Patent Description:
Various nucleic acid (NA) amplification strategies exist in the market, including but not limited to, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA), strand displacement amplification (SDA), multiple displacement amplification (MDA), rolling circle amplification (RCA), ligase chain reaction (LCR), helicase dependent amplification (HDA), ramification amplification method (RAM), recombinase polymerase reaction (RPA), whole genome amplification (WGA), etc. Amplification occurs by creating copies of the target nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) cyclically, and generally involves heating, monitoring of temperature, and optical signals, including but not limited to, fluorescence, color, turbidity, etc. Generally, the presence or absence of optical signals beyond a certain threshold is used to determine the corresponding presence or absence of the target sequence.

In the amplification methods of the related art, which are not isothermal, thermocycling is often performed using bulky tabletop equipment and onboard electronics.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art.

<CIT> discloses: A method of performing one or more nucleic acid amplification reactions comprising at least one heating cycle, said method comprising receiving one or more samples at one or more reaction zones, generating heat at said one or more reaction zones by illuminating a heat generation layer in thermal communication with said one or more reaction zones, and performing nucleic acid amplification reactions on said one or more samples.

Aspects of embodiments of the present invention are directed toward a compact optical system for NA amplification that is capable of greatly reducing assay time by monitoring NA amplification in real-time with high sensitivity. The optical system does not require any dedicated equipment for thermal cycling or isothermal amplification, thereby reducing size and cost of the overall system.

According to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a system for nucleic acid (NA) amplification, the system including: a light source configured to emit a first excitation light based on a control signal; a reaction chamber configured to house a solution including a plurality of first nucleic acids (NAs), the plurality of first NAs being configured to amplify in response to the first excitation light, the solution being configured to emit a second light in response to heating by the first excitation light and to emit a third light in response to amplification of the plurality of first NAs; a detector configured to detect the second and third lights and to generate a temperature signal corresponding to the second light and a first fluorescence signal corresponding to the third light; and a lens module configured to focus the second and third lights onto the detector. The system further includes: a mirror configured to pass-through the first excitation light and to direct the second and third lights toward the lens module.

In some embodiments, the system further includes: a controller configured to generate the control signal to pulse the first excitation light based on the temperature signal, the control signal having a variable pulse width and being based on the temperature signal and a desired temperature of the solution, wherein the controller is further configured to determine presence of the plurality of first NAs in the solution based on the first fluorescence signal.

In some embodiments, the light source includes a blue light emitting diode (LED), the first excitation light has a blue range of wavelengths, the second light is in a long wavelength infrared (LWIR) range, and the third light has an orange range of wavelengths.

In some embodiments, the detector includes: a first pixel array configured to detect the second light and to generate the temperature signal corresponding to the second light; and a second pixel array configured to detect the third light and to generate the first fluorescence signal corresponding to the third light.

In some embodiments, the temperature signal is an average of intensities of light detected by each one of pixels across the first pixel array, and the first fluorescence signal is an average of intensities of light detected by each one of pixels across the second pixel array.

In some embodiments, the second pixel array includes a cooled infrared photodetector or an uncooled photodetector, and the second pixel array includes at least one of an avalanche photodiode (APD), a quanta image sensor (QIS), and a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD).

In some embodiments, the lens module includes: a first metalens; a second metalens; and a third metalens, wherein the first metalens is configured to focus the second light onto the second metalens and to focus the third light onto the third metalens, and wherein the second metalens is configured to focus the second light onto the first pixel array, and the third metalens is configured to focus the third light onto the second pixel array.

In some embodiments, the second and third metalenses are offset from one another in a direction crossing an optical axis of the first metalens.

In some embodiments, the second and third metalenses are aligned with one another along an optical axis of the first metalens.

In some embodiments, the plurality of first NAs include at least one of first RNAs and first DNAs, and the solution includes fluorophores that combine with the plurality of first NAs and fluoresce in response to receiving the first excitation light.

In some embodiments, the light source includes a green LED configured to generate a second excitation light in response to the control signal, and the solution further includes a plurality of second NAs being configured to amplify in response to the second excitation light, the solution being configured to emit a fourth light in response to amplification of the plurality of second NAs.

