The Thermo Scientific 24-well block format PikoReal Real-Time PCR System is designed to fit into your lab, even when bench-top space is limited. Offering an exceptionally small footprint, this qPCR instrument is ideal for personal use and light enough for field applications. The PikoReal® System delivers innovative features and outstanding performance. It is part of the complete Thermo Scientific qPCR workflow that includes sample preparation, nucleic acid purification and analysis as well as qPCR assays and reagents.

The PikoReal Real-time PCR System is a 24-well instrument that utilizes proprietary UTW Piko PCR Plates. UTW Piko PCR plate walls are half the thickness (< 0.15 mm) of conventional PCR consumables and, thus, improve the thermal transfer between block and sample. The Piko PCR plates are compatible with standard multi-channel pipettes (both 8- and 16-channel) and liquid handling robots.

The unique design of the heating block and the small plate format offer significant savings in energy, reagent and plastics consumption. Using plates that are one quarter the size of standard plates produces less plastic waste and reduces the cost of your research. The power usage of the PikoReal System (maximum 200 watts) is only half that of a typical qPCR instrument, which helps to reduce the environmental impact. Low power usage is also a benefit in field applications.

The unique patented block design of the PikoReal instrument ensures quick heating and heat removal over the entire plate area. Temperature homogeneity performance is outstanding at all three stages of thermal cycling- and, with UTW plastics, the target temperatures are achieved rapidly. This combination ensures uniformity of data, independent of application and protocol.

The optical system of the PikoReal instrument contains five channels, precalibrated for many commonly used dyes. New dyes can be calibrated by using the Color Calibration Utility of the software. Multiplexing can be performed with up to four dyes; the fifth channel is dedicated to SYBR Green and HRM experiments. The five LEDs used as the instrument's light source have a long lifetime and emit constant and stable light over a broad spectrum (475–640 nm) and require no user maintenance. Separate light sources for different excitation wavelengths reduce crosstalk and focus high light energy levels. Data is collected from all wells simultaneously with a low noise and high sensitivity CCD camera (520–740 nm). The scanning time for all four channels is less than 10 seconds, supporting the development of fast cycling protocols for multiplexing.

The PikoReal Software offers an intuitive experience, from programming protocols and defining plate layouts to assessing your experimental results. Familiar Windows operating system-based functionality, pre-loaded protocols, visual step list, Virtual Pipetting Tool™ Mode, import and export functions, detachable views, and many other features get the instrument to work for you. The PikoReal Software includes an unlimited licence for multiple users. The available software modules include Absolute quantification, Melt curve analysis, Allelic discrimination and Relative quantification. High Resolution Melting (HRM) will be available as a separate module in 2012.