New Light Technology for Inducing Fluorescence for Bioanalysis

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The growing demand for routine quantitative analyses throughout the life sciences is stimulating the development of new bioanalysis tools as well as forcing refinements to more long standing technologies. A large majori ty of these critical life science tools utilize light. Yet ironically, for decades life science instrumentation has been limited in design and performance by the light sources they employ. Today's lighting technologies contribute to significant instrume nt cost as well as to cost of ownership. Moreover, the growing demand for affordable analysis tools in miniaturized formats with high density and small volume sample capacities simply cannot be addressed with today's commercial light sources. Life sc ience instruments present challenging requirements for light generation and Lumencor's light technology addresses this need. In many respects these performance criteria are more difficult to meet than those of other applications. Analytical instruments nee d inexpensive, intense, uniform, stable, durable, monochromatic light across a broad UV-VIS-IR spectrum. Presently, no commercially available light source can satisfy all of these demands; nor will they likely do so while much higher volume lighting market s attract competitive innovation. In Phase I of this SBIR proposal, Lumencor will build a light subsystem, a light engine, designed as an alternative to the Argon-ion laser, a long-standing workhorse for bioanalytical sciences. It will be design ed to provide intense, blue light, for small volume analysis systems such as those typical of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF.) High intensity light will be specifically engineered for delivery to the internal diameter of a small bore capillary. Impr oved performance is anticipated due in part to the high power densities Lumencor's solid state light technology can provide as well as to novel optical delivery designs. As such enhanced power, stability, efficiency, durability and spectral purity compared to the commercial air-cooled benchtop laser will be realized and assessed. Additional analysis to evaluate the signal to noise improvements for the specific application of LIF based capillary electrophoresis (LIF-CE) will be addressed. A comparison will be made between these results and those from a traditional, multi-line, blue Argon-ion laser. A Phase II program will build on this success to develop additional lamp colors and to engineer a fully integrated four-color light system for desktop instruments and handheld analyzers. A critical assessment of the impact of these light sources on the performance, engineering and cost of rapid DNA sequencers, tools for multiplexed Q-PCR, chemical analysis systems based on microfluid ic networks and whole cell analyses will be made.