Droplet MicroChromatography (DMC) is a simple, rapid and sensitive technique for assessment of the molecular profiles of biological liquids such as saliva, urine, and blood serum or plasma. The DMC patent-pending concept is based on analyzing the dynamics of sediment pattern formation during drying of a fluid microdroplet. DMC may be viewed as a branch of chromatography that provides separation of the molecular components of the analyzed liquid both in time and space.
The DMC provides an alternative to complex proteomic approaches and could be used for diagnosis and monitoring of the treatment for a variety of diseases. This technology obviates the expense associated with complex time-consuming laboratory techniques. The DMC test takes less then 5 minutes and the system basic hardware is very simple: a calibrated droplet deposition system and a CCD camera connected to a computer. The complexity of the DMC lies in the sophisticated mathematical algorithms for dynamic pattern analysis. Our preliminary studies and literature data indicate that the overall organization of the sediment and the temporal sequence of formation for each structure uniquely and reproducibly depend upon the composition of the fluid and reflects development of pathologic conditions.
DMC for Myeloma Diagnosis
Three-dimensional representation of the patterns formed by blood serum obtained from healthy donors (upper row) and from multiple myeloma patients with elevated IgG level (bottom row).
The outer rings of the sediment formed by dried droplets of human blood serum are composed of various aggregated proteins. Low molecular weight compounds concentrate and sediment in the central region of the pattern.
References
- Sarvazyan AP: Methods and devices for droplet microchromatography. USA Pat 7,364,696 2008 Apr 29.
- Killeen AA, Ossina N, McGlennen RC, Minnerath S, Borgos J, Alexandrov A, Sarvazyan A: Protein self-organization patterns in dried serum reveal changes in b-cell disorders. Mol Diag Ther 2006; 10(6):371-80.