System and method for heating, cooling and heat cycling on microfluidic device

A thermocycling apparatus for driving one complete polymerase chain reaction temperature cycle in less than or about 15 seconds, comprising:

• a) a plastic card body comprising:
• i) a first plate with a first surface and a second surface,
• ii) a first amplification chamber formed in said first surface,
• iii) a microfluidic assay fluid circuit fluidly connected to said first amplification chamber, and
• iv) a plastic heat exchange film covering and sealing over said first amplification chamber, said plastic heat exchange film with interior surface facing said first surface of said first plate and with oppositely facing exterior surface;
• and
• b) a first heat transfer element in thermal contact with said exterior surface of said plastic heat exchange film over said first amplification chamber,
• wherein said first heat transfer element further comprises a thermal pad with thermal conductivity of greater than or about 1.5 W/m-° K.

A thermocycling apparatus for driving one complete polymerase chain reaction temperature cycle in less than or about 15 seconds, comprising:

• a) a plastic card body comprising:
• i) a first plate with a first surface and a second surface,
• ii) a first amplification chamber formed in said first surface,
• iii) a microfluidic assay fluid circuit fluidly connected to said first amplification chamber, and
• iv) a plastic heat exchange film covering and sealing over said first amplification chamber, said plastic heat exchange film with interior surface facing said first surface of said first plate and with oppositely facing exterior surface;
• b) a first heat transfer element in thermal contact with said exterior surface of said plastic heat exchange film over said first amplification chamber, said first heat transfer element comprising a circulating temperature-controlled heat exchanger fluid in thermal contact with said exterior surface of said plastic heat exchange film;
• c) a pump for hot heat exchanger fluid having a fluid temperature HotIN greater or equal to the denaturation temperature of a nucleic acid hybrid in solution;
• d) a pump for cold heat exchanger fluid having a fluid temperature ColdIN is less than or equal to the annealing temperature of a nucleic acid hybrid in solution;
• and
• e) a means for mixing said hot heat exchanger fluid and said cold heat exchanger fluid in said plastic card body to produce said temperature-controlled heat exchanger fluid, said means comprising a heat exchanger circuit comprising:
• i) a first inlet for circulating said hot heat exchanger fluid and a second inlet for circulating said cold heat exchanger fluid,
• ii) a mixing chamber fluidically connected to said first inlet and said second inlet, and
• iii) a hot-control fluid valve interposed between said first inlet and said mixing chamber and a cold-control fluid valve interposed between said second inlet and said mixing chamber,
• iv) a channel for circulating said temperature-controlled heat exchanger fluid across said external surface of said heat exchange film;
• wherein said hot-control and cold-control fluid valves are microfluidic valves configured for admitting said hot heat exchanger fluid and said cold heat exchanger fluid to said mixing chamber in controlled amounts, thereby controlling the temperature of said temperature-controlled heat exchanger fluid and said amplification chamber, and
• wherein said heat exchanger fluid is a fluorinated hydrocarbon fluid and said heat exchanger circuit further comprises a debubbler.

A thermocycling apparatus for driving one complete polymerase chain reaction temperature cycle in less than or about 15 seconds, comprising:

• a) a plastic card body comprising:
• i) a first plate with a first surface and a second surface,
• ii) a first amplification chamber formed in said first surface,
• iii) a microfluidic assay fluid circuit fluidly connected to said first amplification chamber, and
• iv) a plastic heat exchange film covering and sealing over said first amplification chamber, said plastic heat exchange film with interior surface facing said first surface of said first plate and with oppositely facing exterior surface;
• and
• b) a first heat transfer element in thermal contact with said exterior surface of said plastic heat exchange film over said first amplification chamber,
• wherein said interior surface of said plastic heat exchange film is a polyethylene terephthalate film of thickness less than or equal to 0.004 inches, and
• wherein said first heat transfer element is a thermal electric cooler in thermal contact with said exterior surface of said plastic heat exchange film of polyethylene terephthalate over said first amplification chamber.