Moving heat blocks for amplification of nucleic acids

Abstract

An apparatus for thermally processing reaction material containing nucleic acid is provided. A reaction material is contained in reactors. The apparatus includes a reactor holder for statically holding the reactors; at least two heating means each being maintainable at a user specifiable temperature; and a transport means for positioning the heating means to make a contact with the reactors one at a time for specified duration. The positioning is conductable once or over a plurality of times for thermally processing the reactors between a plurality of temperatures.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for thermally processing a reaction material containing nucleic acid, the reaction material being contained in a reactor and the reactor being in a form of a tube, a wellplate, a chip, or a cartridge, the apparatus comprising:
 a reactor holder for statically holding the reactor;   at least two heating blocks each being maintainable at a user specifiable temperature; and   a transport means for positioning the at least two heating blocks to make a contact with the reactor one at a time for a specified duration, wherein the positioning is conductable once or over a plurality of times for thermally processing the reactor between a plurality of the user specifiable temperatures.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the transport means provides a linear displacement for the at leak two heating blocks. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the transport means further provides a rotational movement for moving the at leak two heating blocks in a circular path, and the rotational movement is about a common axis for the at least two heating blocks. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the circular path is in a vertical plane. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the circular path is in a horizontal plane. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the contact is made when the reactor gets inserted into a plurality of cavities in at least one of the heating blocks, a shape of the plurality of cavities is substantially conformal with at least a lower portion of the reactor. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least two heating blocks comprise a thermally conductive elastomeric material. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the thermally conductive elastomeric material is silicone or rubber. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least two heating blocks each comprises a porous metal wherein a plurality of voids of the porous metal are filled by a thermally conductive liquid. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the at least two heating blocks each comprises:
 a first portion coupled to the transport means; and   a second portion removably coupled to the first portion, wherein the second portion accommodates the plurality of cavities.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the at least two heating blocks each comprises:
 at least one injector means, wherein the injector means provides a pressure on the reactor to release the contact in an operation, before the reactor separates out of the at least two heating blocks.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the injector means accesses the reactor via a through hole in each of the at least two heating blocks. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two heating blocks is a solid metallic block. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two heating blocks is a hollow metallic block capable of accommodating a heating medium. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a fluorescence imaging means, wherein the fluorescence imaging means allows light to access the nucleic acid when the reactor is in contact with any one of the at least two heating blocks or is in air outside the at least two heating blocks.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of at least one of the at least
 two heating blocks is transparent to light for a fluorescent imaging of the reaction material while the reactor is in the contact with the at least one of the at least two heating blocks.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein each one of the at least two heating blocks is at least partially made of a transparent material that is in contact with a transparent electrical conductive layer for enabling a resistive heating. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  comprising a temperature sensor means or a time sensor means to determine the specified duration. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the temperature sensor means is located to sense a real-time temperature in a sample reactor containing the reaction material. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus according to  claim 18  further comprising a calibration means for a user to calibrate the time sensor means. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least two heating blocks each comprises:
 a first heating block, wherein the reactor is allowed to attain a predetermined high target temperature T HT  in the first heating block, the predetermined high target temperature T HT  is in a region of 85-99 degree Celsius for a denaturation of the nucleic acid; and   a second heating block, wherein the reactor is allowed to attain a predetermined low target temperature T LT  in the second heating block, the predetermined low target temperature T LT  is in a region of 45-75 degree Celsius for annealing of primers or probes onto the nucleic acid or for a primer extension;   wherein, the first and the second heating blocks are for a thermal cycling of the reactor to attain a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification or primer extension.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the reactor is allowed to thermally stabilize in any one of the at least two heating blocks. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two heating blocks is capable of providing temperatures with programmable ramp up or ramp down characteristics. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the user specifiable temperatures at T H  and T L  such that in the specified duration the reactor alternately attains:
 a predetermined high target temperature T HT , and   a predetermined low target temperature T LT ,   
       while the apparatus adapts to a temperature-offset feature defined by at least one condition selected from the group consisting of:
 a) the T HT  is lower than the T H , and 
 b) the T LT  is higher than the T L . 
 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus according to  claim 24 , wherein at least one condition is selectable from the group consisting of:
 a) the T H  is above 100 degrees Celsius, and   b) the T L  is lower than a room temperature.