(158t) An Inexpensive, Compact, Programmable Temperature Controller and Thermocycler for Use during Device Imaging on a Microscope

Microfluidic devices are key enabling technologies for research and industry due to their compact size, which increases the number of integrated operations while decreasing reagent use. Common operations within these devices such as chemical and biological reactions, cell growth, or kinetic measurements often require temperature control. Commercial temperature controllers are constrained by cost, complexity, size, and especially versatility for use in a broad range of applications. Ideally, temperature control systems would be more accessible with a wide applicability. We have built and validated an inexpensive, modular, compact, and user-friendly temperature control system can function within a microscope. This system provides precise temperature acquisition and control during imaging of any arbitrary sample which can fit within a microscope slide, including microfluidic devices. The system includes two components. The first is a compact and washable Device Holder, fabricated from high temperature resistant resin to fit securely inside a microscope stage. The second is a robust Control Device, which incorporates all necessary components to program temperature settings. The system can achieve heating and cooling times between 50°C and 100°C of 32 seconds and 101 seconds, respectively. In addition to a simple user interface to program target temperature and duration, a Bluetooth enabled smartphone application has been developed for real-time data acquisition and visualization. An endpoint polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a real time PCR performed within a microscope validated the temperature control system. This device can rapidly control the temperature on the surface of a microscope slide between ambient temperature and 100°C for an arbitrary amount of time and can perform rapid thermal cycling. Therefore, it has the potential to enable the experiments involving live cell imaging, DNA and protein analysis, in vitro drug studies, diffusion studies, crystallization, microfluidic fluid mechanics, or any other application in which temperature control and simultaneous microscopic observation is required.