Summary
A prototype handheld, compact, rapid thermocycler was developed for multiplex analysis of nucleic acids in an inexpensive, portable configuration. Instead of the commonly used Peltier heating/cooling element, electric thin-film resistive heater and a miniature fan enable rapid heating and cooling of glass capillaries leading to a simple, low-cost Thin-Film Resistive Thermocycler (TFRT). Computer-based pulse width modulation control yields heating rates of 6–7 K/s and cooling rates of 5 K/s. The four capillaries are closely coupled to the heater, resulting in low power consumption. The energy required by a nominal PCR cycle (20 s at each temperature) was found to be 57 ± 2 J yielding an average power of approximately 1.0 W (not including the computer and the control system). Thus the device can be powered by a standard 9 V alkaline battery (or other 9 V power supply). The prototype TFRT was demonstrated (in a benchtop configuration) for detection of three important food pathogens (E. coli ETEC, Shigella dysenteriae, and Salmonella enterica). PCR amplicons were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. The 35 cycle PCR protocol using a single channel was completed in less then 18 min. Simple and efficient heating/cooling, low cost, rapid amplification, and low power consumption make the device suitable for portable DNA amplification applications including clinical point of care diagnostics and field use.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported in part by the FDA Office of Science and by USDA grant # 2003-35201-13784.
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Herold, K.E., Sergeev, N., Matviyenko, A., Rasooly, A. (2009). Rapid DNA Amplification Using a Battery-Powered Thin-Film Resistive Thermocycler. In: Rasooly, A., Herold, K.E. (eds) Biosensors and Biodetection. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 504. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-569-9_24
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-569-9_24
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