Development of a highly multiplexed optical detection system for analysis of complex, PCR-based DNA tests.

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Recent increases in genomic information has led to an exponential increase in the numbers ofgenetic diseases characterised. This and a greater understanding of the infection process,generates the need to detect larger numbers of targets such as pathogens and disease causinggenetic variants as rapidly as possible and in a single test.One such approach commonly in use is real-time PCR and yet the application of this formultiplex testing has been limited by inherent flaws in existing detection systems, cost of thetechnology, and the time taken to generate results.The design and manufacture of a rapid and low cost optical system capable of concurrentlyanalysing a large number of targets is the goal of this study. Such an approach would reducethe cost of such testing, by allowing more targets to be screened in a single test and wouldreduce the cost for uptake of the technology, as well as reducing the time to result to the pointit could be performed "while you wait", for example at a doctors surgery.Similarly this would allow novel PCR based techniques, previously impossible byconventional real-time PCR. Examples could include forensics, by virtue of being able toanalyse more targets in a single run. This could also be applied to complex medicaldiagnostics such as mixed infections.The system would inherently also be many times faster than existing approaches, since itcould detect and deconvolute all visible wavelengths of light in a single reading as opposed tohaving to switch between a series of filters which greatly increases the analysis time oncurrent instrumentation as well as reducing the number of analytes that can concurrently betested for.In essence this proof of concept will use expertise in the field of satellite imaging andmathematical modelling in conjunction with our Ultra-Rapid thermal cycling IP to solve theproblem of multiplex detection of labelled PCR targets and hence allow unique targeting of agrowing market niche.