SCODAphoresis Particle Concentration via Asymmetric Fields
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods are inadequate for efficiently concentrating particles, such as DNA, from low concentrations in various fields like crime detection and medical studies, as they require practical and effective ways to isolate and study these molecules.
Innovation Solution
The method employs SCODAphoresis, which uses a combination of electric fields to drive particles into a gel medium where their mobility varies with field intensity, allowing for concentration at a focal point without the need for electrodes at the concentration location, utilizing a process that focuses particles with high mobility values while allowing others to remain distributed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional concentration methods are used, then the process is simple, but the concentration factor is insufficient for extremely dilute samples
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the concentration process into distinct functional regions: an injection region for sample introduction and a concentration region with a focal spot for particle accumulation. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized independently, achieving high concentration factors while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a gel medium as an intermediary substance between the sample and the detection system. This gel provides a structured environment with defined mobility characteristics that enables efficient particle concentration without requiring complex mechanical concentration devices.
2Productivity
If electric fields are applied to move particles into the medium, then particle injection efficiency improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic or pulsed electric fields rather than continuous fields for particle injection. This periodic application of energy maintains effective particle injection efficiency while significantly reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous field application.
Solution Approach 2:
Electric fields are applied locally at the injection region boundary rather than throughout the entire medium. This localized field application concentrates energy where it is most needed for particle injection, improving efficiency while minimizing unnecessary energy consumption in other regions.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple fields are applied to concentrate particles at a focal spot, then concentration precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs asymmetric field configurations where the injection field and concentration fields have different characteristics and orientations. This asymmetry enables precise particle focusing at a focal spot by creating non-uniform field distributions that guide particles to a specific location without requiring symmetric complexity in all directions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes multi-dimensional field vectors to achieve precise particle concentration. By applying fields in multiple spatial dimensions with different orientations and intensities, the system achieves high concentration precision at the focal spot without requiring complex one-dimensional mechanisms.
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 achieves a high concentration factor, enabling the isolation of particles from extremely dilute samples, with concentration factors exceeding 10,000 times, and allows for the extraction and analysis of targeted DNA sequences.
Implementation Method 1
a first field to drive particles of interest from the buffer reservoir into the medium
Implementation Method 2
applying scodaphoresis to the particles of interest in the medium to concentrate the particles of interest at a location in the medium
Data Source
AI summary
Particles of interest, such as DNA molecules, are injected into a medium by applying a first field. Once in the medium the particles are concentrated by applying one or more fields that cause mobilities of the particles in the medium to vary in a manner that is correlated with motions of the particles. Particle injection and particle concentration may be performed concurrently or in alternation.