR
System 9700 are the only thermal cyclers approved to run prepared Digital PCR 20K
Chips.
The QuantStudio
®
3D Digital PCR Instrument can image QuantStudio
®
3D Digital
PCR 20K Chips prepared using the ProFlex
™
2x Flat PCR System or the Dual Flat
Block GeneAmp
®
PCR System 9700. Both automated thermal cyclers perform nucleic
acid amplification using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and are specifically
designed to run the Digital PCR 20K Chip consumable.
The ProFlex
™
2x Flat PCR System interface consists of a touchscreen that is used for
both data entry and display. The GeneAmp
®
PCR System 9700 interface consists of a
control panel with a full numeric keypad, soft keys, and a LCD display screen that
shows run information. Both the ProFlex
™
System and the GeneAmp
®
PCR System
9700 use flat sample block modules that install to the tops of the instrument base
modules. The sample block modules feature two flat aluminum sample blocks that
are designed to perform thermocycling of up to 24 sealed Digital PCR 20K Chips
simultaneously. Both sample block modules include heated covers that are manually
positioned over the sample blocks prior to each PCR run. The covers apply pressure
to the Digital PCR 20K Chips to seat them firmly and precisely on the sample blocks,
ensuring efficient heat transfer.
F1 F2 F3 F4
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
ENTER
STOP
0 CE
F5
GeneAmp
®
PCR System 9700
POWER
ProFlex
PCR System
1
3
2
4
5
6
3
ProFlex
TM
Ins
trument GeneAmp
TM
Instrument
1
USB port
2
Touchscreen
3
Heated cover
4
LCD display
5
Keypad
6
Power button
3
Compatible
thermal cyclers
58 QuantStudio
®
3D Digital PCR System User Guide