A Digital PCR for Biomedical Engineering Research

探索作用机制和提高治疗剂的性能是开发新的和创新的治疗干预措施不可或缺的一部分。用聚合酶链反应（PCR）评估治疗剂的性能在遗传治疗中是理想的，因为它具有成本效益，并提供了一个最佳的系统来跟踪所递送药物的命运及其效果。然而，PCR分析是定性的，并提供了有关所调查系统的“相对”（而不是绝对）信息。如果一次只进行一个分析，传统的PCR也会变得昂贵。最近的技术进步创造了一种新的PCR方法，即所谓的数字PCR (d-PCT)，其中分析物分散到小体积中，并确定给定样品中分析物的实际数量。这种新方法将使我们能够探索交付代理的定量水平，并以“绝对”的方式提供答案。它将允许对治疗反应进行更好的工程分析，并更快地优化治疗剂。该项目旨在为此目的获得最先进的d-PCR。该仪器将通过提供有关我们治疗方法的宝贵信息来提高我们的研究能力，并通过为我们的研究提供持续可用的重要工具来加快我们的研究活动。它将加快我们的研究步伐，并为人类使用的治疗剂提供更全面的评估。

Probing mechanisms of action and improving the performance of therapeutic agents are indispensable part of developing new and innovative therapeutic interventions. Evaluating the performance of therapeutic agents with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is ideal in genetic therapies since it is cost effective and provides an optimal system to follow the fate of delivered agents as well as their effect. The PCR analysis, however, have been qualitative and provided 'relative' (not absolute) information on investigated systems. The conventional PCR could also become expensive if analysis is conducted one at a time. Recent technologies advances have created a new approach to PCR, so called digital PCR (d-PCT), where analytes are dispersed into small volumes and actual number of analyte is determined in a given sample. This new approach will allow us to probe the quantitative levels of delivered agents and provide answers in 'absolute' terms. It will allow better engineering analysis of therapeutic responses and more rapid optimization of therapeutic agents. This project is intended to acquire a state-of-the-art d-PCR for this purpose. This instrument will enhance our research capability by providing valuable information about our therapeutic approaches, and expedite our research activity by making a vital tool available continually for our research. It will quicken the pace of our research and provide a more comprehensive evaluation of therapeutic agents intended for human use.