In some embodiments, the system further includes: a third pixel array configured to detect the fourth light and to generate a second fluorescence signal corresponding to the third light; and a controller / the controller configured to determine a concentration of the plurality of second NAs in the solution based on the second fluorescence signal.

In some embodiments, the reaction chamber includes a plurality of wells, one or more of the plurality of wells including the plurality of first NAs, the second light includes one or more fluorescent lights corresponding to the one or more of the plurality of wells, and the first fluorescence signal includes a two-dimensional image contrasting the one or more of the plurality of wells from other wells of the plurality of wells.

In some embodiments, the system further includes: a controller / the controller configured to determine a concentration of the plurality of first NAs in the plurality of wells based on the two-dimensional image.

The above and other features and aspects of the invention will be made more apparent by the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:.

The attached drawings for illustrating exemplary embodiments of the invention are referred to in order to provide a sufficient understanding of the invention, the merits thereof, and the objectives accomplished by the implementation of the invention. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein; rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Hereinafter, the invention will be described in detail by explaining exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the optical nucleic acid (NA) amplification and assay system (henceforth referred to as the "optical system") utilizes the same excitation light to both excite the target NAs for isothermal amplification and also to heat the solution containing the target NAs for thermocycling. The optical system monitors the thermal radiation from the solution to determine its temperature, and adjusts the temperature by appropriately pulsing the excitation light. This enables accurate thermocycling of the solution without the use of bulky and costly electronic heating systems. The optical system is also capable of accurately tracking fluorescence of amplified NAs as a function of time by using a highly sensitive detector, which enables reduced thermal cycling and assay time. The optical system may be used with quantitative NA amplification schemes that provide either absolute or relative quantification using standards, references, endogenous controls, and exogenous controls.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a compact optical system <NUM> for nucleic acid (NA) amplification, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

In some embodiments, the optical system <NUM> includes a light source <NUM>, a mirror <NUM>, a reaction chamber <NUM>, a lens module <NUM>, a detector <NUM>, and a controller <NUM>.

The light source <NUM> emits a first excitation light toward the reaction chamber <NUM> based on a control signal from the controller <NUM>. In some examples, the light source <NUM> includes a blue light emitting diode (LED) <NUM> that emits light in the wavelength range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>. In some embodiments, the light source <NUM> may be pulsed and have a variable frequency or variable pulse width as determined by the control signal. The reaction chamber <NUM> is configured to house a solution <NUM> that includes a plurality of first nucleic acids (NAs) <NUM> and a plurality of first fluorophores (e.g., first fluorescent molecules) <NUM>, which bind to the first NAs and are sensitive to the first excitation light from the light source <NUM>.

The excitation light has a frequency that is also capable of heating the solution <NUM>. Once heated, the solution <NUM> emits a second light having a wavelength in the long-wavelength infrared range (e.g., about <NUM> to about <NUM>), which is directed toward the lens module (e.g., lens assembly) <NUM> by the mirror <NUM> and detected by the detector <NUM>. The intensity of the second light represents the temperature of the solution <NUM>.

According to some examples, the first NAs <NUM> may be target deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA) strands, which are sensitive to and are excited by the excitation light and undergo thermocycling or isothermal amplification in response to incidence of the first excitation light. The amplification of the first NAs may involve denaturing, annealing, and extension processes. As the first NAs amplify (e.g., grow in number), the first fluorophores <NUM> in the solution <NUM> bind to the first NAs and greatly increase their fluoresce, which results in the solution <NUM> emitting a third light (e.g., a fluorescence light) in response to the excitation and amplification of the first NAs. Because the fluorescence of the first fluorophores <NUM> greatly increases as they bind to the first NAs, the intensity of the third light noticeably increases as the first NAs <NUM> are excited and undergo amplification. Therefore, the intensity of the third light, which may have a wavelength in the range of visible to near-infrared (e.g., between about <NUM> to about <NUM>), represents the level of amplification of the first NAs <NUM>. In some examples, the third light may be a green light having a wavelength in range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>. In some examples, the first fluorophores <NUM> may include fluorescein, rhodamine, cyanine, BODIPY-FL, <NUM>-nitrobenz-<NUM>-oxa-<NUM>, <NUM>-diazole-<NUM>-yl, naphthalimide (lucifer yellow), acridine orange, and/or the like.

