MASCTM Technology

Microwaves in Medicine: It has been known for many years that microwaves can be used to accelerate bulk chemical reactions. However, despite the critical importance of rapid chemistry in biomedicine, it has not been possible to use microwaves in biomolecular testing. MASCTM is an exciting new technology that overcomes the limitations of using microwaves in bio-analysis. With MASCTM, a vast number of important applications become amenable to microwave acceleration including; pharmaceutical discovery and development, medical diagnostics, veterinary diagnostics, food testing (such as routine testing of meat and poultry), water testing, agricultural testing (such as for contaminant genetically modified plants on farms), and bio/chemical warfare testing.

What Is MASCTM?

In MASCTM, microwaves are targeted to the solid surfaces where bioanalytical reactions occur. Before the invention of MASCTM, microwave chemistry was primarily limited to bulk liquid reactions and reactions occurred throughout the liquid phase. Harsh volumetric microwaving is poorly suited for accelerating bioanalytical reactions. Bioanalytical reactions have special requirements because they: (1) occur on the solid surfaces of disposable "microchips" or "microwell plates" rather than in bulk solution, and (2) involve fragile biomolecules such as proteins that are easily destroyed by excessive heat. By selectively targeting mild microwaves to the surfaces where biological reactions occur, MASCTM for the first time fully realizes the accelerating power of microwaves in biomedical testing.

Microchips and microwell plates are today's gold standards for molecular testing. Microchips are about the size of a stick of gum and can be used to perform thousands of tests simultaneously. Microwell plates are slightly larger than a pack of playing cards and contain many individual wells for individual tests. Current microchips and microplates sold by many vendors can be easily modified for MASCTM by a simple undercoating procedure in which we "paint" the bottoms with a proprietary microwave-absorbing material. Shown below are typical MASCTM chips and plates. In addition to the black opaque coating shown below, we have a transparent coating for tests requiring clear surfaces. Because we can undercoat microchips and microplates that are already on the market, MASCTM can immediately "supercharge" thousands of existing tests that are already being sold by many vendors throughout the world.

MASC(TM) Microwell Plates

MASCTM Microwell Plates

MASC(TM) Microchips

MASCTM Microchips

What Can MASCTM Do?

Akin to a "Swiss ArmyTM Knife", MASCTM is a multi-faceted technology that can perform many tasks. MASCTM can be used preparatively, analytically, and to reduce medical waste after testing. Depending on the testing requirements, one or all of these features can be incorporated.

  • Rapid Test Preparation
    Biological testing almost always involves a specific recognition event such as an antibody-antigen reaction (in immunoassays) or specific DNA strand hybridization (in DNA probe assays). These so-called "binding" events are usually the bottleneck in terms of the total test time. Using mild microwaves and low temperatures, MASCTM can be used to dramatically accelerate test preparation times. For example, the binding events in an immunoassay may normally take 5 hours or longer and DNA hybridization can take up to 16 hours. With MASCTM, these times can be reduced by a factor of ten or more. As the technology develops, we believe that the time reduction will become even more remarkable. Shown below are the results of immunoassays with and without MASCTM.
    • Immunoassay Results

    Immunoassay results on a microchip with (left) and without (right) MASCTM. Spots represent test results of a cancer-related protein. Antibody-antigen binding was for 10 minutes (MASCTM) or 120 minutes (no MASCTM). Microwave treatment of a non-MASCTM chip gives results similar to the panel on the right (no MASCTM).

  • Rapid Test Detection
    One form of MASCTM called Microwave Chemiluminescence (MCL) can be used to sensitively and rapidly detect molecules. In MCL, molecules are present on microchips or microwell plates that have the ability to emit light only when triggered by microwaves. Advantages of MCL over normal chemiluminescence detection include low background, instantaneous strong light emission, and superior user control and convenience. MCL is an extremely sensitive way of detecting traces of biomolecules in both immunoassays and DNA probe assays. Shown below is a comparison between cancer-associated proteins measured by MCL (left) and normal chemiluminescence (right).
    • MCL and conventional chemiluminescence on MASC(TM) microchips

    MCL and conventional chemiluminescence on MASCTM microchips. Images of light emission from two chips are shown at the top and a scanned digitalized image is shown at the bottom. In both cases, eight tests for a cancer-related protein were performed.

  • Rapid Post-Test Sample Decontamination
    Microchips and microwell plates used in biomedical analyses often contain biohazardous materials – either toxins or pathogens. An added convenience of MASCTM is that the sample can be microwave heat treated after analysis in the instrument, thus rendering the sample harmless in many cases. In this application, stronger microwaves are used than in test preparation or analysis described above.
  • Emerging Applications
    MASCTM is a dynamic technology. Along with our partners, we are continually expanding and improving MASCTM. Please check our website often for exciting innovations and advances.