KR20200037022A - Real-time PCR Fluorescence detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection apparatus. The apparatus can include: a lighting unit configured to irradiate light; at least one excitation filter attached to one end of the lighting unit and allowing excitation light to pass therethrough; and a fluorescence detection unit configured to detect a fluorescent substance in a PCR chip. The fluorescence detection unit may include: an optical lens; at least one emission filter through which emitted light which is emitted by the fluorescent substance absorbing the excitation light passes; and an image sensor configured to convert the light into an electrical signal.

Description

Real-time PCR Fluorescence detection device

The present disclosure relates to a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device, and more particularly, to a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device capable of miniaturizing the fluorescence detection device and reducing manufacturing cost.

The PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method is a test method used in almost all processes of manipulating genetic material and experimenting, and is a method of amplifying a specific target genetic material to be detected. It is possible to amplify a large amount of a genetic material having the same nucleotide sequence from a small amount of genetic material by a polymerase chain reaction, and thus is used to diagnose various types of genetic diseases by amplifying human DNA. It is also used in the diagnosis of infectious diseases by applying to DNA of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

The PCR method consists of three steps. After undergoing a heat denaturation process that separates two strands of DNA using heat, the temperature is lowered so that the primer is annealed to the end of the sequence to be amplified, and heat is slightly raised again to synthesize DNA. The polymerization reaction (polymerization or extension) proceeds. The heat denaturation process is a process in which hydrogen bonds of complementary bases of two strands of DNA are dropped to one strand by using heat at 95 ° C, and the binding reaction is complementary to a strand of DNA at about 55 to 65 ° C. It is the process of binding to the base sequence. Finally, the polymerization reaction is followed by attaching the starter to one strand of DNA (template DNA) and then synthesizing the complementary base of the template DNA using DNA polymerase to extend the two strands of DNA.

In the case of a real-time polymerase chain reaction system currently used in hospitals or large laboratories, a high-performance charge-coupled device (CCD) camera or photodiode is mainly used as a sensor for fluorescence detection. Roche's LightCycler 480 uses a lens for a real-time PCR device and a filter wheel for multi-channel fluorescence detection, so the size of the detection unit is very large. In addition, using an expensive CCD camera, the price is high, about 60 million won, which is disadvantageous in terms of price.

The embodiments disclosed in the present specification are intended to solve the problem of the fluorescence detection unit of the conventional PCR device, and provide a system capable of fluorescence detection using a smart phone camera module and a ratten filter. The present invention simplifies the configuration of the detection portion and provides a configuration of a compact detection device compared to a conventional PCR device. In addition, the present invention provides a system constructed using inexpensive components that can be easily obtained so that the price of the entire system is advantageous.

As a means for achieving the object of the present invention described above, the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device according to the present invention, an illumination unit configured to irradiate light, at least one excitation filter attached to one end of the illumination unit to pass excitation light (excitation filter) and a fluorescence detector configured to detect a fluorescent substance in the PCR chip, the fluorescence detector, an optical lens, at least one emission filter (emission filter) to pass the emitted light emitted by the fluorescent substance absorbs the excitation light ) And an image sensor configured to convert light into an electrical signal.

The emission filter is a single laten filter, and the optical lens can be disposed between the emission filter and the image sensor.

The emission filter is a multi-channel laten filter, and the emission filter can be disposed between the image sensor and the optical lens.

In the multi-channel laten filter, a laten filter having two or more different pass bands may be arranged on the same plane.

The illumination unit may be arranged such that excitation light is irradiated on the PCR chip.

The illumination unit may be arranged such that the excitation light is irradiated to the PCR chip at an angle of 35 degrees.

The optical lens and image sensor are camera modules for a smartphone, and the image sensor may be a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor or a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor.

