Featured Article
Please see our PCR Workstation / PCR Cabinet section to find manufacturers that sell these products
PCR enclosures are designed to provide effective decontamination of solutions, reagents, and equipment before and during polymerase chain reaction (PCR) manipulations in order to improve their accuracy. PCR enclosures, which include PCR workstations and PCR cabinets, are an essential addition to a PCR laboratory. They are available with a wide range of features and options.
How PCR enclosures work
PCR enclosures combine an ISO Class 5 clean air environment with UV light sterilization to minimize sample contamination during PCR manipulations.
PCR enclosures may operate as dead air boxes or free air circulation work zones, or as laminar airflow enclosures.
In laminar airflow PCR enclosures, room air is introduced at the top of the enclosure through a fan or blower. The air then passes first through a prefilter, where larger particles are trapped, and then across a HEPA filter. A purified laminar airflow from the HEPA filter travels across the work zone to the work surface in a vertical, unidirectional downflow stream, and then exits the work zone across the open PCR enclosure front area.
For UV light sterilization, PCR enclosures include a built-in UV light source. The UV light source allows the operator to sterilize tubes, flasks, and pipets between PCR manipulations and to destroy potential contaminants during PCR manipulations.
Purchasing considerations for PCR enclosures
Several features should be considered when selecting the appropriate PCR enclosure.
Application
One important consideration is the specific application for which a PCR enclosure is designed.
Purair® PCR cabinets from Air Science® USA LLC are suitable for use in nonhazardous applications in PCR labs, forensics, pharmaceutical preparation, and general research.
The 825-PCR and 825-PCR/HEPA enclosures from Plas-Labs™, Inc. are effective for operator protection against 32P labeled compounds, beta rays, but not gamma rays.
Grant Instruments offers the UVT-B-AR, UVC/T-M-AR, and UVT-S-AR PCR UV stainless steel PCR cabinets for carrying out short-term procedures.
Herolab supplies the CleneCab® and CleneCab plus® PCR workstations with bench tray. The CleneCab plus can also be used for radioactive labeling of DNA.
The PCR-060-HEPA and PCR-060-UV cabinets from TopAir Systems are manufactured of propylene and are used in the genomics, proteomics, molecular biology, and forensic sciences industries.
The Captair® Bio 321S, Captair Bio 321, Captair Bio 391, and Captair Bio 712 PCR workstations from Erlab, Inc. are available with a stainless steel work surface and an enclosure made of synthetic glass, which is designed to provide protection from UV rays.
Work area
Another important consideration is the available operator work area. Generally, a PCR workstation provides the operator with a larger work area than a PCR cabinet.
UVP LLC provides UV and UV2 PCR cabinets with interior dimensions of 19.7 W × 21.4 D in., and UV and UV2 PCR workstations with interior dimensions of 27.8 W × 21.4 D in.
Size of enclosure
Another important consideration is the available lab space where a PCR enclosure will be located. This available lab space will dictate the selection of a PCR enclosure based on its depth size. PCR enclosures are available in depth sizes of 24, 30, 36, and 48 in.
Purair PCR cabinets are available in three depth sizes: 24-in. model (PCR-24), 36-in. model (PCR-36), and 48-in. model (PCR-48).
The Optimizer PCR Workstations™ from C.B.S. Scientific Company are provided in a depth size range of 30, 36, and 48 in.
Airflow
Another consideration in selecting a PCR enclosure is whether it is a dead air box type of enclosure and is equipped with air recirculation or with laminar airflow circulation.
PCR enclosures with laminar airflow are furnished with a HEPA filter and a disposable prefilter.
The AC632DB and AC648DB PCR workstations from AirClean Systems, Inc. are available with a dead air box configuration and UV light sterilization.
The AC648LFUV and AC632LFUV PCR workstations are supplied with a combination of laminar flow and UV light sterilization. The PCR-060-HEPA is a laminar airflow PCR cabinet with a UV source, and the PCR-060-UV is a dead air box PCR cabinet with a UV source.
The UV2 PCR cabinet and workstation are available with UV air recirculation of the UV decontaminated air.
The UV3 HEPA PCR workstation and cabinet from UVP LLC are available with a three-stage filter: a prefilter that captures large dust particles; a carbon filter that eliminates gases, odor, and smoke and reduces ozone; and a HEPA filter that blocks particles down to 0.3 μm.
Some PCR workstations are also equipped with an airflow monitor.
PCR enclosures from Labconco are available with an optional built-in Guardian Airflow Monitor, which alerts the user of downflow velocities of preset range and HEPA filter conditions.
UV sterilization
The majority of PCR enclosures include a 254-nm shortwave UV source positioned as an overhead UV light. In addition, a PCR enclosure may include a digital timer for UV exposure, and an automatic safety turn-off switch of the UV light.
Labconco PCR enclosures are offered with a variable digital timer for UV exposure, with eight settings in 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 240 min.
The AC632LFUV and AC648LFUV PCR enclosures from AirClean Systems, Inc. feature a built-in 254-nm UVTect, which monitors the life of the bulb to ensure proper levels of irradiation. In addition, the system is equipped with an interlocking sash with a safety overlap to prevent gaps, and a safety switch that automatically turns off the UV light and activates the blower and fluorescent light when the sash is lifted.
The UV3 HEPA PCR workstation and cabinet are available with three UV sources: the filter area, the work area, and the UV/air recirculator. The workstation and cabinet are also equipped with a 30-min timer that sets the UV light for specific times, and with a safety shut-off switch, which automatically turns off the UV light when the door is open.
Options
Most providers offer additional options.
Representative PCR enclosures
- Air Science USA LLC: Purair PCR-24, PCR-36, PCR-48
- AirClean Systems, Inc.: AC632DB, AC632LFUV, AC648DB, AC648LFUV
- Airfiltronix Corp.: PCR-1000 Prep Station
- C.B.S. Scientific Company:Optimizer PCR Workstations P-036-202-XL, P-036-202-SSXL, P-036-02-XL, P-036-02-SS-XL, P-030-02, P-030-02-SS, P-030-202, P-030-202-SS, P-048- 02, P-048-02-SS, P-048-202, P-048-202-SS
- Erlab, Inc.: Captair Bio 321S, Captair Bio 321, Captair Bio 391, Captair Bio 712
- Esco Technologies, Inc.: PCR-3A2, PCR-4A2, SCR-2A2
- Grant Instruments: UVT-B-AR, UVC/T-M-AR, UVT-S-AR
- Herolab GmbH Laborgeraete: CleneCab, CleneCab plus
- Hamilton Robotics, Inc.: NIMBUS®
- Labconco: 3970205, 3970225, 3970302, 3970322, 3970305, 3970325, 3970402, 3970422, 3970405, 3970425
- Mystaire®, Inc.:MY-PCR24, MY-PCR32, MYPCR48, MY-DB24, MY-DB36, MY-DB48
- Plas-Labs, Inc.: 825-PCR, 825-PCR/HEPA
- TopAir Systems: PCR-060-HEPA, PCR-060-UV
- UVP LLC: UV, UV2, UV3 HEPA
Table 1 – Providers of PCR enclosures
Looking ahead
Since PCR enclosures are designed to provide an ISO Class 5 clean air environment with UV light sterilization, it is expected that regulatory agencies will continue dictating future development of PCR enclosures.
Providers
A list of providers of PCR enclosures is in Table 1.
Lina Genovesi, Ph.D., JD, is a Technical, Regulatory, and Business Writer based in Princeton, NJ; e-mail: [email protected]; www.linagenovesi.com
Please see our PCR Workstation / PCR Cabinet section to find manufacturers that sell these products