I served as lead engineer on the NT Imager and NT Cycler instruments, from concept, to prototype, to manufacture.

The NT Cycler is a QPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) machine; it consists of a fluorescence detector coupled to a DNA amplification system, customized for the Biotrove Living Chip (an assay platform featuring tightly packed nanoliter capacity wells). As the DNA is amplified, the resulting fluorescence of the reaction (by way of fluorescent reporter molecules) is monitored in real-time by the fluorescence detector. The resulting data is then analyzed to give precise quantifications of the original DNA in each well. This information can be used to determine how much or little a gene is being expressed in a given sample, and has a wide variety of applications in drug discovery and diagnostics.

I conducted research to determine the most cost effective and appropriate technologies to incorporate into our instrument. Next, I designed and built the prototype, which was fully functional and demonstrated feasibility. I also worked with the manufacturer, determining and handing off specs, then debugging and characterizing the resulting instruments through the beta and pilot unit phases.