title: A closed-cycle capillary polymerase chain reaction machine.
abstract: A novel thermocycling machine based on a microcapillary equipped with bidirectional pressure-driven flow and in situ optical position sensors is described. A 1-microL droplet of reaction mixture moves between three heat zones in a 1-mm-i.d., oil-filled capillary using a multielement scattered light detector and active feedback. Dwell times and accelerations can be adjusted independently. As a demonstration of the device, 30 cycles of a 500-base pair product were performed in 23 min with 78% amplification efficiency. This result compares well with previous high-speed thermocyclers. Theoretically, the arrangement can approach a time of 2.5 min for 30 cycle amplifications of a 500-base pair product.
authors.affiliation: Whitehead Institute, 9 Cambridge Center, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chiou
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Matsudaira
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sonin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ehrlich
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D013995:Time
chemical_list: D004247:DNA