Microbial Detection and Quantification Using the IntelliQube® from Douglas Scientific®

Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) is the preferred method for detection and quantification of microorganisms. Evolving research has uncovered NAT methods which are increasingly accurate, reliable and economical. These methods are critical for their viability as part of future human diagnostics and food safety testing routines. To address these key needs, Douglas Scientific has developed the IntelliQube, a fully integrated liquid handling and real-time quantitative PCR instrument optimized for use with miniaturized reactions in 384- or 768-well Array Tape®. The study described here demonstrates the ability of the IntelliQube to process miniaturized reaction volumes reaction volumes down to 1.6 μL for commercially available NAT kits, while retaining detection sensitivity and dynamic range. The kits used in this study were obtained from Primerdesign Ltd, a manufacturer and supplier of quantitative real-time PCR kits for the detection and quantification of numerous pathogens.