Description
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting market research to determine the availability of qualified businesses capable of providing a qPCR machine. The machine must meet specific requirements, including compatibility with existing assays and laboratory workflows, analytical performance, and software and data management capabilities. The USGS is seeking a system that can provide highly reproducible performance and standardized analytical outputs to minimize instrument-related variability and ensure continuity across federally funded monitoring programs and longitudinal datasets. Some key features of the desired system include:
• Compatibility with TaqMan hydrolysis probe assays, SYBR Green dye-based assays, and standard PCR master mixes
• Ability to quantify targets over a 7-log dynamic range with quantitative accuracy
• Support for multiplex detection of up to six fluorescent targets within a single reaction
• Independently controlled thermal zones capable of optimizing annealing temperatures
• Ability to perform absolute quantification, relative quantification, melt curve analysis, and allelic discrimination
• Integrated software for experiment design, instrument control, quality assurance, data analysis, and export of results