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PikoReal

PikoReal Real-Time PCR System

NEW! - Thermo Scientific PikoReal Real-Time PCR System

PikoReal Real-Time PCR System

The PikoReal Real-Time PCR System is designed to fit into your lab, even when bench-top space is limited. Offering an exceptionally small footprint this qPCR instrument is ideal for personal use and light enough for field applications. PikoReal also delivers innovative features and outstanding performance, and is part of the complete qPCR workflow offered by Thermo Scientific that includes, sample preparation, nucleic acid extraction, DNA/RNA analysis and qPCR assays and reagents.

Features

Fast and uniform heating and heat removal gives superior performance

The unique patent pending block design of PikoReal ensures quick heating and heat removal across the whole plate. Temperature homogeneity is superior at all three stages of thermal cycling, with target temperatures being achieved rapidly. The combination of block design and UTW plastics guarantees uniformity of data regardless of your application or protocol.

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Tm Value Uniformity and Cq Value Uniformity

Figure 1: Tm value uniformity and Cq value uniformity.

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Block and Heatsink

Figure 2: Block and heatsink

A five channel optical system brings multiplexing and flexibility to your experiments

The optical system of PikoReal contains five channels, pre-calibrated for the most common dyes. Multiplexing can be performed with four dyes; the fifth channel is dedicated to SYBR Green and HRM experiments.

The five long-lasting LEDs used as the instruments' light source emit constant and stable light over a broad spectrum (475-640 nm) and require no user maintenance. Separate light sources of different excitation wavelengths reduce crosstalk and focus high light energy levels.

Data is collected from all wells simultaneously with a low noise and high sensitivity CCD camera (520 – 740 nm). The scanning time for all four channels is less than 10 seconds, supporting the development of fast qPCR protocols for multiplexing.

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Triplicate Multiplexed Reactions

Figure 1: Triplicate multiplexed reactions

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Schematic View of PikoReals Optical System and Light Paths

Figure 2: Schematic view of PikoReal's optical system and light paths.

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Optical System and Light Paths

Figure 3: Optical system and light paths.

PikoReal software is intuitive to use

PikoReal software offers an intuitive experience, from programming your protocols and defining plate layouts to assessing your experimental results. Windows-based familiar functionality, pre-loaded protocols, visual step list, Virtual Pipetting Tool™, import and export functions, detachable views and many other functions get your instrument to work for you.

PikoReal Software includes an unlimited license, allowing multiple installations as required. The available software modules include absolute quantification, melting curve analysis, allelic discrimination, relative quantification and high resolution melting (HRM).

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Allelic discrimination

Figure 1: Allelic discrimination

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Dynamic Range

Figure 2: Dynamic range

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Temperature and Melting Curve Uniformity

Figure 3: Temperature and Melting Curve Uniformity

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Relative Quantification

Figure 4: Relative quantification

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Virtual Pipetting Tool

Figure 5: Virtual Pipetting Tool screenshot

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Convenience in use

Figure 6: Convenience in use

Green qPCR - reduced consumption, less cost and lower environmental impact

The unique design of the heating block and the small plate format offers significant savings in energy, reagents and plastics consumption. Save up to 80% a year on the combined running costs of your real-time instrument. Using plates that are a quarter the size of standard plates produces less plastic waste and reduces the cost of your research. The power usage of the PikoReal (max. 200 Watts) is only half that of a typical qPCR instrument which also helps to reduce the environmental impact. Low power usage is also a benefit in field applications.

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Significant savings in energy and plastics consumption

Figure 1: Energy and Plastics Savings

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Annual running costs of the Piko Real System

Figure 2: Annual running costs

Piko format – full compatibility in ¼ the size of standard plates

The PikoReal Real-Time PCR System is available as either a 24-well or 96-well instrument that utilizes proprietary UTW® Piko PCR Plates. These plates are a quarter the size of standard PCR plates but still maintain industry standards for well volumes and well spacing, thus having compatibility with standard multi-channel pipettes (both 8 and 16-channel) and liquid handling robots.

UTW Piko PCR wells are half the thickness (<0.15 mm) of conventional PCR consumables and help contribute to the PikoReal Real-Time PCR Systems shorter incubation times and data uniformity by improving thermal transfer between block and sample.

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PikoReal 24-well and 96-well block formats.

Figure 1: PikoReal 24-well and 96-well block formats.

