Thermal cycler

Abstract

A thermal cycler (1) includes a holder (11) configured to load a reaction chamber (100) including a channel filled with reaction mixture (140) and liquid (130) having different specific gravity from the reaction mixture (140) and being immiscible with the reaction mixture (140) and configured to allow the reaction mixture (140) to move along an opposed inner wall, a temperature gradient forming unit configured to form a temperature gradient in the direction in which the reaction mixture (140) moves with respect to the channel (110) when the reaction chamber (100) is loaded in the holder (11), and a driving unit (20) configured to rotate the holder (11) and the temperature gradient forming unit about an axis of rotation (R) having a component perpendicular to the direction in which the gravitational force acts and a component perpendicular to the direction of movement of the reaction mixture (140) in the channel (110) when the reaction chamber (100) is loaded in the holder (11), and a maximum distance from the axis of rotation (R) to a point in the channel (110) is smaller than a maximum distance connecting two points in the channel (110) when being projected on a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation (R).

Description

technical field [0001] This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-043598 filed on March 1, 2011, and uses the entire content thereof here. [0002] The present invention relates to thermocycling devices. Background technique [0003] In recent years, with the development of gene utilization technology, in addition to attracting the attention of medical treatment using genes such as gene diagnosis and gene therapy, in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry, many products that use genes in variety identification and variety improvement have also been developed. method. Techniques such as the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method are widely used as techniques for utilizing genes. Currently, the PCR method is an indispensable technique for elucidating information on living matter. [0004] The PCR method is a method of amplifying a target nucleic acid by thermally cycling a solution (reaction solution) containing a nucleic acid to be ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0007] In the biological sample reaction device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-136250, in order to mount the chip for biological sample reaction in the device having a temperature distribution symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis, and to rotate the chip, a biological sample reaction is required. With a radius of rotation more than 2 times the length of the chip, thus device miniaturization is limited

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