Fluorescence detector for microfluidic diagnostic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9802199-B2
Application number	US-201414537517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2014
Priority date	Mar 24, 2006
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

The present technology provides for a fluorescent detector that is configured to detect light emitted for a probe characteristic of a polynucleotide. The polynucleotide is undergoing amplification in a microfluidic channel with which the detector is in optical communication. The detector is configured to detect minute quantities of polynucleotide, such as would be contained in a microfluidic volume. The detector can also be multiplexed to permit multiple concurrent measurements on multiple polynucleotides concurrently.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A diagnostic apparatus, comprising:
a microfluidic cartridge comprising a planar surface and a plurality of separate microfluidic channels comprising a first microfluidic channel with a first amplification chamber, a second microfluidic channel with a second amplification chamber, a third microfluidic channel with a third amplification chamber, and fourth microfluidic channel with a fourth amplification chamber; the microfluidic channels aligned adjacent to each other at a first end of the microfluidic cartridge, the first and the second amplification chambers aligned along a first axis, the third and the fourth amplification chambers aligned along a second axis, wherein the first axis is substantially parallel to the second axis, and each amplification chamber configured to contain one or more polynucleotides; and
a scanning read head comprising a first optical detection block and a second optical detection block, the first optical detection block having a first detection unit and a second detection unit aligned along a first detection axis, the first detection unit configured to measure a particular frequency of light from a particular location, the second detection unit configured to measure a particular frequency of light from a particular location,
wherein in a first position the first detection axis of the first optical detection block and the first axis are coplanar in a first plane perpendicular to the planar surface of the microfluidic cartridge, wherein the scanning read head is configured to travel in a direction transverse to the first detection axis to a second position wherein the first detection axis of the first optical detection block and the second axis are coplanar in a second plane perpendicular to the planar surface of the microfluidic cartridge;
wherein each detection unit comprises
a light source configured to transmit a beam of focused light on to a particular region of the microfluidic cartridge; and
a light detector configured to receive light that is emitted from the particular region of the microfluidic cartridge.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each amplification chamber is configured to be independently heated through a series of cycles to carry out amplification of nucleotides therein.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first optical detection block is configured to detect the presence of the one or more polynucleotides in multiple amplification chambers simultaneously.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second optical detection blocks are discrete blocks stacked back-to-back as part of the scanning read head.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second optical detection blocks are part of a single module scanning read head.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each detector unit is configured to detect a different range of wavelengths.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each detector unit is configured to detect the same range of wavelengths.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each detector unit is configured to emit and detect the same color.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each detector unit is configured to emit and detect a different color.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each detector unit is in optical communication with a different amplification chamber.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a contact heat source configured to be thermally coupled to the first and second amplification chambers, whereby the first and second amplification chambers are selectively heated to amplify the one or more polynucleotides therein.

12. A diagnostic apparatus, comprising:
a planar surface of a microfluidic cartridge, the microfluidic cartridge comprising a plurality of separate microfluidic channels comprising a first microfluidic channel with a first amplification chamber, a second microfluidic channel with a second amplification chamber, a third microfluidic channel with a third amplification chamber, the microfluidic channels aligned adjacent to each other at a first end of the microfluidic cartridge, wherein the first and the second amplification chambers are aligned along a first axis, wherein the third amplification chamber is aligned along a second axis parallel to the first axis, each amplification chamber configured to contain one or more polynucleotides;
an optical detection block having a first detection unit and second detection unit aligned along a detection axis,
wherein the optical detection block is configured to travel in a direction transverse to the detection axis from a first position wherein the detection axis and the first axis are coplanar in a first plane perpendicular to the planar surface to a second position wherein the detection axis and the second axis are coplanar in a second plane perpendicular to the planar surface,
wherein each detection unit comprises
a light source configured to transmit a beam of focused light on to a particular region of the microfluidic cartridge; and
a light detector configured to receive light that is emitted from the particular region of the microfluidic cartridge.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a scanning read head comprising a plurality of optical detection blocks.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a second optical detection block having a third detection unit aligned along a second detection axis.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the second detection axis and the first axis are coplanar in a third plane perpendicular to the planar surface when the optical detection block is in the second position.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a fourth microfluidic channel with a fourth amplification chamber, the third and the fourth amplification chambers aligned along the second axis.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a second optical detection block having a third detection unit and a fourth detection unit aligned along a second detection axis.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the second detection axis and the first axis are coplanar in a third plane perpendicular to the planar surface when the optical detection block is in the second position.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising a scanning read head comprising the optical detection block and the second optical detection block, wherein the scanning read head is mounted on a movable assembly that permits the scanning read head to scan across microfluidic cartridge.

20. A diagnostic apparatus, comprising:
a microfluidic cartridge having a planar surface and a plurality of separate microfluidic channels, each channel comprising an amplification chamber, each channel aligned adjacent to each other at a first end of the microfluidic cartridge; wherein the amplification chambers of a first and a second adjacent microfluidic channel are aligned co-axially along a first axis and wherein the amplification chambers of a third and a fourth adjacent microfluidic channel are aligned co-axially along a second axis, each amplification chamber configured to contain one or more polynucleotides;
a first detection unit aligned along a detection axis, the first detection unit comprising a first light source configured to transmit a beam of focused light on to any of the amplification chambers and a first light detector configured to receive light that is emitted from any of the amplification chambers; and
a second detection unit aligned along the detection axis, the second detection unit comprising a second light s

Assignees

• Handylab Inc

Inventors

• Handique Kalyan
• Brahmasandra Sundaresh N

Classifications

• Y10S435/808

  Optical sensing apparatus · CPC title

• C12Q1/686

  Polymerase chain reaction [PCR] · CPC title

• B01L3/502738

  characterised by integrated valves (throttle valves in microfluidic sample containers B01L3/502746) · CPC title

• B01L7/52 Primary

  with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples · CPC title

• B01L2300/1822

  using Peltier elements · CPC title