The PCR chip includes: a housing, a black matt PCB substrate disposed over the housing, and a temperature sensor disposed under the black matt PCB substrate, a double-sided tape including a reaction chamber, and a temperature sensor disposed under the black matt PCB substrate, and It includes a cover film disposed on the double-sided tape, the reagent for fluorescence detection can be accommodated in the reaction chamber.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to quantitatively analyze the distribution of fluorescence rather than analyzing the average value of brightness. In addition, it is possible to monitor singularities or problems that occur during the actual experimental process that cannot be measured with existing equipment using a camera. In addition, since the use of an ultra-small high-definition module, it is advantageous in terms of price and performance of equipment. The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings described below, where similar reference numerals indicate similar elements, but are not limited thereto.
1 is a view showing a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing a fluorescence detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view of a fluorescent detection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram showing a fluorescence detector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram of a 4-channel laten filter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
7 is a view showing a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view showing the configuration of a PCR chip according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view showing a cross-sectional view of the PCR chip shown in FIG. 8.
10 is a view showing a real picture of a PCR chip according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a photograph of the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device of FIG. 7.
12 is a view showing the results of fluorescence detection in real-time PCR using the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device of FIG.
13 is a view showing the results of the same fluorescence detection using Roche's LightCycler 480 to confirm the fluorescence amplification performance of the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device (FIG. 11) of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, specific details for the practice of the present disclosure will be described in detail. However, in the following description, when there is a risk of unnecessarily obscuring the subject matter of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations will be omitted.

In the accompanying drawings, identical or corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals. In addition, in the following description of the embodiments, the same or corresponding elements may be omitted. However, although descriptions of components are omitted, it is not intended that such components are not included in any embodiment.

1 is a view showing a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device 100 is within the illumination unit 110 configured to irradiate the PCR chip 140 with light, an excitation filter 120 attached to one end of the illumination unit, and the PCR chip 140 It may be configured to include a fluorescent detection unit 130 configured to detect a fluorescent material. The lighting unit 110 may include various lights such as LEDs, lasers, and fibers connected to the LEDs, and may include at least one light source. In addition, for fluorescence detection, the illumination unit 110 may be arranged such that light is side illuminated.

The excitation filter 120 attached to one end of the lighting unit 110 is filtered to pass only a specific wavelength region (excitation wavelength region) of light emitted from a light source installed inside the lighting unit 110 so that the excitation light is transmitted to the PCR chip 140. It can be configured to investigate. The fluorescent material in the PCR chip 140 may absorb excitation light provided from the illumination unit 110 and emit light (emission light) in a longer wavelength region (emission wavelength region). The fluorescence detector 130 may be configured to detect emitted light emitted by the fluorescent material in the PCR chip 140. To this end, the fluorescence detector 130 may include an image sensor 132, an emission filter 134, and an optical lens 136.

The emission filter 134 may be configured to block excitation light and pass only the emission light emitted by the fluorescent material. In one embodiment, the excitation filter 120 may be a Ratten filter, and may be composed of a single channel or multiple channels. When the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device 100 detects fluorescence of multiple channels, the excitation filter 120 may be configured as a multi-channel laten filter, in which case, the illumination unit 110 is provided with the multi-channel excitation filter 120 ) May include a plurality of light sources. For example, the excitation filter 120 may be composed of a 2-channel or 4-channel laten filter. In another embodiment, the excitation filter 120 may be an interference filter, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured using various filters.

In one embodiment, the emission filter 134 may be disposed on one side of the optical lens 136. That is, the optical lens 136 may be disposed between the emission filter 134 and the image sensor 132. In this case, the emission filter 134 may be composed of a single channel or a single channel. When configured as a single channel, an interference filter or a laten filter can be used, and when configured as a multi-channel, a laten filter can be used.

In other embodiments, an emission filter 134 may be disposed between the optical lens 136 and the image sensor 132. In this case, the emission filter 134 may be composed of a single channel or multiple channels. When configured as a single channel, an interference filter or a laten filter can be used, and when configured as a multi-channel, a laten filter can be used.

The emitted light passing through the emission filter 134 may be transmitted to the image sensor 132. The image sensor 132 may be configured to convert light into an electrical signal, and may be, for example, a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor, and the like. No, any image sensor can be used. Since the emission filter 134 passes only the emitted light, the image sensor 132 may convert the emitted light into an electrical signal to detect a fluorescent material.

2 is a view showing a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device 200 is in a state where the control unit 210 is connected to the fluorescence detection unit 130 and the PCR chip 140. For example, the control unit 210 may be a terminal equipped with a computational processing device such as a laptop or desktop. The temperature sensor 220 may measure the temperature of the PCR chip 140 and provide it to the control unit 210.

The control unit 210 may control the temperature of the PCR chip 140 by controlling the heater 230 and the fan 240 of the PCR chip 140 using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) and FET (Field Effect Transistor). . Specifically, the controller 210 may calculate the PWM based on the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control mechanism based on the temperature value provided from the temperature sensor 220. The control unit 210 may provide not only temperature control, but also a GUI environment related to PCR protocol execution.

