Design of a portable fluorescence imaging platform for on-site detection target analyte by loop-medicated isothermal amplification

Abstract

With the development and expansion of the internet of things, many scientific and engineering instruments are leaving the benchtop restriction and moving on to provide on-site detection. On-site detection requires a complete miniaturization of a benchtop system while maintaining a similar performance with respect to the analyte detection sensitivity. In addition, due to the mobile nature, utilizing a battery source is required. Here we present a portable loop-medicated isothermal amplification detection system for on-site detection and amplification of target analyte via fluorescence detection. The digital twin design incorporates three major components: an isothermal heating chamber, light-tight enclosure for sample insert, and fluorescence imaging system via micro-controllers. The isothermal heating chamber was designed with Peltier heater to provide small form factor accurate temperature control. For light-tight enclosure is a 3D printed device that allows DNA samples to be inserted and fluorescent images to be taken within the chamber. Lastly, fluorescent imaging system operates with a stand-alone camera connected to an Arduino micro-controller. Excitation is provided by blue colored LED and emission is detected via long-pass filter that matches the emission spectrum.