論文標題：Silicon µPCR Chip for Forensic STR Profiling with Hybeacon Probe Melting Curves
期刊：Scientific Reports
作者：Senne Cornelis, Olivier Tytgat, Maarten Fauvart, Yannick Gansemans, Ann-Sophie Vander Plaetsen, Rodrigo S. Wiederkehr, Dieter Deforce, Filip Van Nieuwerburgh, Tim Stakenborg
發表時間：2019/05/14
數字識別碼： 10.1038/s41598-019-43946-5
原文連結：http://t.cn/E9mFNcd
圖1
在中央實驗室以外以及犯罪現場進行法醫學DNA分析的需求日益增加。如果DNA相關信息的獲取時長可以用從幾天甚至幾周縮短到案發最初的幾個小時，會使得一些犯罪調查受益匪淺。然而，由於標準DNA指紋分析法太過複雜且耗時很長，難以實現該分析法的快速化和自動化。
來自比利時根特大學的Dieter Deforce及同事在近期發表於Scientific Reports的一項研究Silicon µPCR Chip for Forensic STR Profiling with Hybeacon Probe Melting Curves中展示了一種利用單片微單晶的技術，該技術有望替代DNA指紋分析法。這項技術將PCR（Polymerase Chain Reaction，聚合酶鏈反應）擴增技術與矽晶片實驗室（LoC, Lab-on-a-chip）中的HyBeacon熔融分析相結合，在快速現場DNA指紋圖譜鑑定領域邁出了重要的一步。
圖2：晶片正反面圖
LoC形體小巧，因而降低了試劑消耗並且增加了便攜性。LoC的小型化優勢是通過一個集成加熱元件實現的，這個集成元件包含24個平行微型反應器，每個反應器的反應體積為0.14L。而高度的平行化使得作者可以同時分析4個短串聯重複序列（STR，short tandem repeat）位點以及法醫學DNA分析中常見的釉原蛋白性別標記。
如此一來，便可以同時分析對照樣本和現場採集的測試樣本，並直接進行比較，從而得到更直觀的結果。重要的是，通過使用行業標準的半導體製造工藝，可以保證這個儀器的大規模製造。在分析設計和優化之後，可以在晶片上生成完整的5個基因位點信息，測試的結果可以與傳統的臺式實時PCR儀媲美。在開發商用的、可大規模生產、可攜式的法醫DNA現場分析型設備進程中，作者的研究是很重要的一步進展。
關於Scientific Reports
• Scientific Reports articles attracted 196,000+ citations in 2017 - the 16th most cited journal in the world in 2017
• High Visibility with 5 million page views per month, 65,000+ mentions in news, cited by 190+ policy documents including reports from the World Bank, WHO, CDC and GOV.UK
• Journal Matrix: Eigenfactor: 0.71896, Article Influence score: 1.356, Impact Factor: 4.122
摘要：The demand to perform forensic DNA profiling outside of centralized laboratories and on the crime scene is increasing. Several criminal investigations would benefit tremendously from having DNA based information available in the first hours rather than days or weeks. However, due to the complexity and time-consuming nature of standard DNA fingerprinting methods, rapid and automated analyses are hard to achieve. We here demonstrate the implementation of an alternative DNA fingerprinting method in a single microchip. By combining PCR amplification and HyBeacon melting assays in a silicon Lab-on-a-chip (LoC), a significant step towards rapid on-site DNA fingerprinting is taken. The small form factor of a LoC reduces reagent consumption and increases portability. Additional miniaturization is achieved through an integrated heating element covering 24 parallel micro-reactors with a reaction volume of 0.14 µl each. The high level of parallelization allows the simultaneous analysis of 4 short tandem repeat (STR) loci and the amelogenin gender marker commonly included in forensic DNA analysis. A reference and crime scene sample can be analyzed simultaneously for direct comparison. Importantly, by using industry-standard semiconductor manufacturing processes, mass manufacturability can be guaranteed. Following assay design and optimization, complete 5-loci profiles could be robustly generated on-chip that are on par with those obtained using conventional benchtop real-time PCR thermal cyclers. Together, our results are an important step towards the development of commercial, mass-produced, portable devices for on-site testing in forensic DNA analysis.
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期刊介紹：Scientific Reports (https://www.nature.com/srep/) is an online, open access journal from the publishers of Nature. We publish scientifically valid primary research from all areas of the natural and clinical sciences.
The 2017 journal metrics for Scientific Reports are as follows:
•2-year impact factor: 4.122
•5-year impact factor: 4.609
•Immediacy index: 0.576
•Eigenfactor® score: 0.71896
•Article Influence Score: 1.356
•2-year Median: 2
（來源：科學網）
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