The third light that is emitted from the solution <NUM> is directed toward the lens module <NUM> by the mirror <NUM> and is then detected by the detector <NUM>.

The mirror <NUM> is positioned between the light source <NUM> and the reaction chamber <NUM> along the light path of the first light, and is angled with respect to the first light. In some examples, the mirror <NUM> includes a dichroic mirror (e.g., a dual-band mirror) that allows the first light from the light source <NUM>, which may have a blue color, to pass through and reach the reaction chamber <NUM>, and reflect other colors, i.e., the second and third lights. In some examples, the dichroic mirror includes alternating layers of optical coatings with different refractive indices that are stacked upon a glass substrate.

According to some embodiments, the lens module <NUM> includes a first metalens <NUM>, a second metalens <NUM>, and a third metalens <NUM>. The first metalens <NUM> receives the second and third lights that are redirected by the mirror <NUM> and focuses the second light onto the second metalens <NUM> and focuses the third light onto the third metalens <NUM>. The second metalens <NUM> in turn focuses the second light onto a first pixel array <NUM> of the detector <NUM>, and the third metalens <NUM> focuses the third light onto the third pixel array <NUM> of the detector <NUM>. Each of the metalenses <NUM>-<NUM> may be a flat surface lens that uses nanostructures to focus light. In some examples, the first metalens <NUM> may have a size in the range of about <NUM> of µm to several centimeters (e.g., when working as a global lens) and the second and third metalenses <NUM> and <NUM> may have a size in the range of several micrometers to several millimeters (e.g., when working as micro or macro lenses). Thus, by using flat, compact metalenses instead of the more commonly-used bulky, curved lenses, the optical system <NUM> can achieve a smaller size than the systems of the related art.

While <FIG> illustrates an embodiment in which the lens module <NUM> includes three metalenses, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, a single metalens may be used to focus the second and third lights onto the first and second pixel arrays, respectively.

In some embodiments, the first pixel array <NUM> of the detector <NUM> detects the second light and generates a corresponding electrical signal (also referred to as a temperature signal) to be used by the controller <NUM>. The generated signal may correspond to (e.g., be equal or proportional to) the average pixel value across the first pixel array <NUM>. As the intensity of the second light is indicative of the temperature of the solution <NUM> in the reaction chamber <NUM> and because each pixel value corresponds to the intensity of the second light at that pixel, the signal generated by the first pixel array <NUM> corresponds to the solution temperature.

According to some embodiments, the controller <NUM> utilizes the temperature signal to monitor the actual temperature of the solution <NUM> in real-time. As the controller <NUM> can also affect the temperature of the solution <NUM> through adjusting the frequency or the pulse-width of the pulsed first excitation light (via the control signal), optically measuring the solution temperature in real-time enables the controller <NUM> to precisely control and adjust the temperature of the solution <NUM>. As such, in some embodiments, the controller <NUM> is capable of subjecting the solution <NUM> to thermocycles that facilitate the amplification of the first NAs. As an example, in one amplification cycle, the controller <NUM> may gradually increase the solution temperature from <NUM> to <NUM>, then decrease it to <NUM>, and finally reduce it down to <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may initiate many amplification cycles in order to amplify the first NAs to a point where the presence and/or concentration of the first NAs can be detected/measured.

In some embodiments, the second pixel array <NUM> detects the third light (e.g., the fluorescence light) and generates a first fluorescence signal corresponding to the third light. The fluorescence signal may be an average of intensities of light detected by each one of the pixels across the second pixel array <NUM> and is used by the controller <NUM> to determine the presence and/or the starting concentration of the first NAs <NUM> in the solution <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the controller <NUM> maintains a count of the thermocycles as it monitors the fluorescence of the solution <NUM>. Once the fluorescence signal reaches a detection threshold value, the controller <NUM> may calculate the starting concentration of the first NAs <NUM> by utilizing a table that maps number of thermocycles to achieve the threshold value of fluorescence to known initial concentrations of the first NAs <NUM>. The table may be stored at the memory <NUM>. When a count of thermocycles in a particular assay process does not match the count values in the table, the controller <NUM> may interpolate between nearest tabulated count values and their corresponding starting concentrations to arrive at an estimate of initial concentration of the first NAs <NUM> in the reaction chamber <NUM> prior to excitation and amplification.

