Integrated Pixelated Sensor Array for Single-Molecule Luminescence Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bioassays require expensive equipment and skilled personnel, and are typically performed in bulk, making them costly and inaccessible for rapid, quantitative analysis of biological and chemical samples, especially in resource-limited settings.
Innovation Solution
A compact, integrated device with a pixelated sensor array that receives excitation energy from an external source, allowing for rapid, parallel analysis of biological and chemical samples, including single-molecule detection and nucleic acid sequencing, using luminescent markers with distinct lifetimes or spectral properties to identify molecules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional bioassays are performed using traditional laboratory equipment, then detection and analysis can be achieved, but the equipment becomes large, expensive, and requires skilled personnel to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the bioassay system into discrete functional units: an array of independently addressable pixels, each containing a sample well and photodetector. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple samples while maintaining a compact form factor, resolving the contradiction between detection capability and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces luminescent markers as intermediaries between the sample molecules and the detection system. These markers convert molecular presence into optical signals that can be detected by simple photodetectors, enabling complex biochemical detection without requiring complex equipment
2Productivity
If bioassays are performed in bulk, then large amounts of samples can be analyzed, but the cost increases and accessibility to resource-limited settings decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the sample analysis into many small parallel channels (pixels), each capable of independent measurement. This allows the system to achieve bulk analysis throughput by simultaneously processing numerous individual samples, reducing the amount of reagent needed per sample while maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the detection parameter from bulk optical measurement to single-molecule level detection through photodetector arrays. This parameter change enables accurate measurement with minimal sample and reagent volumes, reducing cost while maintaining productivity
3Measurement precision
If luminescent markers are illuminated with conventional laser light sources, then luminescence can be detected, but expensive laser equipment and complicated detection optics are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the light source function from the integrated device and places it externally. The device receives excitation light from an external source through a coupling region, eliminating the need for expensive integrated laser sources and complicated optical systems while maintaining luminescence detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses an array of photodetectors to capture luminescence signals from multiple pixels simultaneously. This parallel detection approach copies the measurement function across many channels, achieving high-throughput detection without requiring complex sequential optical 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
Enables cost-effective, portable, and user-friendly bioanalytical capabilities, facilitating access to diagnostic tests in remote areas and reducing the need for bulky optical filters, thereby enhancing the speed and accessibility of bioassay analysis.
Implementation Method 1
A pixel of the plurality of pixels comprises a sample well configured to receive excitation energy from an excitation source external to the integrated device and at least one sensor positioned to receive luminescence from a sample positioned in the sample well
Data Source
AI summary
System and methods for analyzing single molecules and performing nucleic acid sequencing. An integrated device includes multiple pixels with sample wells configured to receive a sample, which when excited, emits radiation. The integrated device includes at least one waveguide configured to propagate excitation energy to the sample wells from a region of the integrated device configured to couple with an excitation energy source. A pixel may also include at least one element for directing the emission energy towards a sensor within the pixel. The system also includes an instrument that interfaces with the integrated device. The instrument may include an excitation energy source for providing excitation energy to the integrated device by coupling to an excitation energy coupling region of the integrated device. One of multiple markers distinguishable by temporal parameters of the emission energy may label the sample and configuration of the sensor within a pixel may allow for detection of a temporal parameter associated with the marker labeling the sample.