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AssigneeAltratech Limited
InventorsBrian O'Farrell, Cian Desmond O'Sullivan, John O'Driscoll, Timothy Cummins, Paul Free, Moira McCarthy, John Walshe
Estimating the term…
A portable diagnostic device has a lysate stage (167) with a port for receiving a sample and containing magnetic beads with a probe, and an outlet port. A series of assay stages (161-164) are linked with the lysate vessel, each with a reservoir linked by channels. The final stage (164) has a sensor (169) for detecting beads attached to analyte molecules which have been conveyed according to attachment to probes on beads. Larger transport beads cause reporter beads which are tethered by target NA and probes to be transported to the final sensor stage, where they are released and detected when the transport beads have been removed.
A portable diagnostic device comprising:
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the magnetic beads comprise a composite of polystyrene and ferrite nanoparticles.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the inlet (500) comprises a filter (520) in a chamber and a piston (515) arranged to drive blood through the filter.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the inlet comprises a bed of resinous beads which are functionalized or are coated in reagents to help prevent clotting of a blood sample.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the assay stages and the inlet comprise a plurality of different probes on said magnetic beads and arranged to target multiple nucleic acid targets so that beads with different targets arrive on the sensor and the sensor determines the quantities of each type of bead, to provide multiplexing.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one assay stage (107, 111, 161, 163) is a wash stage configured to carry out a wash.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a conduit (166, 171) is arranged laterally of at least two assay stages for passage of analyte both into and out of an assay stage.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a heater for heating sample in the inlet and/or analyte in at least one assay stage.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein an assay stage is a reporter bead attachment stage (162), wherein the magnetic beads in the inlet are transport beads and are pre-attached or are arranged to attach to a first probe (Probe1), and the reporter bead attachment stage (109, 162) contains reporter beads which have less magnetism than the transport beads, and the reporter beads have attached a second probe (Probe2) complementary to target nucleic acid of the analyte, such that if the target nucleic acid is present attached to a transport bead (T-bead), a transport bead-reporter bead tethered sandwich is formed within the reporter bead assay stage.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor comprises a capacitive sensor (115, 168) arranged to detect capacitance of contents of an associated reservoir.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor is adapted to perform detection of a wet sample and of a dry sample.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device further comprises an agitator for agitation of analyte over the sensor.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor comprises a fixed PNA probe which is complementary to a probe arranged to attach to target analyte.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor comprises electrodes arranged to act as a trap for beads attached to target analyte.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor is arranged to read beads on its surface against a background of an organic liquid having a low dielectric constant.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor comprises a digital calibration circuit with a sensing function in an integrated circuit also comprising capacitive electrodes, said calibration function being configured for testing and calibration of amount of fixed probe attached to the sensor according to dielectric property of said fixed probe, and for recording of said calibration data in non-volatile memory.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device comprises a temperature sensor for detecting temperature at the sensor.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor stage comprises a reservoir with a liquid over the sensor and beads have a density such that density and gravity will allow the beads to drop down onto the sensor.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor comprises at least two sensor regions with PNA probes which are complementary to probes on beads to capture target analyte, beads so that each probe and attached bead becomes hybridised to the correct sensor.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor comprises a semiconductor circuit incorporating sensor circuitry and a sensor region, and the circuit is connected to a plug for insertion in a reader, and optionally said connection is made by an elastomeric connector which forms a gasket or microfluidic wall around the sensor region.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device comprises a device processor (168) configured to store instructions and data required for controlling a reader and conducting an assay.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a heater and/or cooler to set an operating temperature before operation so that a desired temperature is reached independently of ambient effects.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device comprises a waste chamber (149) with a vent region (170), into which displaced liquid such as molten wax, chip reservoir buffer, surfactant, and any gas, may be pushed.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to fit into a reader to form a sensing system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.