INSTRUMENTS

Thermal Cycler (PCR)

The polymerase chain reaction is a molecular biology technique developed by scientist Kary Mullis in the 1980s. It allows a specific DNA sequence to be amplified exponentially in vitro, knowing only its side segments. Since it was invented, it has taken research forward in a big way, making it possible to analyse the basic molecule for life, DNA, simply and quickly. A machine called a thermocycler is needed to carry out the reaction.

We use a state-of-art machine, the Biometra TAdvanced Twin 48G, 230 V developed by the leading company Analytic Jena. This is a high quality and very flexible machine consisting of two metal blocks with the possibility of developing a thermal gradient. The high efficiency of this machine makes it possible to optimise time and produce a large number of results in a short time.

Spectrophotometer

Accurately measuring the quantity of a nucleic acid, such as DNA, is a necessity for performing most bio-molecular analyses. Quantification analyses are indispensable, for instance, for sequencing, which makes possible to find out the exact nucleotide sequence, i.e. the genetic code, of the material examined.

The UV5 Nano Spectrophotometer is suitable for this purpose and much more. The UV5 Nano Spectrophotometer is a newcomer in Mettler Toledo and is essentially a spectrophotometer with two different optical stations, one for measuring with the classic optical cuvette and one for microvolumes. With the microvolume station it is possible to quantify nucleic acids in solutions using a very small amount of product, without wasting valuable genetic material.

Electrophoresis

Agarose Gel Electrophoresis is a classic technique for separating DNA (or RNA) fragments of various lengths and displaying them under UV light. This technique permits to verify the presence or absence of a specific DNA sequence, which very often relates to important genes, such as those associated with disease resistance or phenotypic characteristics of the plant such as height, productivity and so on.

Here again, the quality of the equipment used is fundamental for the success of an analysis. Our electrophoresis equipment consists of the new Power Ease™ Touch 350W Power Supply and a set of Easy-Cast Thermofisher Electrophoretic Chambers, both manufactured by Thermofisher Scientific.

Growth Chamber

A 25 m2 growth chamber is available at the laboratory for cultivation trials involving research and development programmes for new varieties or improvement tests on existing ones. Inside it, all the environmental conditions can be set for optimal plant growth. Thanks to this and the micropropagation department, the maintenance and massive propagation of healthy plants is possible. As like as in a laboratory, this area also works with the maximum cleaning and safety measures required for a high level of standardisation.