Douglas Scientific® Webinar Outlines Comparisons of Varied qPCR Instruments
Yorba Linda, CA (PRWEB) August 27, 2015 -- Workflow in labs has greatly benefitted from the burgeoning array of instruments available for quantitative PCR (qPCR) in the last decade. New features such as multiplexing, microfluidics, and integration with liquid-handling automation foster higher throughput and reduced operating costs. On the flipside, where do lab managers, technicians, and researchers find handy metrics to compare and judge the performance of new technologies, features, and specifications being phased in to replace outmoded platforms?
Gaining a solid grasp of the essential metrics of an instrument’s performance will be key for sizing up platforms to optimally meet the needs of a laboratory’s application focus and assay requirements. In a perfect world, instrument vendors would routinely conform to precise standards for defining and assessing performance characteristics of qPCR instruments and methods would be adequately documented in the product literature. We’re not there yet.
To provide clarity, Douglas Scientific is sponsoring a new, free educational webinar, “Characterizing the Performance of qPCR Instruments – Approaches for Assessment and Comparison.” During the session experts will define key performance metrics of qPCR instruments such as dynamic range, Cq uniformity, sensitivity, and resolution, and discuss their importance in practical terms. The speakers are Mikael Kubista, PhD, founder and CEO, TATAA Biocenter, and head of the Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and Ross Higgins, MBA, Business Development Executive, Douglas Scientific. Using data from characterization and verification studies performed on the IntelliQube© instrument from Douglas Scientific, the speakers will review approaches to evaluating these metrics, including assays and software tools that streamline the analysis and interpretation of performance testing results.
Dr. Kubista was among the pioneers responsible for the development of qPCR, and introduced qPCR for single-cell expression profiling. He led the development of reagents for high-throughput single-cell expression profiling and quality control at TATAA and developed qPCR tomography for intracellular expression profiling. Dr. Kubista coauthored the Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) Guidelines, and he is a member of the CEN and ISO workgroups drafting the forthcoming technical specifications and guidelines on the preanalytical processes in molecular diagnostics.
Ross Higgins serves in numerous capacities pertaining to the development, introduction, and growing adoption of the new IntelliQube System for qPCR applications. Previously, he worked in the clinical diagnostics field and oversaw the molecular testing laboratory at a rapidly growing CAP-accredited startup reference laboratory. In that role, Higgins and his team developed and validated new workflows and test methods that led to unprecedented throughput capacity and cost reductions. He maintains an ASCP certification as a Medical Laboratory Scientist.
The free webinar, hosted by LabRoots, will be presented on September 15, 2015, at 10 am Pacific Time/1 pm Eastern Time.
For full details and free registration, click here.
About Douglas Scientific:
Douglas Scientific LLC is a rapidly growing laboratory automation company staffed by a team of more than 100 professionals—with expertise in engineering, biosciences, automation, motion control, and other fields—that helps make the world a better place by delivering innovative laboratory automation.
About LabRoots:
LabRoots is the leading professional networking website designed to connect all science verticals. Founded in March 2008, LabRoots’ vision was to connect the scientific world leveraging a myriad of unique features and tools, discovering meaningful collaborations across geographic boundaries and fields of expertise. LabRoots is the owner and producer of BioConference Live – which has grown into the world’s largest series of virtual events within the Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics community.
Jennifer Ellis, LabRoots, Inc., http://www.LabRoots.com, +1 (206) 679-3228, [email protected]
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