Microfluidics for Nucleic Acid Amplification

Nucleic acid amplification allows identification of very small amounts of a target sequence, providing quantitative data for diagnosis of pathogenic and infectious disease, as well as numerous forensic analysis processes. Generally, nucleic acid amplification techniques are classified as isothermal and non-isothermal methods. Microfluidic technology is adjustable to both these methods to allow rapid amplification.

Non-Isothermal Microfluidic Approach for Nucleic Acid Amplification

Non-isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods require temperature changes in each cycle to trigger denaturing, annealing, and extension during the amplification process.

Polymerase Chain Reaction with Microfluidics Technology

Microfluidics have been widely used for different polymerase chain reaction processes (PCR, qPCR, RT-PCR, d-PCR). There are two methods for performing a PCR on a microfluidic chip.

• Time Domain PCR: The reagents remain stagnant inside microchambers and are heated up and cooled down by heaters placed around the microchambers.
• Space Domain PCR: The reagent moves along the microfluidics channels which passes through zones of high and low temperatures to for periodic heating and cooling.

Isothermal Microfluidic Approach for Nucleic Acid Amplification

Isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods operate at a constant temperature and significantly simplify the PCR steps by removing the requirements of heating and cooling systems.

• Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)
• Nucleic-acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA)
• Strand displacement amplification (SDA)
• Rolling circle amplification (RCA)
• Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)
• Helicase-dependent amplification (HAD)

Advantage of Microfluidics Technology

• Affordability and modularity
• High throughput
• Rapid turnaround time
• Low sample volume
• Decreased reagent consumption
• Low risk of contamination

What We Can Do for You

• Target gene amplification
• Whole genome amplification

For more information about our nucleic acid amplification service, please contact us.