Intersecting Channel Cartridge for Precise LAMP Sample Volume Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cartridges for conducting LAMP assays or similar reactions face challenges in precisely determining the volume fraction of sample fluid to reagent fluid, leading to inconsistent reaction outcomes due to user-dependent injection methods, particularly with small volumes, and lack of precise control over reagent amounts.
Innovation Solution
A cartridge design featuring intersecting sample and reagent channels, where the sample fluid is introduced into an intersecting region that ensures a deterministic volume transfer into the reagent channel, preventing overfilling and allowing for precise control of the reaction volume, with optional use of valves to define the transfer volume and decouple channel filling processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If user-dependent syringe injection is used to deliver sample fluid and reagent, then the cartridge can be operated with simple equipment, but the volume precision and reproducibility of small fluid volumes deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge design enables self-service by using the reagent channel to automatically transfer a precise volume of sample fluid from the sample channel through their intersecting geometry, eliminating the need for external syringes or complex injection mechanisms while maintaining volume precision
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from one-dimensional linear channel flow to two-dimensional intersecting channel geometry, where the sample channel and reagent channel cross each other in different planes, allowing precise volume definition through the spatial intersection region
2Measurement precision
If the sample channel and reagent channel are designed to intersect, then the volume transfer precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sample channel and reagent channel are merged in space at their intersection region, allowing both channels to occupy the same physical space at different levels or angles, thereby defining a precise transfer volume without requiring additional components or complex mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The channel system is segmented into distinct functional regions: the sample channel extends beyond the intersection to allow independent filling, the reagent channel extends beyond the intersection to deliver reagent, and the intersection region itself defines the precise transfer volume, with each segment serving a specific function
3Measurement precision
If the intersecting region volume is used to define transfer volume, then the sample fluid volume control is improved, but the adaptability to different reaction volumes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The design allows parameter changes by enabling adjustment of the intersecting region's geometric dimensions (such as the angle of intersection, the length of channels within the intersection, or the cross-sectional areas), which directly changes the transfer volume while maintaining the precision mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic adaptability by allowing the intersecting region geometry to be modified or reconfigured for different applications, enabling the same fundamental mechanism to serve multiple volume requirements through geometric variation rather than requiring entirely different device designs
Data Source
AI summary
In a method and a cartridge for carrying out a reaction between a sample fluid and at least one reagent, in particular for carrying out LAMP assays, the cartridge includes at least one channel pair including a sample channel into which a sample fluid can be introduced and a reagent channel into which a reagent fluid can be introduced, the sample channel and the reagent channel being disposed so as to intersect one another whereby sample fluid can be transferred from an intersecting region into the reagent channel.