Ultrasonic Cell Lysis for Rapid Infectious Disease Screening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current infectious disease screening methods, particularly for COVID-19, face challenges in reducing testing time and increasing efficiency, as conventional PCR methods take several hours to several days, which is inadequate for mass rapid screening.
Innovation Solution
A system incorporating a sonication chamber with an ultrasonic transducer operating at frequencies between 2800 kHz and 3200 kHz, controlled by a processor to optimize ultrasonic power usage and frequency for efficient cell lysis, combined with a PCR apparatus for DNA amplification and a detection system for SARS-CoV-2 virus presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional PCR methods are used for infectious disease screening, then reliable detection results are achieved, but testing time is excessively long (several hours to several days)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the conventional PCR process into separate functional modules: a lysis module that performs cell lysis and nucleic acid extraction, a PCR module that performs amplification, and a detection module that detects the amplified products. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently and enables parallel processing of multiple samples, significantly reducing total testing time while maintaining detection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by performing cell lysis and nucleic acid extraction in advance during a pre-amplification step before the main PCR amplification. This preliminary preparation of the nucleic acid template allows the subsequent PCR amplification to proceed more quickly and efficiently, reducing the overall testing time without compromising the reliability of the final detection result.
2Productivity
If testing throughput is increased for mass screening, then screening efficiency is improved, but testing time per sample increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the testing system into multiple independent reaction channels or modules that can process multiple samples simultaneously. Each module contains its own lysis, amplification, and detection capabilities, allowing parallel processing of numerous samples without increasing the time required per individual sample, thus improving overall screening efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by optimizing the thermal cycling conditions, amplification kinetics, and detection parameters to enable faster processing. By adjusting these parameters, the system achieves rapid amplification and detection within compressed timeframes while maintaining the ability to handle high sample throughput through parallel module operation.
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 testing time to under 10 minutes, enabling rapid and efficient screening for infectious diseases like COVID-19, making it suitable for point-of-care and mass screening applications.
Implementation Method 1
an ultrasonic transducer which outputs ultrasonic waves in a frequency range of approximately 2800 kHz to approximately 3200 kHz to lyse cells from the biological sample
Implementation Method 2
an ultrasonic transducer which outputs ultrasonic waves in a frequency range of approximately 2800 kHz to approximately 3200 kHz to lyse cells
Implementation Method 3
The PCR involves a process of heating and cooling known as thermal cycling. The thermal cycling has three steps: Denaturation, Annealing, and Extension.
Implementation Method 4
The PCR requires five core ingredients to be processed: the DNA sample, primers, DNA nucleotide bases, a polymerase enzyme, and a buffer solution
Data Source
AI summary
An infectious disease screening system (1) for screening for infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 disease. The system comprises an ultrasonic transducer (49) for generating ultrasonic waves to lyse cells in a biological sample. The system (1) comprises a controller which controls the ultrasonic transducer (49) to oscillate at an optimum frequency for cell lysis, a PCR apparatus (16) which receives and amplifies the DNA from the sample; and a detection apparatus (70) which detects the presence of an infectious disease in the amplified DNA and provides an output which is indicative of whether or not the detection arrangement (70) detects the presence of an infectious disease in the amplified DNA.