QX700™ ddPCR™ Systems: Sensitive, Scalable Absolute Quantification for Any Lab

The QX700™ family of Droplet Digital™ PCR (ddPCR™) Systems brings high-sensitivity absolute quantification and advanced multiplexing together in a single, scalable platform. Unlike real-time qPCR, which infers starting quantity from amplification kinetics and a standard curve, ddPCR partitions each sample into thousands of individual reactions and counts target molecules directly. The result is an absolute measurement that does not depend on a standard curve, with the precision to resolve small fold changes and the sensitivity to detect rare targets in a high background of non-target DNA.

This makes the QX700 System well suited to applications where conventional qPCR reaches its limits. These include rare mutation detection, minimal residual disease and circulating tumor DNA monitoring in oncology research, copy number variation analysis, gene expression of low-abundance transcripts, viral load and pathogen quantification, CRISPR edit quantification, and environmental testing such as wastewater monitoring, where partitioning also improves tolerance to inhibitors.

The QX700 family is offered in three configurations so labs can match throughput to need without changing chemistry or workflow. The QX700™ E System is a fully automated entry point that processes up to 48 samples per run, with results in about five hours. The QX700™ S System scales to 192 samples per run and adds continuous loading and random access for flexible, multi-user operation. The QX700™ HT System delivers up to 384 samples per run, with results in about two and a half hours, for high-throughput environments and core facilities.

Across all three systems, integrated droplet generation and streamlined software reduce hands-on time and manual steps, supporting reproducible results run to run and operator to operator. Advanced multiplexing lets researchers measure more targets from every sample, conserving precious material and increasing the information returned per experiment. Probe-based multiplex mixes and validated assays for copy number, gene expression, and mutation detection support fast, reliable assay setup.

For laboratories already running qPCR, the QX700 family complements existing workflows rather than replacing them, adding absolute quantification and single-molecule sensitivity for the questions that demand the highest precision. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Bio-Rad, Droplet Digital, ddPCR, and QX700 are trademarks of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.