ABSTRACT
We report a new technique to measure coagulation dynamics on whole-blood samples. The method relies on the analysis of the speckle figure resulting from a whole-blood sample mixed with coagulation reagent and introduced in a thin chamber illuminated with a coherent light. A dynamic study of the speckle reveals a typical behavior due to coagulation. We compare our measured coagulation times to a reference method obtained in a medical laboratory.
Subject(s)
Blood Coagulation/physiology , Lasers , Photometry/instrumentation , Refractometry/instrumentation , Whole Blood Coagulation Time/instrumentation , Equipment Design , Equipment Failure Analysis , Humans , Light , Scattering, RadiationABSTRACT
The gas-liquid oxidation of cyclohexane is performed at high temperature (>200 degrees C) and pressure (up to 25 bar) using pure oxygen in a Pyrex capped silicon etched microreactor which allows convenient screen reaction conditions well above the flammability limit.
Subject(s)
Cyclohexanes/chemistry , Explosive Agents/chemistry , Microfluidic Analytical Techniques/instrumentation , Microfluidic Analytical Techniques/methods , Oxygen/chemistry , Gases/chemistry , Ligands , Molecular Structure , Oxidation-Reduction , Particle Size , Pressure , Sensitivity and Specificity , Silicon/chemistry , TemperatureABSTRACT
Electrical monitoring of DNA hybridization is one way to reduce the cost and size of the DNA chip reader in comparison with the more classical optical detection. Within electrical methods, electrochemical detection shows very high performances in terms of accuracy and sensitivity, especially when an enzymatic accumulation is used to amplify the signal. However, signal multiplexing for miniaturized systems based on both enzymatic accumulation and electrochemical detection remains challenging due to the Brownian diffusion of the detected product of the enzymatic reaction. We present here a DNA chip with electrical detection based on the following sequence: (i) hybridization of nucleic acids and washing in a liquid layer as usual, (ii) formation of independent nanodroplets on each detection site, (iii) enzymatic accumulation in each droplet avoiding cross-contamination between neighboring sites, and (iv) electrochemical detection of the product accumulated during the enzymatic reaction. The simple and fast transition from the liquid layer (hybridization step) to an array of nanodroplets (enzymatic accumulation and detection steps) was performed through the filling of the hybridization chamber with a solution containing the enzymatic substrates, the drawing of this solution, and the simultaneous creation of droplets thanks to retention areas based on circular rims or hydrophilic rings. Using this approach, hybridization is achieved in a liquid layer as usual, followed by the enzymatic accumulation in nanodroplets to avoid the cross-talk between neighboring sites. Moreover, working in droplets enables a fast increase in the concentration of the product generated by the enzymatic reaction and thus an improvement of the detection limit of the system.
Subject(s)
Base Pairing , DNA Probes/analysis , DNA Probes/chemistry , Electricity , Enzymes/metabolism , Nanostructures , DNA Probes/metabolism , Electrochemistry , Electrodes , Nucleic Acid Hybridization , Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis , SolutionsABSTRACT
Today, most of the DNA chips are used with fluorescent markers. Associated with fluorescence confocal scanners, this technology achieves remarkable performances in terms of sensitivity and accuracy. The main technical issues related to these scanners have already been reviewed. However, these scanners are costly, especially when high density chips are used. In this case, a mechanical precision of 1 microm or less is required to achieve the measurement precision required. This cost level prevents the spread of this technology in the diagnostic market. We will present a new concept for scanners with equivalent or superior performances, with a cost cut of 5-10. This concept is inspired from the field of optical disk and reader. Basically, an optical format is added to the chip, before DNA deposition. This format contains tracks which are superimposed to the DNA features. These tracks define the path that an optical head of a CD player must follow in order to scan the surface of the DNA chip. Such a head is a very cheap component, and has a precision of less than 100 nm thanks to real-time focus and tracking. These functions are fulfilled by electromagnetic actuators mounted on the support of the frontal lens. We show here that it is possible to use such a head to build a fluorescence confocal scanner with equivalent or even better performances than conventional scanners.