In some embodiments, the detector <NUM>, which includes a plurality of pixel arrays, provides high detection sensitivity (e.g., single-photon sensitivity) to enable real-time and/or endpoint monitoring of NA amplification. For example, the first pixel array <NUM> may be a cooled infrared photodetector based on narrow- or wide bandgap semiconductors, or may be an uncooled photodetector based on pyroelectric and ferroelectric materials, resistive or capacitive microbolometer and/or magnetic based transistors. For example, the second pixel array <NUM> may include a plurality of avalanche photodiodes (APDs), a quanta image sensor (QIS), a plurality of single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), and/or the like. The high detection sensitivity of the detector <NUM> allows the system <NUM> to lower the detection threshold value relative to the related art, thereby considerably reducing detection/assay time.

As shown in <FIG>, in some examples, the reaction chamber <NUM> may be part of a lab-on-a chip with microfluidic inlet, outlet, channels, and components. For example, the reaction chamber may be a well within the lab-on-a-chip. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and the reaction chamber <NUM> may be a test tube, such as an eppendorf tube or a reaction vial, a well plate, or any suitable enclosure.

By using the excitation light to not only excite the NAs but also to heat the solution, the optical system <NUM> eliminates the need for costly, bulky, and power hungry electronic heating systems and temperature detection hardware. This allows the optical system <NUM> to be scalable to low-power form factors that may be suitable for IoT (internet-of-things) devices and handheld devices, such as smartphones.

While the optical system <NUM> is capable of assaying a single type of NA, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. <FIG> illustrate examples in which the optical system is capable of assaying two different NAs in the same reaction chamber.

<FIG> are schematic diagrams of compact optical systems <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> that are capable of amplification and assay of two different types of NAs in the reaction chamber, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The optical systems <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> are substantially similar to the optical system <NUM> of <FIG>, with the exception of modification to certain components that will be described below. For sake of brevity and clarity, only those features of the optical systems <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> that are different from the optical system <NUM> of <FIG> may be described herein.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, the solution <NUM> in the reaction chamber <NUM> includes more than one type of NA, for example, the first NAs 132a and second NAs 132b, which respond to different excitation lights. Here, the light source <NUM>-<NUM> emits an additional second excitation light toward the reaction chamber <NUM>, which is tuned to excite the second NAs 132b and cause fluorescence of second fluorophores 134b that bind to the second NAs 132b. In some examples, the light source <NUM>-<NUM> includes a green LED 112b that emits the second excitation light as green light in the wavelength range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>. The green LED 112b may be pulsed and have a variable frequency or variable pulse width matching that of the blue LED 112a, as determined by the control signal from the controller <NUM>.

Once the second NAs 132b are excited and amplified by the second excitation light, the solution <NUM> emits a fourth light that may be a visually orange light having a wavelength in the range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>. The mirror <NUM> is configured to reflect the fourth light toward the lens module <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the first metalens <NUM> directs the third and fourth lights toward the third metalens <NUM>, which focuses both of these lights onto the second pixel array <NUM>-<NUM>. The second pixel array <NUM>-<NUM> may be capable of hyperspectral imaging in which both the intensity and spectral information of the incoming light may be observed over a wide spectrum of wavelengths, and the controller <NUM> may be able to monitor and differential the light intensities from the third and fourth lights based on their wavelength ranges. In such embodiments, the controller <NUM> may utilize the same methodology described above with respect to <FIG> to detect and determine the starting concentration of both the first NAs and the second NAs. However, embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and as shown in <FIG>, the detector <NUM>-<NUM> may include a further pixel array, that is, a third pixel array <NUM> to detect the fourth light and to generate a second fluorescence light corresponding to the fourth light intensity. In the example of <FIG>, the controller <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM>) is further configured to determine the presence of the plurality of second NAs 132b in the solution <NUM> based on the second fluorescence signal, as described above with respect to <FIG>.

