Thermocycling

Personal cycling

The Eppendorf (Westbury, NY) Mastercycler Personal is a compact thermocycler with a universal heating block, high-speed temperature control, heated lid, 100-position memory, and memory cards for storing and transferring individual programs between different Mastercycler models. Programmable time and temperature increments allow for hot-start, touch-down, and long PCR. It can accommodate 25 × 0.2 ml and 16 × 0.5 ml test tubes as well as microplates in a 5 × 5 grid. +1 516 876 6800 +1 516 876 8599 

Programmable PCR

A new thermocycler from Techne (Cambridge, UK) makes programming and saving complex protocols simple, even for inexperienced users. The Touchgene has a 115 × 90 mm touch-sensitive display that incorporates a full keypad and real-time graphical representation of the sample block and calculated sample temperature. Separate memory cards provide an alternative to the internal memory and secure storage of programs. +44 1223 832401 +44 1223 836838 sales@techneuk.attmail.com

Speed of light

Roche Diagnostics (Lewes, UK) claims it has developed the world's fastest thermal cycler. The LightCycler can complete a typical PCR experiment in less than 30 min and offers on-line quantitation and amplification products. This new machine has an integrated microvolume fluorimeter that takes measurements every cycle (20 ms), offering analysis options such as the detection of mutations. It also replaces the handling steps of post-PCR processing. +44 1273 480444 +44 1273 480266 

Sequencing

No tape or clips

New nucleic acid sequencing units, available from Jencons (Leighton Buzzard, UK), are quick to assemble and are ideal for horizontal capillary casting. The units no longer require bulldog clips and tape, thanks to a detachable gel-casting module. The construction allows excellent heat dissipation through the gel for linear migration, and an optional fan provides adjustable thermostatic control of the gel to reduce runtimes. +44 1525 372010 http://www.jencons.co.uk

Software suite

Lasergene99 from DNASTAR (Madison, WI) is a comprehensive suite of software tools that brings broad Internet connectivity to sequence analysis on Windows 95/98/NT and Macintosh computers. Lasergene99 supports BLAST searching from all analysis modules, and a gene discovery tool provides an Entrez query builder with direct access to NCBI Entrez for text searches. Its sequence assembler has a 64,000-read capacity to support the assembly of whole bacterial genomes, and is equipped with a trace quality evaluation system exceeding Human Genome Project standards. +1 608 258 7420 +1 608 258 7439 http://www.dnastar.com 

Project management help

GeneMill 1.5 software from Pangea Systems (Oakland, CA) allows users to manage sequencing projects efficiently, from registration to tracking to archiving, to increase throughput without sacrificing the quality of the results. With automated data management and an advanced design based on a centralized, relational-database technology that is easily accessible with Web and Java interfaces, GeneMill can eliminate time-consuming tasks such as record keeping, inventory tracking, and report generation. +1 510 628 0100 +1 510 628 0108 http://www.pangeasystems.com

Sequencing by CE

Beckman Coulter's (Fullerton, CA) CEQ 2000 DNA Analysis System uses capillary electrophoresis (CE) technology with laser-induced fluorescence detection for fully automated DNA sequencing. It features four-color dideoxy-terminator cycle sequencing with fast turnaround and high throughput, with built-in software to record accuracy determination. The CE methodology improves lab efficiency by eliminating plate washing, gel casting, and the tasks associated with loading samples onto slab gels. Operating in a 96-well microplate format, CEQ samples are format-compatible with Beckman Coulter's Biomek automated workstation and 96-channel pipettor. +1 800 742 2345 +1 800 643 4366 http://www.beckmancoulter.com