Microfluidic system for amplifying and detecting polynucleotides in parallel
AssigneeHandyLab, Inc.
InventorsKalyan Handique, Sundaresh N. Brahmasandra, Karthik Ganesan, Jeff Williams
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Abstract
The present technology provides for an apparatus for detecting polynucleotides in samples, particularly from biological samples. The technology more particularly relates to microfluidic systems that carry out PCR on nucleotides of interest within microfluidic channels, and detect those nucleotides. The apparatus includes a microfluidic cartridge that is configured to accept a plurality of samples, and which can carry out PCR on each sample individually, or a group of, or all of the plurality of samples simultaneously.
Claims33
An apparatus, comprising:
- a multi-lane microfluidic cartridge, each lane comprising a PCR reaction zone;
- a receiving bay configured to receive the microfluidic cartridge;
- each PCR reaction zone comprising a separately controllable heat source thermally coupled thereto, wherein the heat source maintains a substantially uniform temperature throughout the PCR reaction zone and thermal cycles the PCR reaction zone to carry out PCR on a polynucleotide-containing sample in the PCR reaction zone;
- a detector configured to detect the presence of an amplification product in the respective PCR reaction zone;
- and
- a processor coupled to the detector and the heat source, configured to control heating of one or more PCR reaction zones by the heat sources.
A method of carrying out PCR on a plurality of samples, the method comprising:
- introducing the plurality of samples into a multi-lane microfluidic cartridge, wherein each lane comprises a PCR reaction zone configured to permit thermal cycling of a sample independently of the other samples;
- moving the plurality of samples into the respective plurality of PCR reaction zones;
- and
- amplifying polynucleotides contained with the plurality of samples in the PCR reaction zones while thermal cycling the PCR reaction zones, at least one PCR reaction zone separately thermally controllable from another PCR reaction zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.