Disposable PCR Reactor Module with Multiplex Fluorescence Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current real-time PCR systems are bulky, expensive, and limited in availability, making them inaccessible for widespread use in fields like microbiology and forensics, due to complex and costly optical detection systems that require multiple excitation-detection wavelength pairs for each well, increasing complexity and size.
Innovation Solution
A miniature device with a disposable reactor module made of glass and polymer, combined with a miniature thermal cycler, featuring a multiplex fluorescence detection system that includes a light source, detector, and optical switching device, allowing for real-time PCR monitoring using standard fluorescence microscopes, reducing costs and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional real-time PCR systems use multiple excitation-detection wavelength pairs for each well, then detection precision is improved, but device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple excitation-detection wavelength pairs into a single integrated optical detection system. Instead of having separate detection channels for each well, the system uses a single detector with optical switching to multiplex the detection of multiple wavelengths across multiple wells, thereby maintaining detection precision while reducing system complexity and size
Solution Approach 2:
The optical detection system is designed with multi-functionality to perform multiple detection tasks using a single detector. The system can detect multiple fluorescence wavelengths and can be applied to various PCR applications (genetic disease diagnostics, forensic science, evolutionary biology) without requiring separate specialized detectors for each function
2Measurement precision
If conventional real-time PCR systems use elaborate optical detection systems, then measurement precision is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable PCR chips that integrate the reaction chamber and optical detection interface. These inexpensive disposable chips eliminate the need for expensive, precision-manufactured reusable optical components, thereby maintaining measurement precision while significantly reducing manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses fluorescence labeling where a fluorescent probe copies the target DNA sequence. This molecular copying approach allows detection of the amplified DNA without requiring complex post-PCR analysis equipment, reducing the need for elaborate optical detection systems while maintaining measurement precision
3Reliability
If conventional PCR systems use large reaction volumes, then reliability is improved, but portability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the PCR system into a portable miniaturized device and a separate stationary thermal cycler. The disposable chip with small reaction volume can be prepared and transported, then placed in the thermal cycler for amplification. This segmentation allows the reaction reliability of large-volume PCR to be maintained while achieving portability through miniaturization of the preparation and detection components
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables affordable, portable, and flexible real-time PCR testing, capable of detecting gene mutations and pathogens, without the need for elaborate equipment, making it accessible to most biomedical laboratories.
Implementation Method 1
a non-reflective, thermally conductive substrate; and a layer of polymer on the substrate... heating and cooling the reactor module to allow the chemical reaction to progress
Implementation Method 2
directing excitation wavelengths to the sample to cause fluorescence emissions; capturing the fluorescence emissions from the sample; monitoring the chemical reaction by processing the fluorescence emissions
Data Source
AI summary
A disposable reactor module, monitoring/optical detection system and related hardware for, inter alia, chemical reactions including Polymerase Chain Reactions.