Desiccated and Preserved Polyacrylamide based Nucleic Acid Diagnostic Systems

• Author / Creator

  Chavali Venkata Subramanya, Ravi Shankar

• The In-gel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology developed by our group at the University of Alberta makes use of PCR reagents entrapped within nano-liter polyacrylamide gels. To adapt this technology for use at the point of care, methods were developed to preserve gel-based PCR reagents by desiccation within the microchips. The gel-based PCR reagents were desiccated using a vacuum desiccator with trehalose as the lyoprotectant. Long-term stability studies were conducted with these formulations at different temperature conditions. Our results indicate that the desiccated gel-based PCR reagents can retain most of their activity upon rehydration after ten weeks. The shelf life stability of these desiccated gel-based PCR reagents can be maintained for much longer durations with further improvements to the formulations, chip geometries and packaging strategies. With the inclusion of the desiccated gel-based PCR reagents within the chips, the in gel PCR technology has a great potential to be used at point of care.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Desiccation
  • Nucleic acids
  • Diagnostics

• Graduation date

  Spring 2013

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3FS8V

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.