The Sample Prep 2013 conference, to be held on May 9-10, will feature an invited talk by Wave 80’s Dr. Shan Gao, conference organizers have announced.
The presentation will highlight recent evaluation data from sample preparation modules designed to be built into disposable cartridges, either for freestanding use at acquisition or to be used with fully integrated near-patient clinical laboratory testing systems.
The cartridge-format sample prep modules to be described by Dr. Gao, which are less than three cubic centimeters in size and interface seamlessly with downstream cartridge components, perform the critical function of extracting DNA and RNA from the complex sample matrices which are to undergo analysis in the cartridge. Samples can be processed range from whole blood to urine to sputum, as well as non-human material for environmental and food safety testing.
For HIV viral load testing, a 100 microliter whole blood sample (typically from a fingerstick or heelstick) is allowed to flow into the cartridge through a small port. The loading port is then capped, and the sample prep process begins to runs autonomously, with the first stage of the process being the extraction of viral RNA. Unlike many nucleic acid sample preparation processes, high yield is achieved without centrifugation. The cartridge is held within a processing unit during the sample prep process, which supplies electrical power to the cartridge and drives critical sample prep processes. The sample prep module makes use Liquid Micropistons (LMPs) for maximum yield.
Dr. Gao, who holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Columbia University, joined Wave 80 in 2011 after holding a position as a Research Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Gao’s co-authors on the talk include Dr. Catherine Klapperich and Dr. Andy Fan of Boston University, who work closely with Wave 80 on porous polymer monolith extraction technologies.
