Genomic Microarray Processing on a FPGA for Portable Remote Applications

Abstract

There are many fields in biomedical engineering where portability, compactness and robustness at the application level is an important requirement. Genomic microarray tests are becoming a routine exploration in many areas of medicine, biology and pharmacology. These tests have to fulfill strict and cumbersome protocols which prevent them from being universally applied in remote areas or situations where access to hospital facilities is difficult, as in the case of ship crews, military detachments or in the attention to isolated populations in underdeveloped countries. Seeking for solutions to translate sophisticated exploration methods as these may imply the detection and treatment of different genetic-induced illnesses and help in extending high standard medicine to these situations. In the present paper a hand-held portable application to inspect genetic microarrays is presented, which may be used in the field with important advantages on autonomy and robustness. The system is based on CCD microarray image scanning plus advanced image processing software for robust detection and reading supported by an FPGA. The platform is conceived for stand-alone use and low weight and consumption, making it ideal for applications in telemedicine. Facilities for data storage in a laptop are also provided.