Abstract: A reaction plate includes a welded plastics planar laminate consisting of an aperture plate and a film, the aperture plate having at least one planar surface and a plurality of apertures in the planar surface of the apertured plate and the film being attached to the planar surface of the apertured plate around the or each aperture by welding. The welding is preferably laser or transmission welding. A method of forming such reaction plates using diode laser welding. An apparatus is provided for handling such reaction plates including performing polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) or primer extensions therewith.

Abstract: The present invention provides a detection system for a PCR process using FRET which comprises at least two single-labelled Oligonucleotide sequences of differing Tm that hybridize to one another in free solution to form a fluorescent quenched pair, that upon introduction of a complementary sequence to one or both sequences generates a measurable signal, one of the sequences being of a Tm that is below the Ta of the PCR process, the other not being below the Ta of the PCR process.