CIF: IHCS: Medium: Collaborative Research: Design and Implementation of Position-Encoded 3D Microarrays

CIF：IHCS：媒介：协作研究：位置编码 3D 微阵列的设计和实现

• 批准号: 0963717
• 负责人: Axel Scherer
• 金额: $ 36万
• 依托单位: California Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0963717&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CIF; IHCS; Medium; Collaborative; Research

This research involves design and building of a three-dimensional (3D) microarray device, with position-controlled microspheres, to perform simultaneous, efficient, and accurate screening of complementary DNAs, RNAs, and protein receptors on a single platform. This new device is portable, self-contained, automatic, and cost effective. Applications of this device include medical screening, drug discovery, and gene sequencing. In particular, it performs inexpensive disease diagnosis and provide insight into the molecular basis in different patients. In existing 3D microarrays, microspheres are placed randomly within a substrate. This random placement of the microspheres makes their packing inefficient and their data processing complex. To overcome these drawbacks, the investigators design and build new microarrays with position-controlled microspheres. They analyze the statistical accuracy in estimating the target concentrations by computing performance bounds, and apply the results to select the minimal distance between the microspheres and the best operating temperature, while ensuring desired optimal estimation accuracy. The minimal microsphere distance enables high packing, and the optimal temperature reduces the cost. The investigators implement the position-controlled microarray using a microfluidic approach; particularly, they emplace the microspheres using a hydrodynamic trapping mechanism and using on-chip microvalves and pumps. The long-term goal is to integrate this device with image sensors, electronics, and optofluidic imaging to build a complete lab-on-a-chip system.

这项研究涉及设计和构建具有位置控制微球的三维 (3D) 微阵列装置，以便在单一平台上同时、高效和准确地筛选互补 DNA、RNA 和蛋白质受体。这种新设备便携、独立、自动且具有成本效益。该设备的应用包括医学筛查、药物发现和基因测序。特别是，它可以进行廉价的疾病诊断，并提供对不同患者分子基础的深入了解。在现有的 3D 微阵列中，微球随机放置在基质内。微球的这种随机放置使得它们的包装效率低下且数据处理复杂。为了克服这些缺点，研究人员设计并构建了具有位置控制微球的新微阵列。他们通过计算性能界限来分析估计目标浓度的统计准确性，并应用结果来选择微球之间的最小距离和最佳操作温度，同时确保所需的最佳估计精度。最小的微球距离可实现高填充，最佳的温度可降低成本。研究人员使用微流体方法实现了位置控制微阵列；特别是，它们使用流体动力学捕获机制并使用片上微型阀和泵来放置微球。长期目标是将该设备与图像传感器、电子器件和光流控成像集成，以构建完整的芯片实验室系统。