Combined thermal devices for thermal cycling
The invention relates to systems and methods including a combination of thermal generating device technologies to achieve more efficiency and accuracy in PCR temperature cycling of nucleic samples undergoing amplification.
1. A nucleic acid sample heating system, comprising:
a nucleic acid sample container operable to receive a nucleic acid sample;
a switchable fan;
a heat sink;
a heat spreader;
a first heating device;
a second heating device, and
a controller; wherein
the first heating device is configured to heat the nucleic acid sample to at least about a first temperature,
the second heating device is configured to heat the nucleic acid sample to a second and third temperature,
the first temperature is associated with a denaturing phase of a PCR process,
the first heating device is a non-contact heating device, and
the second heating device is a contact heating device.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first heating device has a first temperature resolution;
the second heating device has a second temperature resolution, and
the second temperature resolution is finer than the first temperature resolution.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first heating device comprises a source configured to produce infra-red radiation and the second heating device is a Peltier heating element.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the container comprises a microfluidic device having a microfluidic channel configured to receive the nucleic acid sample.