Micro- and nanofluidics for DNA analysis

• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-004-2526-0
• Publication Date: 2004-03-25T14:07:21Z
• Authors: Jonas O. Tegenfeldt; Christelle Prinz; Richard L. Huang; Robert H. Austin; Stephen Y. Chou; Edward C. Cox; James C. Sturm; Han Cao
• Keywords: Microfluidics; Nanotechnology; Cell Separation; DNA; 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology

Miniaturization to the micrometer and nanometer scale opens up the possibility to probe biology on a length scale where fundamental biological processes take place, such as the epigenetic and genetic control of single cells. To study single cells the necessary devices need to be integrated on a single chip; and, to access the relevant length scales, the devices need to be designed with feature sizes of a few nanometers up to several micrometers. We will give a few examples from the literature and from our own research in the field of miniaturized chip-based devices for DNA analysis, including dielectrophoresis for purification of DNA, artificial gel structures for rapid DNA separation, and nanofluidic channels for direct visualization of single DNA molecules.