A thermal cycler is a molecular biology laboratory equipment, used in the amplification of DNA molecules by means of the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technique, because it is capable of carrying out cycles of temperatures necessary for them to amplify. the DNA strands.
The PCR process is automatic and can be completed in just a few hours. This process is entirely driven by the thermal cycler, which is programmed to change the reaction temperature every few minutes making denaturation and DNA synthesis possible.
The thermal cycler is different if an end-point PCR or a real-time PCR is performed, since the latter must detect fluorescence and in different absorption channels.
The most common thermal cycler model consists of an electrical resistance block that distributes a homogeneous temperature (between 4ºC and 96ºC) through a plate for a programmable time. In some equipment, the electrical resistance has been replaced by Peltier technology (semiconductors), which allows greater homogeneity in temperature.