Systems and devices for infectious disease screening

A system for infectious disease screening, the system comprising:

• an assay device for use with a system for infectious disease screening, the assay device comprising:
• a sample chamber for receiving a biological sample to be screened;
• a sonication chamber;
• and
• a disc-shaped ultrasonic transducer within the sonication chamber and configured to output ultrasonic waves;
• a controller comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to provide an output which controls the ultrasonic transducer to oscillate at a plurality of frequencies within a predetermined sweep frequency range and to select a drive frequency for the ultrasonic transducer which is between a first predetermined frequency and a second predetermined frequency, the drive frequency being between a first predetermined frequency below which the ultrasonic transducer acts as a capacitor and a second predetermined frequency above which the ultrasonic transducer acts as a capacitor;
• wherein during operation of the system the controller:
• controls the ultrasonic transducer to oscillate and generate ultrasonic waves in the sweep drive frequency range to lyse cells obtained from a biological sample suspended in a liquid medium placed in the sonication chamber, wherein the generated ultrasound waves applied to the cells agitate and disrupt the cellular membranes of the cells to release nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) from the cells of the biological sample:
• identifies the inductive operating region and controls the ultrasonic transducer to oscillate at one or more frequencies within the inductive operating region in response to a load on the transducer from the liquid medium inside the sonication chamber,
• determines, in response to a load on the transducer from the liquid medium inside the sonication chamber, whether the drive frequency maintains the operation of the ultrasonic transducer in the inductive operating region at maximum oscillation displacement of the ultrasonic transducer,
• runs the sweep operation while the system is in the process of lysinq the cells to identify a possible better frequency to maintain optimal displacement of the ultrasonic transducer, and
• determines whether a new drive frequency within the inductive operating region is selected for the ultrasonic transducer to maintain the optimal displacement of the ultrasonic transducer for the maximum oscillation displacement in the inductive operating region in response to a load on the transducer from the liquid medium inside the sonication chamber;
• an Analog-to-Digital converter which is configured to control the frequency of oscillation of the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the memory of the controller stores executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to monitor a parameter of the Analog-to-Digital converter which is proportional to a current flowing through the ultrasound transducer as the controller controls the ultrasonic transducer to oscillate at the plurality of frequencies within the predetermined sweep frequency range, the memory of the controller stores executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to detect when the Analog-to-Digital Conversion value is above a predetermined threshold and to lock the drive frequency of the ultrasonic transducer when the Analog-to-Digital Conversion value is above the predetermined threshold;
• a Polymerase Chain Reaction, “PCR”, device which is configured to receive and amplify the DNA from the sample the PCR device including a PCR chamber for receiving the DNA;
• a heating device to apply different heat levels to heat the DNA in the PCR chamber to selected temperatures;
• and
• a fluorescence detection device which is configured to detect the presence of an infectious disease in the amplified DNA and to provide an output which is indicative of whether or not the detection device detects the presence of an infectious disease in the amplified DNA.