The FPBA
microchip is an inexpensive and disposable fluidic microchip
that allows for sophisticated manipulation of probes, samples,
and wash liquids. The fluidic workstations will provide a
stage for customers to program the FPBA microchips in order to
label the probe spots on the FPBA microchip with specified
molecules and a stage for on-chip genetic reaction and
real-time analysis. The FPBA technology will provide a highly
robotic and flexible platform for clinical genetic
diagnostics. This product will make genetic testing widely
available in a decentralized mode for physician’s practices
and in tertiary care centers with large central
laboratories.
The main
advantages of the FPBA Technology
are:
With microfluidic channels, the biochemical
reaction is accelerated.
All liquid
manipulations are inside the
FPBA microchip.
User only needs to load the
sample and
reagent into the microchip. Probe
coupling and target delivery are done in the capillary and the
microchannel, which eliminates possible contamination and
reduces the requirements of the operation
environment.
User
can quickly and simply program custom microarray assays. The
same unit can be used for either DNA, protein or cell
assays.
The surface
property of the each spot is much more uniform than that of
the whole glass slide. The probe configuration is done on each
spot by capillary liquid delivery to the spot, instead of
pipette spotting. For these two reasons, probe coupling on
each spot is much more consistent than that on the
slide.
The sample is
driven forwards and backwards in the microchannel connected
with the each spot. Hybridization occurs on each spot by
dynamic reaction. It can be expected that the dynamic reaction
will reduce sample amount and reaction time, and increase the
efficiency of target sample usage, and analysis reliability
and reproducibility.
Multiple targets can be loaded in the different
loading reservoirs on the FBPA microchip. Target analysis on
the same chip at same time makes sample comparison and quality
control easier.