The Facility provides researchers with access to equipment for nucleic acid amplification, quality and quantity assessment, and quantitative PCR. Ranging from the more basic measurement device such as the Nanodrop to the more sophisticated droplet digital PCR.
More detailed information about each of the instruments, including all specifications and applications, can be found on the individual manufacturers' websites.
The Nanodrop Lite uses LED technology to measure sample absorbance at 260nm and 280nm with respect to baseline absorbance at 365nm. It provides fast and cheap quantitation of dsDNA, ssDNA, RNA and protein using the A260 or A280 measurement and sample purity information using the A260/280 ratio.
The Qubit provides relatively fast quantitation of DNA, RNA or protein using target specific dyes. Fluorescence measurements are more accurate than UV absorbance methods which can overestimate concentrations due to the presence of contaminants such as salts, proteins and free nucleotides.
Real-time PCR provides the technology to examine the accumulation of fluorescent products throughout the PCR procedure.
The Facility has a number of different qPCR instruments available for use.
Our most sophisticated system, the BIO-RAD QX200, uses advanced microfluidics to determine the absolute quantification of target DNA and RNA molecules. The combined instruments provide a simple and easy-to-use workflow with 96-sample throughput facilitating a wide variety of applications.
The Facility has two Applied Biosystems Proflex PCR Systems. Both operate with a simple-to-use touchscreen interface and are fitted with a 96-well block enabling sample tubes or PCR plate processing.
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