Electrochemical detection system and apparatus

Abstract

The invention provides a method of probing for a nucleic acid comprising: contacting a nucleic acid solution with an oligonucleotide probe labelled with an electrochemically active marker, providing conditions at which the probe is able to at least partially hybridise with any complementary target sequence which may be present in the nucleic acid solution, selectively degrading either hybridised, partially hybridised or unhybridised nucleic acid probe, and electrochemically determining information relating to the electrochemically active marker. The invention further provides novel molecules with use in methods of the invention.

1 .- 86 . (canceled) 
     
     
         87 . An apparatus for electrochemical detection of a nucleic acid in one or more nucleic acid solutions, comprising:
 a housing having at least one sample receiving region for receiving one or more sample containers, each sample container including a nucleic acid solution comprising a target nucleic acid;   a temperature controller effective to control at least the temperature at the sample receiving region and the temperature at which an amplification reaction of the target nucleic acid is carried out; and   a detector effective to detect electrochemical signals of the nucleic acid resulting from one or more electrochemical reactions in the nucleic acid solution in the one or more sample containers.   
     
     
         88 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , further comprising a display for displaying the electrochemical signals of the nucleic acid. 
     
     
         89 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the temperature controller is programmable. 
     
     
         90 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , further comprising a thermal cycler. 
     
     
         91 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the detector is effective to detect the electrochemical signals of the nucleic acid obtained by voltammetry or by amperometric technique. 
     
     
         92 . The apparatus of  claim 91 , wherein the voltammetry is differential pulse voltammetry. 
     
     
         93 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the apparatus is programmable. 
     
     
         94 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein one or more sample containers comprise one or more electrodes. 
     
     
         95 . The apparatus of  claim 94 , wherein the one or more electrodes are silver or silver chloride electrodes. 
     
     
         96 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 94 , wherein the one or more electrodes are platinum electrodes. 
     
     
         97 . The apparatus of  claim 94 , wherein the one or more electrodes are glassy carbon electrodes. 
     
     
         98 . The apparatus of  claim 87 , wherein the temperature controller integrates the reaction to amplify the target nucleic acid and the electrochemical detection of the target nucleic acid.