Using an IR lamp to perform DNA amplifications on an oscillatory thermocycler

Abstract

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with infrared (IR) heating is described. Comprehensive experiments of measuring temperature profiles during thermal cycling with various operational and geometrical parameters are presented. To our knowledge, our group is the first group to introduce an IR lamp, which costs less than USD $20, into the heating module that has been applied to the design of a continuous-flow PCR device. By implementing one noncontact heating module and one high airflow fan into the device, the DNA mixture is heated directly and cooled down rapidly to the reaction temperature. Results show that the maximum average ramping rates for heating and cooling are 1.73K/s and 1.26K/s, respectively. Through changing the moving speeds of the sample chamber during PCR, the required reaction time is achieved at three reaction regions. The repeatability and stability of this system are confirmed. Next a 385-bp segment of Coxiella burnetii DNA is amplified to evaluate the performance of the DNA amplification. Finally, the oscillatory thermocycler reduces the PCR time from 2h down to 50min. The unique architecture utilized in this device is well applied to a low-cost PCR system.