Arkansas Patent of the Month – August 2021
NOWDiagnostics, Inc. is interested in reinventing how medical diagnostics lab work tests are performed in the point-of-care medical channel. Their mission uses a single drop of blood to produce results within minutes, and without an outside lab. PCR (polymerase chain reaction) offers a method of detection for a range of biologicals based on the presence of DNA. Traditional PCR uses equipment that requires cycles of temperatures. An alternative – Loop-mediated isothermal amplification PCR (LAMP PCR) only requires a single temperature – but still needs all the circuitry to monitor and maintain temperature.
NOWDiagnostics has developed a system that eliminates the need for temperature monitoring in LAMP PCR. Their system uses two key materials:
- Isothermal ballast material which melts at a specific temperature
- Chromogenic agent which changes color.
The combination of these two materials provides a reusable system that allows low-cost and low-resource LAMP PCR to be performed. The design has an enclosure that contains a wax-like substance – the isothermal ballast – which melts at predetermined temperatures. THe material is mixed with the thermochromic pigment which will also change color at that temperature. The device is heated by a rechargeable battery and allows LAMP PCR to be performed in wells that hold the traditional PCR materials.
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