# A Reaction- Diffusion-Based Approach for Nucleic Acid Quantification

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT · 2020 · $368,466

## Abstract

Abstract
Quantitative detection of nucleic acid sequences (DNA or RNA) is important in many biomedical applications
including disease diagnosis, gene expression profiling. Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), which takes
advantage of enzymatic polymerization reaction to amplify specific nucleic acid sequences, provides high
sensitivity and specificity and has become the gold standard for many infectious disease diagnostics. However,
the NAAT has been severely hindered by the cost and complexity of the instrumentation for applications to
point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, especially for use in resource-limited settings. The objective of the proposed
research is to bridge this gap by developing a simple, affordable approach to quantify nucleic acids undergoing
enzymatic polymerization reaction. To this end, we propose to study a new, reaction-diffusion-based,
microfluidic method (dubbed the “nuclemeter”) for quantifying target nucleic acid molecules. The amount of
target analytes in raw clinical samples can be quantitatively read out through the position of polymerization
reaction-diffusion front in the nuclemeter at the endpoint, nearly as simply as reading temperature in a
“mercury in glass” thermometer. As an example application, viral load testing in HIV infection will be used to
evaluate and validate its clinical application. The hypothesis behind the proposed research is that the position
of the enzymatic polymerization reaction-diffusion front indicates target nucleic acid concentration in samples.
To test our hypothesis and demonstrate its suitability as a new, affordable, nucleic acid-based, molecular
diagnostics approach, we assemble a multidisciplinary research team and propose the following specific aims:
i) study a reaction-diffusion-based microfluidic device and method for endpoint quantification of nucleic acids, ii)
develop a cellphone-based, label-free, bioluminescent detection platform; and iii) evaluate and validate the
feasibility of clinical application of the nuclemeter for viral load testing. The proposed work is both innovative
and immediately useful because it: i) introduces a novel, simple, affordable approach for nucleic acid endpoint
quantification, ii) develops a minimally-instrumented, cellphone-based detection platform, and iii) proposes a
new two-stage isothermal amplification assay for highly sensitive, specific, multiplex nucleic acid testing. If
successful, it would open the door to affordable, mobile, personalized, molecular diagnosis and treatment.
Beyond disease diagnostics, our nuclemeter system, as a technology platform of nucleic acid quantification,
would also have broad applicability for many other biomedical research, such as high throughput DNA
screening.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9912154
- **Project number:** 5R01EB023607-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT
- **Principal Investigator:** Changchun Liu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $368,466
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-05-01 → 2022-11-09

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9912154

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9912154, A Reaction- Diffusion-Based Approach for Nucleic Acid Quantification (5R01EB023607-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9912154. Licensed CC0.

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