As described above, only the excitation light is irradiated to the PCR chip 140 while the light generated by the illumination unit 110 passes through the excitation filter 120, and the fluorescent material in the PCR chip 140 absorbs the excitation light and emits light. Can release. The lighting unit 110 may irradiate the excitation light diagonally toward the PCR chip 140, and it is also possible to illuminate using several lighting components in front of the PCR chip 140. The image sensor 132 of the fluorescent detector 130 may detect the emitted light that has passed through the optical lens 136 and the emission filter 134, amplify the optical signal, and output the amplified signal to the control unit 210. The control unit 210 may receive and store an optical signal transmitted by the image sensor 132.

3 is a view showing a fluorescence detection unit 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fluorescence detector 300 includes an image sensor 310, an optical lens 340, a lens mount 330 for fixing the optical lens 340 to the image sensor 310, and an image sensor 310 and a lens mount 330 It may include an emission filter 320 disposed between. As shown, the emission filter 320 may consist of a two channel laten filter. In this case, two laten filters having different pass bands from each other may be disposed on the same plane. For example, two 100 μm-thick laten filters may be placed side by side to be placed in front of the image sensor 310.

Although the emission filter 320 is shown in FIG. 3 as a two-channel filter, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be composed of two or more multi-channel filters. In addition, although the fluorescence detection unit 300 is illustrated in FIG. 3 as being capable of separating the image sensor 310 and the lens mount 330, an integrated camera module may be used. In this case, the emission filter 320 may be fixed in front of the optical lens 340. In particular, when a short channel laten filter is used, such a configuration can be used.

As described above, by using the fluorescence detection unit 300 including a thin multi-channel laten filter, a fluorescence detection unit can be formed in a small volume without using a filter wheel even when detecting fluorescence of several channels. In one embodiment, a camera module for a smartphone may be used to configure the fluorescence detector, and the image sensor 310 may be a CMOS image sensor, a CCD image sensor, or the like.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the fluorescence detector 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the emission filter 320 can be disposed between the image sensor 310 and the optical lens 340. The emission filter 320 may be configured to block excitation light from light passing through the optical lens 340 and transmit only the emission light. The emitted light passing through the emission filter 320 is converted into an electrical signal by the image sensor 310, so that a fluorescent material can be detected.

5 is a block diagram showing a fluorescence detector 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fluorescence detector 500 includes an image sensor 510, a first laten filter 520, a second laten filter 530, a lens mount 540 and an optical lens 550. The optical lens 550 is a lens for condensing emitted light, and the lens mount 540 may serve to fix the optical lens 550. The first laten filter 520 and the second laten filter 530 may be configured to transmit light in wavelengths of different regions.

In one embodiment, the first laten filter 520 and the second laten filter 530 may be disposed between the image sensor 510 and the optical lens 550. In another embodiment, the first laten filter 520 and the second laten filter 530 may be disposed at one end of the optical lens 550. The image sensor 510 may acquire a fluorescence image corresponding to the pass band of each laten filter. Although two laten filters are shown in FIG. 5, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various filters such as an interference filter may be used.

6 is a diagram of a four channel laten filter 600 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The four channel laten filter 600 may include first to fourth laten filters 610, 620, 630, and 640 having different pass bands. The light transmitted through the 4-channel laten filter 600 is converted into an electrical signal by an image sensor, and fluorescence is detected.

In one embodiment, the first to fourth laten filters 610, 620, 630, and 640 may use a laten filter having a pass band corresponding to an image for a plurality of wavelength bands to be acquired. For example, when it is desired to detect emitted light in the wavelength bands of a, b, c and d, four types of laten filters having pass bands of a, b, c and d can be used. According to such a configuration, it is possible to perform fluorescence detection of several channels without using a bulky filter wheel. In addition, since a thin laten filter with a thickness of about 100 μm is used, it is also possible to configure a filter with 4 or more channels. Since the filter wheel is not used, the configuration of the fluorescence detector is simplified and it is possible to downsize the entire system. Although four laten filters are shown in FIG. 6, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various filters such as an interference filter may be used.

7 is a view showing a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device 700 includes an illumination unit 710, excitation filter 720, chip connector 730, PCR chip 732, camera module holder 740, camera module 750 and emission filter 760. In one embodiment, the camera module 750 may be a smartphone camera module, and the camera module holder 740 serves to fix the camera module 750.

