Digitized point-of-care diagnostics: Reading disc-based bioassays with a standard computer drive

微阵列技术是高通量分析生物分子相互作用的有力工具，对于基因分析、免疫分析和药物发现具有重要意义。然而，其应用目前仅限于生物医学实验室或具有广泛基础设施的医院环境（例如，自动点样仪、荧光扫描仪）。基于光盘（CD）的生物分子筛选是一种有前途的、廉价的替代方案，特别适用于护理点临床诊断（例如，在医生的办公室或偏远地区）。将标准台式/膝上型计算机及其配件直接用于快速生物医学诊断将是卫生研究领域的一项重大突破：光盘驱动器可用作检测器，塑料CD/DVD底座可用作制备结合测定的平台。该项目突出了数字化生物分子筛选的应用潜力，并为化学家，分子生物学家和电气工程师提供了一个独特的合作机会。拟议的研究的目标是在CD上构建DNA/蛋白质微阵列，用常规荧光扫描进行验证，用未经修改的计算机驱动器测试标准生物测定（生物素-链霉亲和素），以及DNA杂交微阵列（互补和错配靶链）的数字阅读，然后扩展到生物医学样品（PCR产物）和蛋白质测定。该项目的成功可能会导致一种廉价的便携式诊断系统的商业化，用于近患者的临床测试和现场监测。

Microarray technology is a powerful tool for high-throughput analysis of biomolecular interactions, which is important for gene profiling, immunoassays, and drug discovery. However, its application is currently restrictec to biomedical laboratories or hospital settings with extensive infrastructure (e.g., robotic spotter, fluorescence scanner). Compact disc (CD)-based biomolecular screening is a promising, inexpensive alternative, especially suitable for point-of-care clinical diagnostics (e.g., in a doctor's office or remote areas). The direct adaptation of standard desktop/laptop computers and accessories for rapid biomedical diagnosis would constitute a major breakthrough in the field of health research: the optical drive can serve as detector and the plastic CD/DVD base as platform for the preparation of binding assays.This joint "Idea-to-innovation (121) Phase 1" project highlights the application potential of digitized biomolecular screening and provides a unique collaborative opportunity for a group of chemists, molecular biologists, and electrical engineers. The goals of the proposed research are the construction of DNA/protein microarrays on CD, validation with conventional fluorescence scanning, testing of standard bioassays (biotin-streptavidin) with unmodified computer drives, and digital reading of DNA hybridization microarrays (both complementary and mismatched target strands), followed by extension to biomedical samples (PCR products) and to protein assays. The success of this project may lead to the commercialization of an inexpensive, portable diagnostic system for near-patient clinical testing and on-site monitoring.