An introduction to the BLINK X Instrument and Bead Technology
Speaker: Hartmut Bocker, Blink DX
BLINK has developed a novel integrated Sample-to-Result analysis format based on magnetic Nanoreactor Beads. Each Bead consists of a hydrogel core providing the space for target amplification, a binding functionality for nucleic acid enrichment, encoding labels and target specific primers and probes. The beads are used for extracting and purifying nucleic acids from biological samples and serve as the compartmentalization tool for digital PCR analysis. Amplification and detection are performed within thousands of nano-compartments provided by the volume of each individual bead. Since beads with different primer/probe sets can be combined into panels, the technology leads to extensive multiplexing. A dedicated instrument platform, the Blink X, has been developed to leverage the unique features of BLINK’s bead technology and to enable rapid workflows with PCR as quick as 5 minutes. In this DiagnosTech-Pitch, the basic functional principles will be explained and demonstrated how quantitative multiplexing becomes practically feasible.