Local Heating Nucleic Acid Amplification With Universal Primers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nucleic acid amplification methods are cumbersome, inflexible, and require complex functionalization of nanoparticles for each specific application, leading to increased effort and cost.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing local heating elements functionalized with universal connection nucleic acids, combined with primer and primer complementary nucleic acids, allows for rapid and flexible nucleic acid amplification without the need for specific nanoparticle functionalization for each application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If nanoparticles are specifically functionalized for each specific application, then the amplification efficiency is improved, but the effort and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs universal connection nucleic acids that can bind to multiple different primer sequences, allowing the same local heating element to be used across different amplification applications. This eliminates the need to develop and manufacture application-specific functionalized nanoparticles, thereby reducing effort and cost while maintaining amplification efficiency through standardized universal connectors.
2Reliability
If complex functionalization is performed on nanoparticles, then the specificity of amplification is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the amplification functionality into separate modular components: universal connection nucleic acids attached to local heating elements, and application-specific primer sequences that bind to these connectors. This segmentation allows the complex specificity requirements to be handled by simple, interchangeable primer molecules rather than complex functionalized nanoparticles, reducing device complexity while maintaining amplification specificity.
3Loss of time
If local heating elements are used instead of global heating, then the thermal inertia is reduced and cycle duration is shortened, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/global heating system with a localized heating approach using local heating elements (such as nanoparticles with photothermal properties) that can be selectively activated. This substitution enables rapid heating and cooling cycles by targeting only the immediate vicinity of nucleic acid-primer complexes, dramatically reducing thermal inertia and cycle duration despite the increased complexity of the heating system.
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
Enables rapid nucleic acid amplification with reduced effort and cost, utilizing universal local heating elements and adaptable primer nucleic acids, achieving shorter cycle durations and minimizing thermal inertia.
Implementation Method 1
the local heating element is adapted to transfer heat to a surrounding by an optical excitation
Implementation Method 2
Transferring heat by the local heating element to a surrounding of the local heating element in such a way that a nucleic acid bonded to the at least one local heating element via the at least one primer nucleic acid and the at least one connection nucleic acid is heated
Implementation Method 3
the primer nucleic acid is adapted to bind to the at least one connection nucleic acid and to bind to the nucleic acid
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a system (10) for the amplification of a nucleic acid (22), comprising at least one local heating element (12), which is functionalized with at least one connection nucleic acid (14), and at least one primer nucleic acid (16), which is adapted to bind to the at least one connection nucleic acid (14) and to bind to the nucleic acid (22), and/or at least one primer complementary nucleic acid (30), which is adapted to bind to the at least one connection nucleic acid (14) and to elongate the connection nucleic acid (14) by a primer nucleotide sequence by means of an enzymatic reaction. Furthermore, the invention relates to a primer nucleic acid (16), a primer complementary nucleic acid (30), a local heating element (12) and a method for the amplification of a nucleic acid (22).