Patent ID: 7858365

Claim:
A thermal cycling device for thermally cycling samples of biological material, the thermal cycling device comprising: a microcard having a top surface and a bottom surface, the microcard comprising a plurality of chambers each containing samples of biological material and at least one primer; a sample block having an upper surface and a plurality of channels formed along the upper surface, the upper surface of the sample block being in contact with and supporting the bottom surface of the microcard such that the bottom surface of the microcard overlays the plurality of channels to form a sealed volume; a temperature control system operably coupled to the sample block, the temperature control system cycling the sample block through a polymerase chain reaction temperature cycle; and a vacuum device in fluid communication with the plurality of channels formed in the sample block, said vacuum device exerting and maintaining a vacuum within the sealed volume to urge the microcard toward the sample block to maximize thermal contact between the microcard and the sample block and permit generally uniform and consistent temperature cycling of the microcard.