Application Note: Design For Manufacturability (DFM) In The Life Sciences

By Edward Freniere, Ph. D., Richard Hassler, Linda Smith from Lambda Research Corporation; Eric Heinz from Heinz Optical Engineering Company;

Optical Instrumentation Development for the Life Sciences

Product Development
The inherently interdisciplinary nature of developing instrumentation for the life sciences requires a high level of collaboration between scientists and engineers across the fields of analytical or clinical chemistry, optics, mechanics, material science and microbiology. Moreover, product development teams are competing for first-to-market benefits that are driven by intellectual property life times and insuring an installed base quickly to realize recurring consumable sales. Concurrently, they need to comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). Competitive advantage in the life sciences industry can be achieved by adhering to a design-for-manufacture (DFM) process where system level product performance specifications and design elements are communicated effectively and in compliance across the multiple technical disciplines. System level modeling enables adherence to the methodical design process without the cost and time associated with iterative hardware prototyping and laboratory and clinical testing.

Fluorescent Probe Technologies
Fluorescence probe, luminescent reporter, and nanocrystal technologies enable very sensitive detection of molecules and rapid detection of specific changes within target biological samples. The menu of fluorescence based biological assays is large and rapidly increasing with the burgeoning discovery of new biomarkers. The fundamental characteristics of this optical phenomenon, however, severely complicate instrumentation design.

• Fluorescence Spectroscopy
• Flow Cytometry
• Micro Array Readers
• Nucleic Acid Amplification
• Assay & Cell Based Imaging
• Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy
• Laser Induced Fluorescence Detection (LIF)
• Fluorescence Resonance Energy Tranfer (FRET)
• Biosensors
• In-Vitro Diagnostics
• In-Vivo Diagnostics