POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

C1000 Touch thermal cycler by Bio-Rad used by Westmead Medical Research Institute

Object No. 2021/118/1

This Thermocycler was used at Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR), the research arm of Westmead Hospital. It forms part of a collection of lab equipment typical of those used by virology researchers many of whom pivoted from their work on other viruses to combat the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Westmead saw the first cases of COVID-19 in Australia and WIMR’s virology researchers were among the first in the world to model and sequence the new virus. Thermocyclers are a piece of laboratory equipment used to amplify DNA and RNA in a process known as the Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR. The PCR is an experimental technique that can copy small pieces of DNA or RNA enlarging a sample and making it easier to study. It is also one of the main processes used when diagnosing viral infections. In the case of COVID-19 a Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR RT-PCR) is used to amplify the sample from a patient so that a nucleic acid test can be used to check for the presence of the virus. Laboratory technicians are looking for a specific ribonucleic acid (RNA) that allows them to identify the virus SARS-CoV-2 in the sample as this is the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. PCR testing is used to examine genetic material, a process that happens in most laboratories. Because it lets scientists look for tiny fragments of DNA it is used in a wide range of applications, including DNA fingerprinting, detection of bacteria or viruses and diagnosis of genetic disorders. The PCR process was invented by Kary Mullis in 1983 and since then become a fundamental part of genetic research earning Mullis a Nobel Prize alongside Michael Smith for their contributions to DNA based chemistry in 1993. Today integrated machines like the Thermocycler make this is a fast and efficient process, however early adopters of the PCR reaction had to perform the whole process manually, which was time-consuming. Many of the steps required moving a sample back and forth between three large water baths of different temperatures whilst constantly adding enzyme at each change. This is because enzymes denature, or break down, due to temperature fluctuations. Prepared by Andrea Balen, Curatorial Assistant, supervised by Nina Earl, Assistant Curator, 2021