Principle

• Half the size • Half the price • Twice the speed • Licensed for PCR

Piko, inspired by the Italian word “piccolo,” meaning tiny, aptly describes the new PCR system of Finnzymes.  At less than half the size of the smallest thermal cyclers on the market, this instrument relies upon our Piko PCR Plates to achieve such compactness.  The Piko Thermal Cycler can complete a PCR protocol in less than 10 minutes.  And with an automatic motorized lid, the CD drive-like loading of vessels, and multiple block formats, it is a natural fit for any lab.

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Uniformity of Piko Thermal Cycler

Fast settling time

The Piko cycler’s best-in-class thermal performance is characterized by near-perfect uniformity and quick settling times. Fast settling time is clearly shown by the steep slope of the block non-uniformity trace (solid red). Our published specification for thermal uniformity (+/- 0.3 °C or 0.6 °C total spread) is marked by the dashed red line. All measurements performed with a 16-probe MTAS™ temperature verification system from Cyclertest.

Excellent temperature uniformity across the block

Block temperature uniformity of the 96-well Piko Thermal Cycler and another manufacturer's fast 96-well thermal cycler were measured at three commonly used temperatures for PCR. Remarkably, even at 95°C the Piko Thermal Cycler shows a maximum temperature difference between any two wells to be less than 0.4°C, as compared with a top competitor’s systems of greater than 0.8°C. Steady-state temperature measurements were performed with a 16-probe MTAS™ temperature verification system.

High yields and uniform results in under 10 minutes

A 25-cycle 2-step ultra-fast PCR was performed on a 24-well Piko® thermal cycler using UTW™ vessels and Phusion™ DNA polymerase from Finnzymes. PCR samples derived from each of the 24-wells were run on an agarose gel. Note the specificity and consistency of product yield, which is a result of the Piko’s outstanding thermal uniformity.

High speed and yield with the Piko Thermal Cycler

High Speed PCR With Human Genomic DNA in Under 15 Minutes

A 581 bp human genomic sequence (glutathione peroxidase-3) was amplified in replicate using UTW® vessels and Phusion® DNA polymerase with a 24-well Piko® thermal cycler.  Note that across the range of volumes (15 – 50 µl) the uniformity and yields are high with a minimal amount of variation from sample to sample. This is due to the Piko’s fast settling time and ultra-thin wall vessels that allow the sample to come to steady-state temperature quickly.  Phusion provides higher yields by utilizing both its inherent high processivity and its maintenance of high activity throughout the protocol due to its resistance of denaturation at high temperatures.  Total time for this protocol is under 14 minutes for the 15 µl sample and less than 15 minutes for the 50 µl sample.

More product in less time as compared with conventional PCR

A 2kb fragment from the Cathepsin K gene and a 245bp fragment from the ApoB gene was amplified in triplicate using 3-step PCR protocols optimized for either Phusion® DNA polymerase with a Piko® thermal cycler or taq DNA polymerase with a Tetrad™ thermal cycler. The Finnzymes High Performance PCR system offers a 69% time savings and much higher yields.

Low volume PCR with the Piko Thermal Cycler

5µl Low Volume PCR on a 96-well Piko Thermal Cycler

A 400bp lambda DNA and a 695bp human β-Glucuronidase DNA fragment were amplified in 5µl reaction volumes using UTW® vessels and Phusion® DNA polymerase with a 96-well Piko® thermal cycler.  The thermal cycling parameters were 98° for 0 seconds and 72° for 5 seconds (400bp) or 15 seconds (695bp), for 35 cycles, followed by a 30-second final extension. 4µl of product were loaded onto the gel according to the grid below. Note that the uniformity and yields are high with a minimal amount of variation from sample to sample. The total times for each protocol were 14 minutes 38 seconds and 20 minutes 37 seconds, respectively.

96-well Slidetiter plate representation showing which wells were loaded onto the above gels.

Peltier Technology

At the heart of the Piko cycler are the Peltier elements that provide precise control of the heating and cooling where the reaction vessels are placed. The Peltier elements are comprised of many pairs of p and n semi-conductor dice. To initiate the movement of heat, electrical current is applied and this alone results in the removal of heat from one side of the element and the depositing of the heat to the opposite side of the element – in effect a heat pump. Even though electrons flow through each pair of dice in opposite directions, they synchronously pump heat in the same uniform direction. By reversing the polarity of the voltage through these junctions, the electron flow is reversed. This changes the direction of heat flow resulting in either a heating or cooling effect to the sample.