US 2025/0189387 A1Published application

Fast Well Plate Differential Scanning Micro-Calorimeter Using Photonic Sensors

AssigneesNortheastern University, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.

InventorsGregory J. Kowalski, Dale N. Larson, Jason O. Fiering, Yuwei Zhang

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Abstract

A system for calorimetry includes a plurality of wells disposed upon a well plate, an input feature to deposit a sample within each well, and light sources configurable to irradiate each of the wells in the well plate, and their samples, with incident light. A photonic sensor chip at a bottom of each well includes a plural nanohole array sensor on a substrate. A light detector positioned below the well is configured to measure the transmission of light through the sensors, obtaining a series of optical transmission measurements. A heater is in thermal contact with each of the wells, applying a transient thermal increase to each well, and the sample therein, at a known heat rate. A processor is configured to calculate a measurement for each well as a function of the series of optical transmission measurements and the transient thermal increase, the measurement being indicative of the sample within the well undergoing a change in response to the transient thermal increase, the change relating to a property of the sample.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for calorimetry, the system comprising:

a) a plurality of wells disposed upon a well plate, each well having a volume for receiving a respective sample;
b) an input feature, including an injection device configured to access the volume of each of the plurality of wells and deposit the respective sample therein;
c) a plurality of light sources configurable to irradiate each of the plurality of wells and the respective sample with incident light;
d) a plurality of photonic sensor chips, each photonic sensor chip disposed at or forming a bottom of a corresponding well of the plurality of wells, the photonic sensor chip comprising plural nanohole array (NHA) sensors integrated upon a substrate;
e) a light detector configured to measure transmission of light through the NHA sensors to obtain a series of optical transmission measurements;
f) a heater in thermal contact with each of the plurality of wells;
g) a heater controller coupled to the heater, the heater controller programmed to control the heater to apply a transient thermal increase to each well, to increase the temperature within the well at a known heat rate, with the sample provided therein;
and
h) a processor configured to calculate, for each well, a calorimetry measurement as a function of the series of optical transmission measurements and the transient thermal increase, the calorimetry measurement being indicative of the sample within the well undergoing a change in response to the transient thermal increase, wherein the change for each sample relates to a property of the sample.

6 more elements

A method for calorimetry, the method comprising:

a) providing a sample to each of a plurality of wells disposed upon a well plate;
b) via an input feature configured to access the volume of each of the plurality of wells and depositing the respective sample therein;
c) configuring a plurality of light sources to irradiate each of the plurality of wells and the respective sample with incident light;
d) measuring, via a light detector, transmission of light through plural nanohole array (NHA) sensors to obtain a series of optical transmission measurements, the NHA sensors integrated upon a substrate of a photonic sensor chip disposed at or forming a bottom of each of the plurality of wells;
e) controlling a heater to apply a transient thermal increase to each well, increasing the temperature within each well at a known rate;
and
f) calculating, for each well, a measurement as a function of the series of optical measurements and the transient thermal increase for each well, the calorimetry measurement being indicative of the sample in the well undergoing a change in response to a transient thermal increase to the well, wherein the change for each sample relates to a property of the sample.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.