Electrodes and other Elements
Tensentric instruments provide efficient and hands-off analysis of lab samples, replacing complex, time-consuming and potentially error-prone steps crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring health and guiding treatment decisions. Our systems incorporate the functionalities of a biochemical laboratory. Processes such as the mixing of liquids, DNA synthesis, bioseparation, aliquoting, amplification of biomolecules, or detection of specific substances by optical or electrochemical methods can be integrated in a cartridge. Our systems include components such as filters, pumps, valves, mixers, and sensors. Cartridges can isolate and manage internal substances for safe disposal after use, including sensitive lyophilized reagents, substances needing protection from environmental exposure, hazardous chemicals, or biological samples, while removing the possibility of cross-contamination. These systems can perform complex processes in point-of-care environments, saving time and cost by eliminating the need for specialized labs and highly trained technicians and by streamlining tedious multi-stepped processes that often require expensive dedicated lab equipment.
Integrated Electrical Elements
Tensentric has developed and supported numerous systems that closely integrate electronic and fluidic functions to manipulate a sample. Key examples include applying an electrical field across a hydrogel to motivate and separate proteins of interest via gel electrophoresis, and using magnetic beads and electromagnetic fields (or permanent magnets) to bind, wash, isolate, and release specific biological targets. Beyond fluidics and IVD applications, our capabilities encompass diverse applications across the medical device and life science industries, including energy delivery systems, electroporation– enabled needle arrays for enhanced vaccine delivery, electrosurgical generator for vessel sealing, and heating elements for 96 well plate reactions.
Electrochemical-Sensors
Tensentric has integrated various electrochemical sensors into cartridge bodies. These are used to analyze characteristics of the fluid or detect the presence of DNA. Functionalized and embedded electrodes can be used for the detection of charged molecules, and special biosensors are used to detect pathogens. These include potentiostats with software algorithms that detect substances like viruses or glucose by monitoring changes in the current or voltage as the target analyte interacts with the electrode surface.
These capabilities allow cartridges to have semi-modular options to be used for various scientific results.
Electroporation
Electroporation involves a high-voltage, short-duration electrical pulses applied to a sample to alter the cell membrane, allowing surrounding molecules like DNA, drugs, or dyes to enter the cell. In an advanced therapy manufacturing application, Tensentric developed a custom cartridge and instrument that leverages a mixture of T-cells, genetically engineered plasmid, and conductive buffer in a series of electroporation chambers. These chambers consist of a pair of embedded gold-plated electrodes and are fluidically connected. A proprietary electrical waveform is delivered to transfect the T-cells before rinsing and recovering into a culture bag for downstream use.
Temperature Regulation and Control
Tensentric has incorporated elements into cartridges that allow passive temperature control without the use of external heating or cooling elements. A chemical sealed within chambers, when mixed with water, reacts exothermically to produce heat, or endothermically to extract heat. Heat is used to provide activation energy for chemical reactions. Cooling has been employed to produce condensation in a breath analyzer. Phase change materials are incorporated to maintain reaction heat at a constant temperature by absorbing thermal energy. When a higher level of temperature control is required, such as rapid heat cycling for qPCR, Tensentric has incorporated thermoelectric and piezoelectric cooling elements within instruments.
Lateral Flow Assay (LFA) Strips
LFA strips, or lateral flow assay strips, have been incorporated into Tensentric cartridges. This commonly used method provides an easy to interpret readout of an antibody capture assay. This is a convenient and cost-effective detection tool for rapid point-of-care testing.
Immunofluorescence Detection Filters
In addition to consumable-integrated filters that manipulate fluidic samples themselves, Tensentric has expertise in instrument-integrated optical filters.
Antibodies are tagged with a known fluorophore, that are excited with a wavelength in the absorption band of the fluorophore. Because the resulting emission of photons is unique to each fluorophore, differential detection of antigens is possible based on the specific antibody-fluorophore combination. The use of bandpass filters can parse different emissions in a multiplexed assay to identify the presence of multiple proteins.