While <FIG> illustrate examples in which two different NAs are being detected, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, using the methodology described above, the optical system may be expanded to detect any suitable number of differing NAs. In some examples, up to <NUM>-<NUM> targets may be detected using fluorescent labels that span in the range of visible to near-infrared.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a compact optical system <NUM>-<NUM> capable of rapid end-point amplification and assay, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

In some embodiments, the reaction chamber <NUM> may include a large number of wells <NUM>, each of which may contain a small portion of the solution <NUM>. In some examples, the wells <NUM> may be only a few micrometers in size and the reaction chamber <NUM> may include a large number (e.g., tens of thousands) of these wells. The small size of the wells <NUM> may ensure that each well <NUM> does not contain more than a small number of first NAs <NUM> (e.g., less than ten NAs <NUM>). Given that the number of wells <NUM> may far exceed the number of first NAs <NUM> and that the distribution of the first NAs across the wells <NUM> is stochastic/random, many (e.g., most) of the wells <NUM> may not contain any NAs. Thus, NA amplification may only occur in a subset of the wells, and the remaining wells may not fluoresce.

The controller <NUM> may perform a sufficient number of thermocycles (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM> cycles) on the reaction chamber <NUM>-<NUM> to ensure that sufficient amplification has occurred to be detectable by the detector <NUM>. Based on the resulting one or more fluorescent lights corresponding to the subset of wells, the second pixel array <NUM> then produces a two-dimensional pixelated image <NUM> in which pixels corresponding to the subset of wells are contrasted from the remaining wells that contained no NAs. The controller <NUM> then counts the number of wells containing NAs <NUM> in the two-dimensional pixelated image <NUM> and determines the starting concentration of the first NAs <NUM> based on a Poisson distribution model.

The rapid-end-point detection performed by the optical system is not limited to a single type of NA, and may be utilized to assay any suitable number of target NAs.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a compact optical system <NUM>-<NUM> capable of rapid end-point amplification and assay of more than one type of NA, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

In some embodiments, the optical system <NUM>-<NUM> utilizes the blue and green LEDs 112a and 112b to generate two different excitation lights to excite and amplify the first and second NAs that are present in a subset of the wells <NUM> within the reaction chamber <NUM>-<NUM>. The first and second NAs generate first and second fluorescence lights that can be separately identified via the two-dimensional pixelated image <NUM>-<NUM> generated by the second pixel array <NUM>-<NUM>. The controller <NUM> then counts the number of wells containing each of the first and second NAs and using the Poisson distribution model determines the concentration of each of the two NAs in the reaction chamber <NUM>-<NUM>.

<FIG> are schematic diagrams of the lens module and detector utilizing different focusing lens and pixel array arrangements, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in some examples, the focal lengths of the first metalens for the second and third lights may be the same or substantially the same, and the second and third metalenses <NUM> and <NUM> may be offset from one another in a direction (e.g., the Y-direction) crossing (e.g., perpendicular to) an optical axis (e.g., along the X-direction) of the first metalens <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in some examples, the focal lengths of the first metalens for the second and third lights may be the different from one another, and the second and third metalenses <NUM> and <NUM> may be aligned with one another along an optical axis of the first metalens (e.g., along the X-direction). In this stacked architecture, the second and third metalenses <NUM> and <NUM> and the first and second pixel arrays <NUM> and <NUM> may be alternately positioned and aligned along the optical axis (along the X-direction) of the first metalens <NUM>. For example, the first pixel array <NUM> may be positioned between the second and third metalenses <NUM> and <NUM>, and the third metalens <NUM> may be positioned between the first and second pixel arrays <NUM> and <NUM>. In such an example, the second metalens <NUM> may be transparent to the third light.

Referring to <FIG>, the lens module <NUM>-<NUM> includes only a single metalens (<NUM>-<NUM>) that is configured to directly focus the second and third lights onto the first and second pixel arrays <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, without the aid of the any other metalenses. In such examples, the single metalens <NUM>-<NUM> may have a different focal point for each of the second and third lights.

