System and methods for protein detection in biofluids
AssigneeArcanabio Ehf
InventorsPRITHU ROY, DANIEL OSKARSSON, DOMINIC SUCIU, KRISTJAN MAR GUNNARSSON
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for identifying a protein or proteins in a sample of a biofluid. The identification is based on illuminating the sample with ultraviolet radiation and detecting and analyzing the resulting fluorescence. A trained model may be used to determine a protein responsible for a spectra detected from the illumination of the sample.
Claims20
An apparatus for identifying protein composition of a biofluid, comprising:
- a substrate on which to place a sample of a biofluid, the substrate including one or more nanophotonic structures which enhance UV fluorescence by a protein in the sample when the sample is irradiated;
- a source of UV radiation positioned to illuminate the sample, and operable to generate radiation at a plurality of wavelengths ranging from 180 nm to 350 nm and a plurality of power levels;
- one or more optical elements to focus the UV radiation from the source onto the substrate;
- a detector to receive photons from the substrate and in response to generate a signal or signals representing one or more wavelengths of the received photons;
- and
- a process or processes executed by a programmed processor to identify a protein in the sample based on the generated signal or signals, wherein the process or processes include using a trained model that takes as an input a spectrum of photons and in response outputs a protein predicted to be responsible for the spectrum.
The apparatus of claim I, wherein the nanophotonic-microfluidic substrate comprises nanostructures fabricated on a silica base, optionally coated with aluminum or rhodium to increase quantum yield, and includes micro-nanochannels configured to segregate analytes by molecular weight.
A method for detecting a protein in a biofluid, comprising:
- obtaining a database of measurements of UV fluorescence for each of multiple proteins, where the proteins are in pure form, in a biofluid, or in an artificial mixture, and where the measurements are conducted at multiple wavelengths and powers of incident UV radiation;
- placing a sample of a biofluid on a substrate, where the substrate operates to enhance a signal generated by a protein in response to UV irradiation;
- irradiating the sample by a UV source at one or more wavelengths and one or more powers;
- directing the generated photons from the substrate using one or more optical elements;
- detecting the directed photons by a spectrometer;
- processing the output by the spectrometer using a trained model;
- identifying a protein responsible for the signal or signals generated by the spectrometer in response to detecting the directed photons;
- and
- outputting an indicator of the identified protein in the sample of the biofluid and its corresponding quantity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.