Solar-powered Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for Point-of-Care Diagnostics
- Detailed Technology Description
- A portable, solar-powered, microfluidic device for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed that overcomes the limitations of applying PCR to remote and resource-limited locations.
- Others
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Publications:
- Jiang et. al., Solar-thermally driven PCR for power-free diagnostics, CLEO:2013 Technical Digest (2013)
- "Methods, systems, and applications for solar-thermal microfluidic pcr" US Patent No. 9,821,314 Issued: Nov 2017
https://www.google.com/patents/US20150238967
- *Abstract
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PCR is a common DNA amplification method useful for accurately diagnosing diseases in cases where the target DNA has a very low concentration. Previous attempts to integrate PCR into microfluidic devices have fallen short due to high energy requirements that quickly deplete the battery and limit the device's life. Furthermore, conventional PCR systems are complex -- requiring heaters, controllers, batteries and other electrical components and can therefore be difficult and costly to maintain and repair. By employing solar-thermal energy to produce spatially modulated thermal patterns, the Cornell system facilitates on-chip PCR and results in a light-weight, long-life and simple device for point-of-care diagnostics.
The system is easy to use, can be made without costly fabrication tools and can operate without electrical heating and complex systems, enabling this important technology to become more accessible to the developing world. In addition, the device can be integrated with processing and detection steps to create a low-power, fully integrated and mobile assay.
Potential Applications
- Point-of-care diagnostics, specifically in low-resource environments where electricity is unreliable
- Forensics, e.g. to recover information from small or degraded samples at remote crime scenes
Advantages
- Solar powered - requires no electricity or electrical components
- Long life compared to battery-operated devices
- Portable and light-weight
- Simplified system is easy to maintain
- *Licensing
- Martin Teschlmt439@cornell.edu(607) 254-4454
- Country/Region
- USA
