Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced the Applied Biosystems PowerFlex Thermal Cycler, a next-generation polymerase chain reaction (PCR) instrument designed to help deliver enhanced flexibility, precise thermal performance and improved productivity for modern molecular biology laboratories.
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Building on the trusted legacy of Applied Biosystems instruments, this solution is designed to help laboratories run complex PCR workflows with greater confidence and efficiency.
PCR remains a foundational technique across life science research, applied testing and DNA identification. As labs face increasing pressure to generate accurate results faster — often while sharing instruments across teams — there is growing demand for thermal cyclers that combine performance, adaptability and ease of use in a reliable platform. Featuring our latest block technology, the PowerFlex Thermal Cycler was developed to help address these evolving needs.
“Today’s labs are being asked to run more complex PCR workflows, often across shared instruments and under increasing time pressure. That’s where traditional systems start to fall short,” said Pawan Singh, vice president and general manager, molecular biology, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “With the PowerFlex Thermal Cycler, we’ve reimagined flexibility and performance together so researchers don’t have to choose between speed, accuracy and ease of use. We’ve also added support for fully skirted plates to enable lab automation.”
“We especially value the flexibility of running three independent experiments simultaneously, as well as the ability to set precise ramp rates in °C per second to optimise our protocols,” said Maria Lung, a research scientist at Xpress Genomics. “The intuitive interface and the option to easily share log files provide additional confidence and support.”
The PowerFlex Thermal Cycler is designed to help laboratories achieve more reliable PCR results, with benefits that include:
- Fast, precise thermal performance: With advanced thermal technology engineered for speed and precision, the system helps laboratories shorten run times while maintaining the accuracy and reproducibility researchers depend on. Its optimised performance supports confidence across routine and complex PCR workflows alike.
- Intuitive operation: A large 10.1-inch touchscreen and user-friendly interface make protocol setup and instrument navigation straightforward. Built-in simulation capabilities and AI-assisted Smart Help features guide users through setup and troubleshooting, helping reduce training time and minimise workflow disruptions.
- Flexible configurations: The PowerFlex Thermal Cycler is available in two models to accommodate different throughput and workflow requirements. A 96-well configuration provides broad plate compatibility to integrate easily into existing lab environments. For labs running multiple assays, the 3x32-well configuration features independently controlled VeriFlex blocks, enabling different protocols to run simultaneously on a single instrument and helping maximise bench space and efficiency.
The PowerFlex Thermal Cycler is intended for use across a wide range of applications, including life science research, large academic and core laboratories, biotechnology and pharmaceutical research, food and environmental testing and human identification workflows. The platform is also designed to support future expansion and evolving lab needs.