Investigating surface acoustic waves and fluorescence techniques for lab-on-a-chip diagnostics

Orgill, Jonathan (2021) Investigating surface acoustic waves and fluorescence techniques for lab-on-a-chip diagnostics. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

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Abstract

There is an emerging need for low-cost medical diagnostics for both high and middle to low-resource settings. Surface acoustic waves microfluidics are emerging lab-on-a-chip technologies which have the potential to provide all-in-one solution to actuate liquids and sense biomarkers, thus enabling point-of-care bioassays. DNA has become a key biomarker for a range of medical conditions, including infectious diseases, as it provides critical information on the pathogen or the response of the patients to particular treatment, on a personalized basis.

This thesis will examine the effects of surface acoustic waves on DNA hybridization, with a view to integrate molecular diagnostic assays onto acousto-fluidic devices. The work used fluorescence to characterize the binding of DNA in a range of conditions, and revealed nucleobase-specific quenching (NB-S Quench) of fluorophores when attached to DNA as a double strand. This latter effect was examined as a replacement for common analytical markers used in standard techniques, such as melting curves, which typically rely on dyes which recognize DNA strands non-specifically (such as groove binders). The technique has been shown to be suitable for determine the concentration of DNA, performing DNA amplification and identifying the presence and melting temperature of target DNA.

This work will have an impact on research into low-cost medical diagnostics, and improve the understanding of fluorescence of DNA modified with fluorophores, contributing to the understanding of future work in these areas.

Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Qualification Level: Doctoral
Keywords: Surface Acoustic Waves, DNA, melting, annealing, fluorescence, quenching of fluorophores, PCR, LAMP, FRET, TIRF, microfluidics.
Subjects: Q Science > Q Science (General)
Colleges/Schools: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
Supervisor's Name: Cooper, Doctor Jonathan and Reboud, Doctor Julien
Date of Award: 2021
Depositing User: Glasgow Un Jonathan Orgill
Unique ID: glathesis:2021-81933
Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
Date Deposited: 19 Jan 2021 15:27
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2021 15:38
Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.81933
URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/81933

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