icon16™

For labs running smaller NGS batches, the choice between data quality and workflow efficiency has always been a compromise. Fixed-cycle PCR treats every sample identically, leaving low-input or degraded samples vulnerable to dropouts or over-amplification artifacts that can silently corrupt sequencing data. The icon16 solves this with iconPCR™ technology: 16 individually controlled thermal zones with per-well, real-time fluorescence detection. AutoNorm software monitors every well and stops each reaction the moment it reaches its optimal amplification endpoint, not a moment too soon and not a cycle too late.

icon16 is purpose-built for labs running 1 to 16 samples per batch, including single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, cfDNA, and clinical or translational workflows where a failed library means an unrecoverable sample. Using a 2x8-well strip format, icon16 aligns naturally with how modern low-throughput genomics operates, whether you are working from a 10x Chromium capture, a Visium slide, or a small cohort of rare disease samples. It requires no changes to your existing library prep protocol and is compatible with all major commercial kits and sequencing platforms.

icon16 is not a stripped-down instrument. It delivers identical AutoNorm performance to the icon96, with the same four AutoNorm modes, the same per-well amplification curves, the same reduction in coefficient of variation, and the same elimination of post-PCR quantification steps. What changes is the scale, giving labs access to the gold standard in adaptive library amplification without needing 96-well throughput to justify it.

Key Features:

• 16 individually controlled thermal zones with per-well real-time fluorescence detection (iconPCR technology)
• AutoNorm adaptive amplification: each well stops independently at its optimal cycle endpoint
• No post-PCR quantification required, libraries are normalization-ready for direct pooling
• 2x8-well strip format; run as few as 1 sample up to 16 per run
• Compact benchtop footprint (W 30 cm x D 32.5 cm x H 21.5 cm)
• Compatible with all major commercial library prep kits, no proprietary reagents required
• Works with all major sequencing platforms (Illumina, PacBio, Element, Ultima)
• Same AutoNorm software interface and data output as icon96

Applications:

• Single-cell RNA sequencing (e.g., 10x Chromium workflows)
• Spatial transcriptomics (e.g., 10x Visium)
• Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing and minimal residual disease (MRD) detection
• Whole genome sequencing from low-input or degraded samples
• FFPE DNA and RNA library preparation
• mall RNA sequencing
• 16S rRNA metagenomics and microbial profiling
• Rare disease and translational genomics workflows