The Cary Eclipse—the only fluorescence instrument for temperature-based applications

Significance of the Topic

The ability to perform precise temperature-controlled fluorescence measurements is critical across molecular biology, biophysics and diagnostics. Thermal melt assays provide insight into nucleic acid stability, protein folding, and biomolecular interactions, underpinning applications in drug discovery, food safety and genetic analysis.

Objectives and Study Overview

This report introduces the Agilent Cary Eclipse fluorescence spectrophotometer with the BioMelt package, designed to offer robust, high-precision thermal melt and temperature-dependent fluorescence experiments. The goal is to showcase its performance, ease of use and cost-effective operation for laboratory workflows.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Thermal melt experiments exploit gradual temperature ramps to induce fluorescence changes associated with biomolecular transitions. Key methodological elements include:

• Use of multi-cell Peltier temperature control for simultaneous measurements.
• Integration of intuitive software enabling up to 50 programmable stages per experiment.
• Real-time data collection via a probe inside the sample cuvette.

Used Instrumentation

The system components comprise:

• Agilent Cary Eclipse fluorescence spectrophotometer.
• BioMelt thermal melt package with multi-cell Peltier accessory.
• High-intensity xenon flash lamp (10-year guarantee, zero warm-up time).
• Integrated control software for ramps, cycles and data acquisition.

Main Results and Discussion

Performance highlights include:

• Superior temperature stability better than ±0.05 °C and cell-to-cell variation below 0.2 °C at 37 °C.
• Accurate determination of melting temperatures (Tm) for a 13-mer DABCYL-labeled PNA probe hybridized to a 6-carboxyfluorescein-labeled DNA strand.
• Enhanced sensitivity through proven xenon excitation, enabling fluorescence, phosphorescence, chemiluminescence and time-resolved modes.
• Zero warm-up operation reducing downtime and eliminating hazardous lamp changes.

Benefits and Practical Applications

This configuration offers laboratories:

• Reduced operating costs via extended lamp life and minimal maintenance.
• Streamlined workflows supporting open-cover operation and easy sample access.
• Multi-mode detection flexibility for diverse assays in life sciences, food testing and materials research.
• Scalable throughput by measuring multiple samples in a single thermal run.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Emerging directions include high-throughput screening for drug candidates, integration with laboratory information systems for automated data processing, advanced kinetic analyses under complex temperature protocols, and expanding applications in nanomaterial characterization and environmental monitoring.

Conclusion

The Agilent Cary Eclipse with BioMelt presents a powerful, reliable platform for temperature-based fluorescence assays. Its combination of precise thermal control, versatile detection modes and low operating overhead meets the evolving needs of research and QA/QC laboratories.