The lighting unit 710 may include LED, optical fiber lighting, laser lighting, and the like. An excitation filter 720 is attached to one end of the illumination unit 710 so that the excitation light is irradiated to the PCR chip 732 at an angle of 35 degrees. A chip connector 730 may be connected to drive the PCR chip 732, and a fan (not shown) may be disposed near the PCR chip 732 to control the temperature of the PCR chip 732.

In FIG. 7, the excitation light is shown to be irradiated to the PCR chip 732 at an angle of 35 degrees, but is not limited thereto, and the illumination unit 710 is disposed so that the excitation light is side-illuminated to the PCR chip 732. You can. The emission filter 760 may be fixed to the front end of the camera module 750, and the camera module 750 may be disposed at a distance of 43 mm from the chip connector 730. The emission filter 760 may be a multi-channel or short-channel laten filter, or may be an edge filter. The light emitted from the illumination unit 710 passes through the excitation filter 720 and the excitation light is irradiated to the PCR chip 732.

The fluorescent material in the PCR chip 732 absorbs excitation light and emits emitted light. The emission filter 760 transmits the emitted light emitted by the fluorescent material, and the camera module 750 converts the emitted light into an electrical signal to perform fluorescence detection. In one embodiment, a blue LED of 9600mcd is used as the illumination unit 710, an interference filter is used as the excitation filter 720, and an interference filter is used as the emission filter 760, The entire system can be placed in the dark and fluorescence detection can be performed in real time.

In one embodiment, real-time PCR can be performed according to the PCR protocol. Specifically, PCR was performed according to the procedures of Pre-incubation, Pre-Heating, Denaturation, and Annealing, respectively, for 2 minutes at 50 ° C, 10 minutes at 95 ° C, 15 seconds at 95 ° C, and 1 minute at 60 ° C for a total of 40 Cycle can be performed, and fluorescence detection can be performed at 60 ℃. The reagent used for PCR is DNA (Chlamydia Trachomatis) 1ng / 5.4µl, Master mix 18µl, Primer mix (primer F, primer R, Probe) 10pM / 9µl, distilled water 3.6µl (total 36µl) and experiment You can proceed.

In another embodiment, 1 ng / μL concentration of CT (Chlamydia Trachomatis) DNA, Roche's Master mix, Primer mix, distilled water may be used as a reagent used in the fluorescence detection process. In addition, the PCR process can be performed for 50 minutes at 50 ° C for a pre-incubation process for 2 minutes, a 95 ° C denaturation process for 30 seconds, and a 58 ° C annealing process for 50 seconds.

8 is a diagram showing the configuration of a PCR chip 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The PCR chip 800 is a heater pattern for transferring heat in the cover film 810, the first double-sided tape 820, the box tape 830, and the PCR chip 800 to accommodate a small amount of sample and reaction reagent. The engraved printed circuit board (PCB) 840, the second double-sided tape 850, and the housing 860 may be included. For example, the cover film 810 is 200 μm, the first double-sided tape 820 is 400 μm, the box tape 830 is 50 μm, the PCB 840 is 200 μm, and the second double-sided tape 850 is 200 μm. It may be configured to a thickness of μm.

In one embodiment, the heater pattern for heating to the black matt PCB may be printed on the PCB 840 in a white silk legend, or may be coated with silver, gold, tin, or the like. In addition, a box tape 830 may be attached to prevent DNA from being adsorbed on the PCB 840. A channel serving as a micro-fluidic channel may be cut on the first double-sided tape 820 and used as a reaction chamber. In the case of the cover film 810, it may be composed of a polycarbonate film.

9 is a view showing a cross-sectional view of the PCR chip 800 shown in FIG. 8. The PCR chip 800 may include a sample inlet 910 having a passage through which samples and reagents can be introduced. In one embodiment, the sample inlet 910 may be formed in the housing 860. Samples and reagents may be accommodated between the PCB 840 / box tape 830 and the cover film 810. For example, samples and reagents may be accommodated in a micro-fluidic channel or reaction chamber formed in the first double-sided tape 820.

In one embodiment, a temperature sensor 920 for detecting the temperature of the sample and reagent may be disposed under the PCB 840. The temperature of the heater pattern formed on the PCB 840 may be controlled based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 920. 9, the temperature sensor 920 is illustrated as being disposed under the PCB 840, but is not limited thereto, and may be disposed at any position capable of detecting the temperature of the sample and reagent.

