Manufacture of Plastic Fiber Optic Microarray Plates for Gene Sequencing

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Small Business Innovative Research Phase 1 project will research and develop an enabling manufacturing platform based on lithographic production of plastic fiber microarray plates. These plates will have important advantages over existing glass-fiber microarray plates: the platform of choice for gene sequencing, biochips, microtiter plates, micro and picowell plates, microfluidic arrays and microcapillary arrays. The glass fiber plates have been extensively used to perform optical readout of fluorescence signals indicative of specific biochemical reactions. In Phase 1, the proposed monomer materials will be studied and optimized. The selected materials will be polymerized into the structural form of a fiber optic microarray plate. The mechanical and optical properties of the plate will be studied to demonstrate the necessary characteristics of such a plate. The plate will be operated in an existing commercial gene sequencing system. In Phase 2, that plate technology will be commercialized. The broad, long term objectives of this work are to develop the necessary automated manufacturing technology for optical readout of next generation gene sequencing systems where reaction volumes are expected to have submicron dimensions. The plastic fiber microarray plates will achieve submicron alignment relative to reaction volumes, the highest possible optical sensitivity, and meet the price point imposed by the "$1000 whole human genome" challenge. The use of novel lithographic techniques and new materials are the only known approach to meet these broad objectives. The means to rapidly and inexpensively sequence DNA will bring about major advances in science, medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. In particular, the ability to sequence the entire human genome at an affordable price will allow healthcare to be tailored to the specific needs of an individual, trigging a revolution in personalized medicine. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The ability to sequence the entire human genome at an affordable price will allow healthcare to be tailored to the specific needs of an individual, trigging a revolution in personalized medicine.