New Premium Hard-Shell Microplate for Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast and ViiA 7 Fast Real-Time PCR systems

Bio-Rad introduces new Hard-Shell 96-well semi-skirted low-profile PCR plates for optimal performance with a variety of real-time PCR systems. Researchers who are currently using the Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast, ViiA 7 Fast, and 9800 and Veriti fast instruments can now experience the benefits of Bio-Rad’s patented Hard-Shell plate technology. The Hard-Shell plates do not warp during thermal cycling and have black alphanumeric labeling to facilitate sample loading. The highly uniform thin walls facilitate efficient heat transfer during the thermal cycling process, helping to ensure reliable qPCR data.

These plates have been designed to work with a variety of sealing options, enabling scientists to select the sealing option that best fits their experimental workflow. Optical flat caps provide extremely tight sealing and help minimize sample evaporation with these plates. Additionally, the plates are validated with Microseal ‘B’, the optically clear seal with an aggressive adhesive layer for tight sealing, and Microseal ‘C’, a clear real-time PCR seal that will not stick to gloved hands.

The strong polycarbonate shell that distinguishes Bio-Rad’s Hard-Shell plate line is excellent for thermal sealing methods. Heat sealing, using instruments such as the PX1 PCR plate sealer, removes human variability from plate sealing. The line of Bio-Rad heat sealing films and foils permits negligible sample evaporation and can be used in many different PCR applications.

Fig. 1. Hard-Shell plates are specifically designed to withstand the stresses of thermal cycling. The two-component design provides superior stability and flatness.

Bio-Rad offers an array of Hard-Shell plates for many thermal cyclers. Each plate is rigorously validated to confirm compatibility with the desired instruments. Benefits of the Hard-Shell plates include:

• Superior stability and flatness
• Extremely uniform wells that reduce well-to-well variability in optical assays such as those used in real-time PCR
• Thin walls for fast PCR
• White-well option, which allows increased fluorescent signal strength
• Low-cost, user-readable bar codes to enable convenient database tracking
• Free of DNase, RNase, and human DNA

Ordering Information

Notice regarding Bio-Rad thermal cyclers and real-time systems:
Purchase of these instruments conveys a limited non-transferable immunity from suit for the purchaser’s own internal research and development and for use in human in vitro diagnostics and all other applied fields under U.S. Patent Number 5,475,610 (Claims 1, 44, 158, 160–163, and 167 only), or corresponding claims in its non-U.S. counterpart, owned by Applera Corporation. No right is conveyed expressly, by implication, or by estoppel under any other patent claim, such as claims to apparatus, reagents, kits, or methods such as 5′ nuclease methods. Further information on purchasing licenses may be obtained by contacting the Director of Licensing, Applied Biosystems, 850 Lincoln Centre Drive, Foster City, California 94404, USA. Bio-Rad’s real-time thermal cyclers are licensed real-time thermal cyclers under Applera’s U.S. Patent Number 6,814,934 B1 for use in research, human in vitro diagnostics, and all other fields except veterinary diagnostics. Bio-Rad’s thermal cyclers and real-time thermal cyclers are covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents or their foreign counterparts owned by Eppendorf AG: U.S. Patent Numbers 6,767,512 and 7,074,367. Hard-Shell plates are covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents or their foreign counterparts owned by Eppendorf AG: U.S. Patent Numbers 7,347,977; 6,340,589; and 6,528,302. LightCycler is a trademark of Roche Diagnostics GmbH. LightScanner is a trademark of Idaho Technology Inc. Mastercycler is a trademark of Eppendorf AG. Veriti is a trademark of Applera Corporation. ViiA is a trademark of Life Technologies Corporation.