Every lab runs a new panel on its own instruments, extraction method and sample types. A short performance check before routine use shows how the panel behaves in your hands and gives you a baseline for future lots. The outline below is a starting point. Your lab decides the scope and acceptance criteria.
1. Confirm the setup
- Confirm that your instrument reads every dye the panel uses. HEX can be read as VIC or JOE, and ROX as Texas Red, where those channels are named differently.
- Follow the reaction setup and cycling conditions in the product information sheet. Many panels run as 15 µL reactions with 4 µL of extracted sample; check the product page for yours.
- See running Bandit panels on your qPCR instrument for instrument-specific settings.
2. Run the controls
- Include a positive control and a no-template control in every run.
- For panels that include an internal control, check that it amplifies in sample wells. It reports on extraction and on inhibition.
- Set thresholds channel by channel rather than with one threshold for all dyes.
3. Look at the signal across a range
- Positive controls are typically supplied at approximately 10,000 copies/µL; check the product information sheet for your panel. A dilution series in TE buffer (pH 8.0) shows how Ct values change across concentrations on your instrument.
- Repeat the series on more than one day, or with more than one operator, to see run-to-run consistency.
4. Test your own sample types
- Run characterized research samples or contrived samples in your own matrix, using your own extraction method.
- Check for inhibition or background in the sample types you plan to use.
5. Set your own cut-offs and keep records
- Cut-offs for positivity and analysis must be established independently by each lab. The guidelines in our product information sheets are a starting point, not a substitute.
- Record the instrument, software version, reagent lots and results, so you can compare future lots against this baseline.
Our Field Applications Specialists can help plan a performance check, share plate templates and review results with you. Contact us to get started.