<FIG> is a flow diagram illustrating the process <NUM> of optical NA amplification, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the controller <NUM> receives a temperature signal corresponding to a temperature of the solution <NUM>, which includes a plurality of NAs, in a reaction chamber <NUM> from a detector <NUM> (S602). The controller <NUM> then controls the temperature of the solution <NUM> by generating a control signal for pulsing the light source <NUM> directed at the reaction chamber <NUM> (S604). The light source is configured to emit an excitation light toward the solution in response to the control signal, which may have a variable pulse width and be based on the temperature signal and the target temperature (e.g., desired temperature) of the solution. The solution is configured to emit an infrared light in response to heating by the excitation light, and is configured to emit a fluorescence light in response to amplification of the plurality of NAs. The detector generates the temperature signal in response to receiving the infrared light, and generate a fluorescence signal in response to receiving the fluorescence light. The controller <NUM> receives the fluorescence signal corresponding to the intensity of fluorescence of the solution (S606), and calculates the starting concentration of the plurality of NAs <NUM> based on the fluorescence signal (S608).

Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide a compact optical system that is compatible with all types of qualitative, semi-quantitative, and quantitative NA amplification methods relying on optical detection. By using a detector with single-photon sensitivity such as QIS/APD/SPAD for NA amplification the optical system can considerably reduce the number of cycles and time needed to perform detection/assay. In some embodiments, the optical system is scalable to low-power form factors that are suitable for IoT (internet-of-things) devices and smartphones. The optical system may be adaptable to lab-on-a-chip assays, tubes, well-plates, and all other platforms on which NA amplification may be performed. The optical system is also suitable for both real-time and end-point measurements.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, and/or sections, these elements, components, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, or section from another element, component, or section. Thus, a first element, component, or section discussed above could be termed a second element, component, or section.

It will be understood that the spatially relative terms used herein are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or in operation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated <NUM> degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly. In addition, it will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being "between" two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers may also be present.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. It will be further understood that the terms "include," "including," "comprises," and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Further, the use of "may" when describing embodiments of the invention refers to "one or more embodiments of the invention. " Also, the term "exemplary" is intended to refer to an example or illustration.

It will be understood that when an element or component is referred to as being "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or component, it can be directly connected to or coupled to the other element or component, or one or more intervening elements or components may be present. When an element or layer is referred to as being "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or component, there are no intervening elements or components present.

As used herein, the terms "substantially," "about," and similar terms are used as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherent variations in measured or calculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art.

Also, any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges of the same numerical precision subsumed within the recited range. For example, a range of "<NUM> to <NUM>" is intended to include all subranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of <NUM> and the recited maximum value of <NUM>, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than <NUM> and a maximum value equal to or less than <NUM>, such as, for example, <NUM> to <NUM>. Any maximum numerical limitation recited herein is intended to include all lower numerical limitations subsumed therein and any minimum numerical limitation recited in this specification is intended to include all higher numerical limitations subsumed therein. Accordingly, Applicant reserves the right to amend this specification, including the claims, to expressly recite any sub-range subsumed within the ranges expressly recited herein.

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>) for nucleic acid, NA, amplification, the system (<NUM>) comprising:
a light source (<NUM>) configured to emit a first excitation light based on a control signal;
a reaction chamber (<NUM>) configured to house a solution (<NUM>) comprising a plurality of first nucleic acids, NAs (<NUM>, 132a), the plurality of first NAs (<NUM>, 132a) being configured to amplify in response to the first excitation light, the solution (<NUM>) being configured to emit a second light in response to heating by the first excitation light and to emit a third light in response to amplification of the plurality of first NAs (<NUM>, 132a);
a detector (<NUM>) configured to detect the second and third lights and to generate a temperature signal corresponding to the second light and a first fluorescence signal corresponding to the third light;
a lens module (<NUM>) configured to focus the second and third lights onto the detector (<NUM>); and
a mirror (<NUM>) configured to pass-through the first excitation light and to direct the second and third lights toward the lens module (<NUM>).