Optical Nucleic Acid Amplification With Integrated Heating and Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional nucleic acid amplification methods require bulky and costly thermocycling equipment, which increases the size and cost of the system and prolongs assay time.
Innovation Solution
A compact optical system that uses a light source to both excite and heat nucleic acids, eliminating the need for dedicated thermocycling equipment by monitoring temperature and fluorescence in real-time, allowing for precise thermocycling and rapid amplification without bulky electronics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bulky tabletop thermocycling equipment is used for nucleic acid amplification, then temperature control reliability is improved, but system size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines heating, cooling, and temperature sensing functions into a single integrated optical system. The light source serves dual purposes: exciting fluorophores for detection and heating the reaction mixture for thermocycling. The same optical path is used for both temperature monitoring via infrared detection and fluorescence detection, eliminating the need for separate thermocycling equipment and reducing overall system size.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical system performs multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a light source for fluorescence excitation, a heater for thermal cycling, and a temperature sensor via infrared detection. This multi-functional approach replaces traditional dedicated thermocycling equipment with a single compact optical platform that handles both amplification and detection.
2Manufacturing precision
If dedicated thermocycling equipment is used, then temperature control precision is improved, but assay time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system maintains continuous monitoring and control of temperature throughout the amplification process. The infrared detector continuously measures temperature, and the light source provides continuous heating with pulsed excitation for fluorescence detection, eliminating the need for discrete heating/cooling cycles required by traditional thermocycling equipment and reducing total assay time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements real-time feedback control by continuously monitoring temperature with the infrared detector and adjusting light source illumination accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures precise temperature maintenance during amplification, achieving temperature control precision comparable to dedicated thermocycling equipment while reducing assay time through continuous operation.
3Measurement precision
If separate equipment for heating and detection is used, then detection sensitivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the detection optical path with the heating optical path. The same objective lens and detector are used for both infrared temperature detection and visible fluorescence detection. This integration maintains detection sensitivity by using high-quality optical components for both functions while significantly reducing device complexity by eliminating separate heating and detection systems.
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
This approach significantly reduces assay time and system size, achieving high sensitivity and cost-effectiveness by integrating temperature control and fluorescence detection into a single, scalable platform suitable for IoT devices and handheld applications.
Implementation Method 1
the solution being configured to emit a second light in response to heating by the first excitation light
Implementation Method 2
the solution being configured to emit a second light in response to heating by the first excitation light
Implementation Method 3
the solution being configured to emit a third light in response to amplification of the plurality of first NAs
Data Source
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Figure 2B
AI summary
A system (100) for nucleic acid (NA) amplification includes a light source (110) configured to emit a first excitation light based on a control signal, a reaction chamber (130) configured to house a solution (131) including a plurality of first nucleic acids (NAs) (132), the plurality of first NAs (132) being configured to amplify in response to the first excitation light, the solution (131) being configured to emit a second light in response to heating by the first excitation light and to emit a third light in response to amplification of the plurality of first NAs (132), a detector (150) configured to detect the second and third lights and to generate a temperature signal corresponding to the second light and a first fluorescence signal corresponding to the third light, and a lens module (140) configured to focus the second and third lights onto the detector (150).