Jose’s design of a genetic analysis chip that can be powered from the USB port of a laptop
My work at UofA was part of a long term effort to integrate the lab-on-chip and microelectronics CMOS technologies to create genetic analysis instruments fully contained in a single chip. Such instruments could then enable handheld devices capable of performing fast, accurate and inexpensive genetic tests at the point-of-care.
We developed a new thermal control approach that leads to manufacturable LOC systems. In this approach, the system depends upon a single dominant variable that can be easily controlled, making the system insensitive to external perturbations. Operation in uncontrolled environments with minimum infrastructure is then feasible. With this concept we built a LOC system for genetic amplification in a new multi-layer polymer chip architecture. In the system a thin film heater that is also a sensor is highly integrated to the reaction chamber. This integration plus the homogeneous temperature provided by the heater result in unusual temperature sensing accuracy, and a greatly simplified calibration process. By keeping tight microfabrication tolerances, the repeatability of the system is further ensured, eliminating the need for per-device calibration. Reducing the complexity and cost of calibration to this level allows for mass production of ready-to-use, affordable devices. A photograph of the fabricated device is shown below.
My work at UofA was part of a long term effort to integrate the lab-on-chip and microelectronics CMOS technologies to create genetic analysis instruments fully contained in a single chip. Such instruments could then enable handheld devices capable of performing fast, accurate and inexpensive genetic tests at the point-of-care.
We developed a new thermal control approach that leads to manufacturable LOC systems. In this approach, the system depends upon a single dominant variable that can be easily controlled, making the system insensitive to external perturbations. Operation in uncontrolled environments with minimum infrastructure is then feasible. With this concept we built a LOC system for genetic amplification in a new multi-layer polymer chip architecture. In the system a thin film heater that is also a sensor is highly integrated to the reaction chamber. This integration plus the homogeneous temperature provided by the heater result in unusual temperature sensing accuracy, and a greatly simplified calibration process. By keeping tight microfabrication tolerances, the repeatability of the system is further ensured, eliminating the need for per-device calibration. Reducing the complexity and cost of calibration to this level allows for mass production of ready-to-use, affordable devices. A photograph of the fabricated device is shown below.
A genetic analysis LOC system with robust thermal control. The system comprises a thin film heater that underlies a PCR chamber. These elements are embedded in a multilayer polymer structure built on Silicon. Dimensions: 6 x 9 mm.