Design of a Fast, Efficient and Controlled DNA Shearing System Based on Lateral Acoustic Waves

• Other Authors: Massoud, Yehia
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biomedical engineering; Electrical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1911/70227

With the continuous research and advances in Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing technologies, the need for an efficient DNA shearing system has increased more than ever before. In this thesis, we propose a fast, efficient and controlled DNA shearing system based on a uniquely designed ultrasonic transducer, called Fresnel Annular Sector Actuator (FASA). Based on the simulation and experimental results, a circular array of four 90°-FASA elements is chosen as the basic unit for the proposed shearing system. DNA is successfully sheared from 300 to 1500 base-pair lengths. The shearing performance of the system is independent of the source of DNA over a large range of concentrations of the DNA. Finally, multiple FASA elements, excited by separate BF-signals, are used to increase the throughput of the proposed shearing system.