As a product development scientist at 10x Genomics, I work to optimize the biochemical reactions in our products. Optimization of the times, temperatures, and number of cycles in each PCR is required to ensure highly reproducible
results for our users. Traditionally, PCR cycle number in 10x workflows is dictated by cell number, RNA content, etc., and running substantially different samples and assays would require multiple thermal cyclers at once. My colleagues and
I generated a set of Single Cell 3’ Gene Expression and Visium CytAssist Spatial Gene Expression libraries, which required 12 traditional thermal cyclers. In parallel, we generated the same libraries on a single run of N6 iconPCR, which
dramatically streamlined the workflow. We used the auto normalization feature, which automatically halted amplification in individual wells at a set threshold above baseline. Sequencing the libraries yielded very comparable data, and I
would not have been able to tell from which instrument the libraries were generated. Based on our initial evaluation, I'm excited for the release of the N6 iconPCR. (*N6 iconPCR is not a currently supported thermal cycler for use in
10x Genomics workflows.)
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