Integrated Alumina photonic waveguide based middle ultraviolet spectroscopy for picogram/microliter level nuclei acid quantitation

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Many RNA DNA and protein isolation and purification techniques produce a very limited sample volume and quantity thus conventional spectrophotometric methods are impractical or impossible This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims at developing an integrated optics based picogram uL sensitivity nanoliter sample volume spectrophotometer The proposed aluminum oxide Al O platform exploits the absorption enhancement of optical waveguide and slow light effects and therefore is potent to achieve a sensitively improvement of orders of magnitude and reduces the sample volume by orders of magnitude compared to NanoDropTM It is also the first time that integrated optics is used at nm wavelength range PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims at developing an alumina waveguide based middle ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy which is capable of quantitating nuclei acids of pico gram micro liter pg L level concentration The proposed system exploits the integrated photonic technology to cost effectively integrate low loss alumina waveguides on glass slides With the slow light effect and long interaction length andquot fishboneandquot waveguide can improve the minimum quantifiable concentration by times when compared to the widely used NanoDropTM system In the meantime the minimum required sample volume is reduced by times As a proof of concept quantitation of pg L mRNA will be demonstrated in Phase I The system is designed to be operated in the same andquot drop and playandquot manner as NanoDropTM Thus customers familiar with NanoDropTM would easily adapt to the proposed new system with much better performance As many biomolecule isolation and purification techniques produce very limited samples effectively utilizing these precious and sometimes rare samples will not only reduce the research cost but more importantly shorten the research time span Through improving the minimum detectable concentration the proposed system could save more than of sample wasted in the quantitation procedure using NanoDropTM system According to our investigation there are no integrated photonics system exists in the middle ultraviolet wavelength range which could make the proposed system a profitable product with unique advantages