Digital PCR Platform Harnesses Microfluidic Technology for Quantification of Genetic Targets

Digital PCR (dPCR) is a powerful method that enables the precise and ultra-sensitive measurement of nucleic acids. This technique offers enhanced accuracy and sensitivity for detecting low-level abundance nucleic acids in the case of bacterial and viral pathogens, resulting in absolute quantification and remarkable specificity. Although qPCR has been the go-to technique for pathogen detection, dPCR provides superior accuracy in the presence of inhibitors and does not require a standard curve for absolute quantification. Now, an easy-to-use dPCR platform harnesses cutting-edge microfluidic technology to integrate the dPCR workflow onto a single consumable chip, resulting in higher sensitivity and accuracy when detecting low-level abundance nucleic acids in the detection of bacterial and viral pathogens.

The naica system from Stilla Technologies (Villejuif, France) harnesses the key principles of digital PCR and is designed to provide a sensitive, fast, and easy-to-use platform for the quantification of genetic targets. It boasts the highest multiplexing capacity currently offered in the market for the simultaneous detection and quantification of multiple genetic targets in a single run. The naica system is based on Stilla’s Crystal Digital PCR technology that partitions samples into a large array of thousands of individual droplet crystals – each its own reaction compartment – before amplifying nucleic acid molecules in each droplet crystal. These reactions are tagged with fluorophores to be read using up to six different fluorescence light channels. This results in a fast and simple workflow that delivers high multiplexing capability with exceptional sensitivity while reducing time-to-results and conserving valuable samples.

The naica system simplifies any digital PCR application by combining high multiplexing assay design compatibility and powerful imaging with the flexibility to use up to six detection channels and proprietary software for analysis. Crystal Miner, the naica system’s proprietary software, offers intuitive visuals for image analysis, enabling thorough exploration of Droplet Crystals for quality control. Crystal Miner measures the concentrations of targeted nucleic acids, enabling automatic identification of positive and negative droplets for all fluorescence channels. The naica system requires minimal technical expertise, as it comes with optimized digital PCR reagents that are ready to use, simple pipetting steps, and chip consumables that are ready for partitioning, amplification, and read-out. Assays can be run with just a few minutes of actual hands-on time, making the naica system highly efficient and user-friendly.

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