Technologies
A DNA-based high-resolution thermometer has been developed using DNA intercalating dyes. This technology allows for real-time accurate measurements of temperature with high spatial resolution. These dyes bind to DNA and fluoresce when the DNA is doubly stranded, yet are dark if the molecule is a single strand. A DNA molecule will decompose from its double strand form to its single strand form upon melting. An optical microscope can then spatially determine which areas of a sample have reached the melting temperature by resolving the areas where no fluorescence is observed. The melting point of the DNA can be controlled synthetically by varying the nucleotide sequence, allowing for this technology to make high quality measurements across a wide range of temperatures.
This technology provides real-time spatial temperature measurements with high accuracy and resolution. By controlling the melting point of the DNA molecules, this thermometer has an increased temperature range up to 95 degrees Celsius. This is a large increase compared to similar technologies that generally have a limited temperature range up to 35 degrees Celsius. In addition, this DNA-based thermometer can provide spatial information, whereas previous technologies only record temperature data at singular points. This thermometer, therefore, can achieve a highly accurate measurement that is only limited by the optics used to image the DNA.
This technology has measured temperatures across devices and can achieve a temperature resolution of 0.1 degrees Celsius and a spatial resolution of 3.2 micrometers.
Tech Ventures Reference: IR M11-123