QuantStudio qPCR

Revolution drives two QuantStudio instruments, and the integration depth is very different between them:

Device	Revolution control
QuantStudio 7 Pro	Full run lifecycle — queue, start, pause, resume, stop, retrieve results, drawer control, power state
QuantStudio 7	Tray in and out, and data file parsing

The specifications below are Thermo Fisher’s for the QuantStudio 6 and 7 Pro systems.

At a glance

Temperature range	4–99.9 °C
Temperature uniformity	0.4 °C
Maximum ramp rate	Up to 9.0 °C/sec (96-well 0.1 mL Fast block)
Block formats	96-well 0.2 mL, 96-well 0.1 mL (Fast), 384-well, TaqMan Array Cards
Dynamic range	10 orders of magnitude
Filter / colour combinations	21 on the QuantStudio 7 Pro (5 on the 6 Pro)
Run time	Less than 30 min

Specifications

Thermal

Temperature range, uniformity and run time are already given in the At a glance table above. Beyond that:

Heating and cooling	Peltier
VeriFlex blocks	3 or 6 independent temperature zones (96-well blocks)
Block size	22.5 × 22.5 × 7 cm

Maximum ramp rate, by block:

Block	Maximum	Average sample
96-well (0.2 mL)	6.5 °C/sec	3.66 °C/sec
96-well (0.1 mL)	9.0 °C/sec	4.81 °C/sec
384-well	6.0 °C/sec	2.92 °C/sec
TaqMan Array Cards	5.0 °C/sec	3.00 °C/sec

VeriFlex is worth knowing about: on 96-well blocks it divides the block into 3 or 6 independent temperature zones, so different cycling conditions can run in the same plate. That is an optimisation tool, and it means “the block temperature” may not be a single value.

Reaction volumes

Block	Volume
96-well 0.1 mL	10–30 µL
96-well 0.2 mL	10–100 µL
384-well	5–20 µL
TaqMan Array Cards	~1.5 µL

Blocks are interchangeable and tool-free to swap, guided by the onboard software — but Thermo Fisher notes the system ships with one block type and others are bought separately, and that blocks are released at intervals so some may not currently be available.

Optics and detection

Filter/colour combinations and dynamic range are already given in the At a glance table above.

Excitation	Bright white LED
Excitation / emission range	450–600 nm / 500–640 nm
Detection	CMOS
Data acquisition	Whole-plate imaging
Multiplexing	5 or 6 targets
Sensitivity	1.5-fold resolution; detect down to 1 copy

Dye compatibility as listed: FAM, SYBR Green I, VIC, JOE, HEX, TET, ABY, NED, TAMRA, Cy3, JUN, ROX, Texas Red, Mustang Purple, Cy5, LIZ and Cy5.5.

System

Dimensions (D × W × H)	52.5 × 33.8 × 54.7 cm
Weight	38 kg
Onboard memory	10 GB, approximately 450 run files
Touchscreen	12 inch capacitive, with real-time application viewing
Communication	Connect Platform, USB, LAN or Wi-Fi
External devices	2D barcode reader via USB
Configuration	Stand-alone, PC connected, or LAN / Wi-Fi to the Connect Platform
Electrical approvals	IEC, CE
Calibration	Engineer calibrated during installation
Data export	RDML, for MIQE compliance

Supported methods — QuantStudio 7 Pro

Running

• Start run / Stop run — begin and abandon a run
• Run template — run from a stored template
• Pause run — pause, holding at a given temperature
• Resume run — resume a paused run

Pause at a temperature is the operation that matters most here. A qPCR run interrupted without a hold temperature is a compromised run; pausing at a defined temperature is what makes an intervention mid-protocol survivable. Thermo Fisher lists programmable and manual pause among the system’s run-programming options.

Run queue

• Send to run queue — add a run to the queue
• List run queue — read what is queued
• Remove from run queue — take a run off the queue

The queue is what lets a schedule stage work without waiting for the block. Runs are under 30 minutes each, so a cell that loads plates faster than the cycler processes them needs somewhere to put them.

Results

• List completed runs — enumerate what is on the instrument
• Download completed run — retrieve a run
• Export results — export result data
• Delete completed run — remove a run by name

With 10 GB of onboard memory holding roughly 450 run files, retrieval and deletion are the pair that keeps an unattended instrument from filling up.

Instrument state

• Open drawer / Close drawer — present the drawer for a robot
• Get plate and block state — read whether a plate is present and which block is fitted
• Power up / Stand by — bring the instrument up, or put it into standby

Get plate and block state is the check to make before committing a transfer: it answers both “is the drawer empty” and “is the right block in there”, and the block determines the reaction volume the plate must match.

Supported methods — QuantStudio 7

• Extend tray / Retract tray — present and withdraw the tray for a robot
• Parse data file — parse a results data file

This is a plate-access and data-parsing integration rather than run control. Runs are started on the instrument.

Integration

The 7 Pro is reached over the network — IP address and port, or a URL — authenticated with an access key, with working and results folders on the host. The older QuantStudio 7 is addressed by instrument name.

Prerequisites

• The instrument must be reachable, and the access key valid, before the device is initialised.
• Working folder and results folder must exist and be writable.
• The block fitted must match the plate the method presents — check with get plate and block state rather than assuming.
• Protocol templates must already exist on the instrument or in Thermo Fisher’s software.

Device configuration

Property	Purpose
IP Address / Instrument Port	Address of the 7 Pro
URL	Service endpoint
Access Key	Credential for the instrument API
Working Folder	Working directory used during a run
Results Folder	Where retrieved results are written
Instrument Name	Identifies the older QuantStudio 7

If you need more of this instrument driven from a schedule, get in touch — the driver is extended on demand.