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Piko format – full compatibility in ¼ size of standard plates

Figure 2: Piko format – full compatibility in ¼ the size of standard plates

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96-well PikoReal Real-time PCR System

Figure 3: Four 24-well / 96-well Piko PCR plates


Tm value uniformity (A) and Cq value uniformity (B).

Tm Value Uniformity and Cq Value Uniformity

Twenty four replicate reactions amplifying Lambda DNA (0.5 ng/20 μL) with Thermo Scientific DyNAmo Color Flash SYBR Green Master Mix were used to demonstrate the temperature and Cq uniformity across the 24-well plate. Tm values (A) or Cq values (B) were subtracted from the average value of 24 replicates and plotted by well position.

Block and heatsink

RTF libraries are effective across cell lines

The patent pending block and heatsink design enable fast and uniform temperature control for the entire plate area.

Triplicate multiplexed reactions

Triplicate Multiplexed Reactions

Triplicate multiplexed reactions amplifying Staphylococcus sp., Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus uberis DNA (100,000 to 100 copies/20 μL) and internal control (100,000 copies of Lambda DNA/20 μL) using Thermo Scientific DyNAmo Flash Probe qPCR Master Mix. Amplification and standard curves shown for each channel.

Schematic view of PikoReal's optical system and light paths.

Cross Section 1

The channel selection of the optical system is built on a motorized linear shuttle that moves to five channel positions. Each of the positions contains separate LED light sources, reflector, excitation filter, dichroic mirror and emission filter.

Schematic view of PikoReal's optical system and light paths.

Cross Section 2

Allelic discrimination

Allelic Discrimination

Triplicate reactions amplifying human gDNA (1 ng/20 μL) using ABI TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay for rs1061666 (Assay ID: C_1420362_10, Gene name: Hypothetical LOC339290) and Thermo Scientific DyNAmo SNP Genotyping Master Mix. The results are shown both on RFU-RFU scatter plot and on plate grid. DyNAmo SNP Genotyping Master Mix shows the three distinct genotypes, X, XY and Y.

Dynamic range

Dynamic Range

Triplicate reactions amplifying ALDOA from human HeLa cDNA (35 ng to 0.35 pg of total RNA equivalents/20 μL) using Thermo Scientific Solaris qPCR Gene Expression Assay and Master Mix. Amplification and standard curves shown for six 10-fold dilutions of template.

Temperature and Melting Curve Uniformity

Temperature and Melting Curve Uniformity

Replicate reactions (24) amplifying Lambda DNA (0.5 ng/20 μL) using Thermo Scientific DyNAmo Color Flash SYBR Green Master Mix. The graph shows the melting curve and its first negative derivate.

Relative quantification

Relative Quantification

Triplicate reactions amplifying PPIH from HeLa cDNA (5 ng of total RNA equivalents/20 μL) using Thermo Scientific Solaris qPCR Gene Expression Assay and Solaris qPCR Master Mix. HeLa cells were transfected with Thermo Scientific Dharmacon ON-TARGETplus siRNA reagents targeting PPIH or Non-Targeting Control (siNTC).

Virtual Pipetting Tool

Virtual Pipetting Tool

All experiment data is shown conveniently on a single page. User modifications to analysis parameters can be seen in real time.

Convenience in use

Convenience in use

All experiment data is shown conveniently on a single page. User modifications to analysis parameters can be seen in real time.

Significant savings in energy and plastics consumption

Green Energy and Plastics Consumption

A) Total estimated annual energy consumption of 96-well PikoReal vs. a conventional qPCR instrument. B) Estimated annual plastics consumption using 96-well Piko PCR plates vs, conventional 96-well microplates. The calculations are based on three qPCR runs per day and 1200 qPCR runs per year.

Annual running costs (% of competitor A)

Annual running costs of the Piko Real System

Annual running costs of the Piko Real System are up to 80% lower than with competitor A Real-Time PCR instrument. Calculations based on combined running costs of instrument (including SYBR Green reagent, plastic consumables and energy consumption) based on manufacturers recommended reagent volume.

PikoReal 24-well and 96-well block formats

PikoReal 24-well and 96-well block formats

PikoReal is available in 24-well and 96-well block formats.

Piko format – full compatibility

96-well PikoReal Real-time PCR System

Piko plates are compatible with standard multichannel pipettes (both 8- and 16-channel).

Four 24-well / 96-well Piko PCR plates

Four 24-well / 96-well Piko PCR plates

Four 24-well / 96-well Piko PCR plates are equivalent to a standard SBS 96-well / 384-well plate, respectively.