Clinical evaluation of a low cost, in-house developed real-time RT-PCR human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) quantitation assay for HIV-1 infected patients.

Objectives: HIV-1 viral quantitation is essential for treatment monitoring. An in-house assay would decrease financial barriers to access.

Materials And Methods: A real-time competitive RT-PCR in house assay (Sing-IH) was developed in Singapore.

Rapid detection of viral RNA by a pocket-size real-time PCR system.

We present an economical, battery-powered real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) system suitable for field and point-of-care applications; it has a built-in thermal management, a fluorescence-based detection system, and a single chip controller with a graphic touch-screen display.

Catching bird flu in a droplet.

It is assumed that a timely mass administration of antiviral drugs, backed by quarantines and social distancing, could contain a nascent influenza epidemic at its source, provided that the first clusters of cases were localized within a short time. However, effective routine surveillance may be impossible in countries lacking basic public health resources. For a global containment strategy to be successful, low-cost, easy-to-use handheld units that permit decentralized testing would be vital.

An integrated fluorescence detection system for lab-on-a-chip applications.

We present a low-cost miniaturized fluorescence detection system for lab-on-a-chip applications with a sensitivity in the low nanomolar range; a built-in lock-in amplifier enables measurements under ambient light.

Disposable real-time microPCR device: lab-on-a-chip at a low cost.

We have designed, fabricated and tested a real-time micro polymerase chain reaction (microPCR) system. It consists of a microscope glass cover slip placed on top of a micromachined silicon chip integrated with a heater and a temperature sensor. A single microL of a sample containing DNA was placed on the glass and encapsulated with mineral oil to prevent the evaporation of water, thus forming a virtual reaction chamber (VRC).

Ultra fast miniaturized real-time PCR: 40 cycles in less than six minutes.

We have designed, fabricated and tested a real-time PCR chip capable of conducting one thermal cycle in 8.5 s. This corresponds to 40 cycles of PCR in 5 min and 40 s.