Innovative
Maximize Well-to-Well Consistency through Innovative Optics
1. Equally excite all 96 wells.
Equal excitation of all wells—particularly in wells at the plate edges—is difficult to achieve in a rectangular plate excited by a round light source. Some suppliers’ systems scan a lower-intensity LED across the plate to excite all wells. Others rely on master mixes containing a passive reference dye that attempts to compensate for these “edge effects.”
The Roche Solution:
Equally excite all wells at the same time through the system’s high-intensity LED, which simultaneously transmits equal amount of light through the first set of 96 optical fibers.
2. Simultaneously capture the signal from 96 wells.
Simultaneous capture of signals from all 96 wells is equally essential to maximize well-to-well consistency and avoid sample bias. Some suppliers’ systems rely on a scanning head that reads the 96 wells sequentially, not simultaneously, introducing a source of well-to-well inconsistency because of the time lag in data acquisition.
The Roche Solution:
Simultaneously capture the signal of all 96 wells through the second set of 96 optical fibers, each of which is positioned directly over its own well.
3. Maintain temperature homogeneity across the plate.
Temperature inconsistencies across the plate can produce differences in cycling temperatures or “hot spots,” and thus disparate results, in different wells.
The Roche Solution:
Increase consistency through the LightCycler® 96 System’s silver thermal block cycler (driven by 6 Peltier elements), low mass electro-formed silver mount, and heated lid.