University of California

Qingshan Wei

Aydogan Ozcan

Wei Luo

The concentration of mercury in a sample is measured by a reader secured to a camera-containing mobile electronic device. The reader has holders for sample and control solutions. First and second light sources emitting light at different colors illuminate the sample and control holders. Each holder contains gold nanoparticles, thymine-rich aptamers, and sodium chloride. The light sources illuminate the sample and control holders. An image is captured of the transmitted light through the sample and control holders, wherein the image comprises two control regions of interest and two sample regions of interest. The device calculates the intensity of the two control regions of interest and the two sample regions of interest and generates intensity ratios for the sample and control, respectively, at each color. The device calculates a normalized color ratio based on the intensity ratios and outputs a concentration of mercury based on the normalized color ratio.

Method and device for detection and spatial mapping of mercury concentration in water samples

A device and method for imaging fluorescently labeled molecules (e.g., nucleic acids) includes securing a modular attachment device to the mobile phone with a sample containing stretched, fluorescently labeled nucleic acid molecules and illuminating the sample with excitation light to cause the fluorescently labeled nucleic acid molecules to emit fluorescent light. Images of the nucleic acids are captured using a camera of the mobile phone. The images from the mobile phone are transferred to a remote computer for image processing and analysis. The images are processed by the remote computer to generate analysis data of sample, wherein the analysis data includes the length of nucleic acid molecules contained in the sample or the length of molecular sub-region(s). The mobile phone or another computing device receives from the remote computer the analysis data and displays at least some of the analysis data thereon.

Growing community of inventors

Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Qingshan Wei