10 is a view showing a real picture of the PCR chip 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The PCR chip 1000 may be connected to a chip connector, and the control unit may control heating through the heater pattern of the PCR chip 1000 and cooling through the pen based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor in the PCR chip 1000. have. By controlling the heating and cooling of the PCR chip 1000, it is possible to proceed with the process of DNA denaturation, primer binding, and DNA synthesis in the PCR chip 1000.

FIG. 11 is a photograph of the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device 700 of FIG. 7. In this device, a smartphone camera module is used, and a fluorescence detection unit is constructed by fixing an emission filter in front of the lens of the smartphone camera module. Since the fluorescence detection device using the smart phone camera module can only detect the intensity of brightness when detecting fluorescence with a photodiode when compared with a photodiode, singularities or problems that occur during the actual experimental process that cannot be measured with a photodiode Can be monitored for quick troubleshooting.

In addition, since the camera module used in the smart phone is inexpensive and the use of the module is universal, the parts can be easily obtained and there is no difficulty in manufacturing. In addition, since the smartphone camera module is a compact and high-definition module, it is advantageous in terms of price and performance. Therefore, it is possible to downsize the entire system. In addition, it is possible to perform quantitative analysis by distribution of fluorescence rather than analyzing the average value of brightness.

12 is a view showing the results of fluorescence detection in real-time PCR using the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device of FIG. Here, 1 ng / μL concentration of CT (Chlamydia Trachomatis) DNA was used.

13 is a view showing the results of the same fluorescence detection using Roche's LightCycler 480 to confirm the fluorescence amplification performance of the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device (FIG. 11) of the present invention. Here, CT (Circulating Tumor) DNAs at concentrations of 1 ng / μL, 0.1 ng / μL, and 0.01 ng / μL were used, respectively. It can be seen from FIG. 13 that the higher the concentration of the PCR solution, the shorter the cycle that starts to increase.

When comparing the graphs of FIGS. 12 and 13, it can be seen that the real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device (FIG. 11) of the present invention and Roche's LightCycler 480 show a similar trend in fluorescence brightness change. Therefore, it can be seen that fluorescence detection is possible with a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device composed of a smartphone camera module rather than an expensive fluorescence detection device. Previously, it was described as using a smart phone camera module, but in addition to the smart phone camera module, a low-cost small camera module for an open platform can also be used.

110: lighting unit 210: control unit
120: excitation filter 220: temperature sensor
130: fluorescence detector 230: heater
132: image sensor 310: image sensor
134: emission filter 320: emission filter
136: optical lens 330: lens mount
140: PCR chip 340: optical lens

Claims (8)

Real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device,
An illumination unit configured to irradiate light;
At least one excitation filter attached to one end of the illumination unit to pass excitation light; And
A fluorescence detection unit configured to detect a fluorescent substance in the PCR chip,
The fluorescence detection unit,
Optical lenses;
At least one emission filter for allowing the fluorescent material to pass through emitted light absorbing and emitting excitation light; And
Image sensor configured to convert light into electrical signals
Real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device comprising a.
According to claim 1,
The emission filter is a single laten filter,
The optical lens is disposed between the emission filter and the image sensor, real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device.
According to claim 1,
The emission filter is a multi-channel laten filter,
The emission filter is disposed between the image sensor and the optical lens, real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device.
According to claim 3,
The multi-channel laten filter is a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device in which a laten filter having two or more different pass bands is disposed on the same plane.
According to claim 1,
The illumination portion is arranged so that the excitation light is irradiated to the PCR chip side, real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device.
The method of claim 5,
The illumination unit is arranged so that the excitation light is irradiated at an angle of 35˚ to the PCR chip, real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device.
According to claim 1,
The optical lens and the image sensor is a camera module for a smartphone,
The image sensor is a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor or a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor, a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device
According to claim 1,
The PCR chip
housing;
A black matt PCB substrate disposed on the housing and including a heater pattern ;
A temperature sensor disposed under the black matte PCB substrate;
A double-sided tape disposed on the black matte PCB substrate and including a reaction chamber; And
Cover film disposed on the double-sided tape
Including,
The reagent for fluorescence detection is accommodated in the reaction chamber, a real-time polymerase chain reaction fluorescence detection device.

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