PCR has been a staple of molecular biology for over 30 years. But as Yann Jouvenot, Director of Product at N6 Tec, explains, no technology is ever too mature to be reinvented. In this walk and talk interview along the Martinez (CA) shoreline, we explore how N6 Tec’s ICON PCR technology is reshaping genomics workflows: reducing artifacts, unlocking discoveries at the margins, and giving postdocs their nights back.
The Problem with Overamplification
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized biology, but library preparation still relies heavily on PCR. While PCR is essential for generating enough DNA to sequence, too many cycles introduce errors and distortions in the results. Abundant samples may only need a handful of cycles, but low-quality or scarce DNA, such as from liquid biopsies, requires more amplification. If one demands more cycles for all samples, that increases the risk of duplicates and bias in some.
Overamplification can suppress the detection of rare or structurally complex sequences. This means that some species or genetic variants simply disappear from view if a sample is cycled too many times.
That forces scientists into a tough choice between two suboptimal scenarios:
Overamplify samples and accept the consequences: duplicates, errors, distorted representation.
Babysit reactions manually: pausing machines at just the right time, tube by tube, cycle by cycle.
The ICON PCR Breakthrough
Traditional PCR machines heat an entire metal block of wells at once, forcing all reactions to follow the same program. ICON PCR takes a different approach: instead of one block, it has 96 individually controlled heating elements with sensors—effectively 96 thermocyclers in the space of a standard plate. Each well can stop cycling the moment its target threshold is reached, while others continue until they are done.
I geeked out for a bit on the engineering aspect of this story. This design required immense effort to miniaturize components and coordinate heat, power and amplification detection for each well. The result is transformative: wells act independently without affecting their neighbors. One reaction can continue as normal, while the eight “cooler neighbors” around it have finished and are held at low temperature. Yann joked about “Cooler Neighbors” sounding like the name of a new sitcom.
Where and Why It Matters
Metagenomics: ICON PCR preserves diversity by preventing dominant species from overwhelming rare ones. In studies of soil samples, ICON PCR identified 5–10 times more species than conventional workflows.
Liquid Biopsies & Preventive Healthcare: As sequencing capacity grows, the bottleneck shifts to library prep. ICON PCR’s AutoNorm™ feature automatically normalizes libraries, reducing the need for individual purification and quantification. This saves time, consumables, and labor while improving downstream data quality.
Reducing Hidden Costs: Overamplification generates duplicate reads and useless data, which labs still pay to store. By reducing noise at the source, ICON PCR helps avoid paying for “garbage in the cloud.”
Looking Ahead
Yann sees ICON PCR as a key enabler for the future of liquid biopsies and preventive healthcare, where cost-effective and accurate sequencing will become routine. He also points to the broader promise of tools that let us see biological systems holistically, rather than through narrow markers. Just as early discoveries like Taq polymerase unexpectedly transformed entire industries, advances like ICON PCR may open new scientific and diagnostic horizons.
The Human Impact
Beyond cost savings, Yann emphasizes something often overlooked: the scientist’s experience. Postdocs have long wasted hours hovering over reactions, pausing machines to remove individual tubes. With ICON PCR, they can simply set a fluorescence threshold, walk away, and trust the system. That reclaimed time could mean more science or more poetry, music, and life outside the lab.
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