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Wu T, Wang T, He X, Zhao J, Yan H, Zhou T, Shi L. Investigation into the optoelectrowetting droplet transport mechanism. Electrophoresis 2024; 45:1428-1442. [PMID: 38430203 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202300296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
To explore the optoelectronic wetting droplet transport mechanism, a transient numerical model of optoelectrowetting (OEW) under the coupling of flow and electric fields is established. The study investigates the impact of externally applied voltage, dielectric constant of the dielectric layer, and interfacial tension between the two phases on the dynamic behavior of droplets during transport. The proposed model employs an improved Young's equation to calculate the instantaneous voltage and contact angle of the droplet on the dielectric layer. Results indicate that, under the influence of OEW, significant variations in the interface contact angle of droplets occur in bright and dark regions, inducing droplet movement. Moreover, the dynamic behavior of droplet transport is closely associated with various parameters, including externally applied voltage, dielectric layer material, and interfacial tension between the two phases, all of which impact the contact angle and, consequently, the transport process. By summarizing the influence patterns of the three key parameters studied, the optimization of droplet transport performance is achieved. The study employs two-dimensional simulation models to emulate the droplet motion under the influence of the electric field, investigating the OEW droplet transport mechanism. The continuous movement of droplets involves three stages: initial wetting, continuous transport, and reaching a steady position. The findings contribute theoretical support for the efficient design of digital microfluidic devices for OEW droplet movement and the selection of key parameters for droplet manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wu
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Tianyi Wang
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
- School of Information and Communication Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Xiaohan He
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
- School of Information and Communication Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Juncheng Zhao
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Hong Yan
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Teng Zhou
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
| | - Liuyong Shi
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China
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2
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Zhai J, Liu Y, Ji W, Huang X, Wang P, Li Y, Li H, Wong AHH, Zhou X, Chen P, Wang L, Yang N, Chen C, Chen H, Mak PI, Deng CX, Martins R, Yang M, Ho TY, Yi S, Yao H, Jia Y. Drug screening on digital microfluidics for cancer precision medicine. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4363. [PMID: 38778087 PMCID: PMC11111680 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48616-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Drug screening based on in-vitro primary tumor cell culture has demonstrated potential in personalized cancer diagnosis. However, the limited number of tumor cells, especially from patients with early stage cancer, has hindered the widespread application of this technique. Hence, we developed a digital microfluidic system for drug screening using primary tumor cells and established a working protocol for precision medicine. Smart control logic was developed to increase the throughput of the system and decrease its footprint to parallelly screen three drugs on a 4 × 4 cm2 chip in a device measuring 23 × 16 × 3.5 cm3. We validated this method in an MDA-MB-231 breast cancer xenograft mouse model and liver cancer specimens from patients, demonstrating tumor suppression in mice/patients treated with drugs that were screened to be effective on individual primary tumor cells. Mice treated with drugs screened on-chip as ineffective exhibited similar results to those in the control groups. The effective drug identified through on-chip screening demonstrated consistency with the absence of mutations in their related genes determined via exome sequencing of individual tumors, further validating this protocol. Therefore, this technique and system may promote advances in precision medicine for cancer treatment and, eventually, for any disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yingying Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Weiqing Ji
- School of Computer and Communication Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China
| | - Xinru Huang
- Liver Transplantation Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunyi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Haoran Li
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Ada Hang-Heng Wong
- MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Xiong Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
- College of electrical and information engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Ping Chen
- Cancer Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Lianhong Wang
- College of electrical and information engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Ning Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
- Department of Electronic Information Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Chi Chen
- Liver Transplantation Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haitian Chen
- Liver Transplantation Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pui-In Mak
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Chu-Xia Deng
- Cancer Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Rui Martins
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
- On leave from Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mengsu Yang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Tsung-Yi Ho
- Department of Compute Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shuhong Yi
- Liver Transplantation Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Hailong Yao
- School of Computer and Communication Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China.
| | - Yanwei Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
- MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
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3
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Wan L, Li M, Law MK, Mak PI, Martins RP, Jia Y. Sub-5-Minute Ultrafast PCR using Digital Microfluidics. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 242:115711. [PMID: 37797533 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
The development of a rapid and reliable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis is crucial for the timely identification of pathogens. Microfluidics, which involves the manipulation of small volumes of fluidic samples, has been shown to be an ideal approach for POC analysis. Among the various microfluidic platforms available, digital microfluidics (DMF) offers high degree of configurability in manipulating μL/nL-scale liquid and achieving automation. However, the successful implementation of ultrafast PCR on DMF platforms presents challenges due to inherent system instability. In this study, we developed a robust and ultrafast PCR in 3.7-5 min with a detection sensitivity comparable to conventional PCR. Specifically, the implementation of the pincer heating scheme homogenises the temperature within a drop. The utilization of a μm-scale porous hydrophobic membrane suppresses the formation of bubbles under high temperatures. The design of a groove around the high-temperature zone effectively mitigates the temperature interference. The integration of a soluble sensor into the droplets provides an accurate and instant in-drop temperature sensing. We envision that the fast, robust, sensitive, and automatic DMF system will empower the POC testing for infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Wan
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Mingzhong Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macao, China; Silergy Semiconductor (Macau) Limited, Macao, China
| | - Man-Kay Law
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macao, China; Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Pui-In Mak
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macao, China; Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Rui P Martins
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macao, China; Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China; On Leave from Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Yanwei Jia
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macao, China; Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China; MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao, China.
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4
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Li H, Peng T, Zhong Y, Liu M, Mak PI, Martins RP, Wang P, Jia Y. pH Regulator on Digital Microfluidics with Pico-Dosing Technique. BIOSENSORS 2023; 13:951. [PMID: 37998126 PMCID: PMC10669492 DOI: 10.3390/bios13110951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Real-time pH control on-chip is a crucial factor for cell-based experiments in microfluidics, yet difficult to realize. In this paper, we present a flexible pH regulator on a digital microfluidic (DMF) platform. The pico-dosing technology, which can generate and transfer satellite droplets, is presented to deliver alkali/acid into the sample solution to change the pH value of the sample. An image analysis method based on ImageJ is developed to calculate the delivered volume and an on-chip colorimetric method is proposed to determine the pH value of the sample solution containing the acid-base indicator. The calculated pH values show consistency with the measured ones. Our approach makes the real-time pH control of the on-chip biological experiment more easy to control and flexible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China; (H.L.); (M.L.); (P.-I.M.)
| | - Tao Peng
- Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute, Zhuhai 519085, China;
| | - Yunlong Zhong
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Meiqing Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China; (H.L.); (M.L.); (P.-I.M.)
| | - Pui-In Mak
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China; (H.L.); (M.L.); (P.-I.M.)
- Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute, Zhuhai 519085, China;
| | - Rui P. Martins
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China; (H.L.); (M.L.); (P.-I.M.)
- Faculty of Science and Technology–ECE, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
- Instituto Superior Técnico, Unversidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Yanwei Jia
- The State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China; (H.L.); (M.L.); (P.-I.M.)
- Faculty of Science and Technology–ECE, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
- MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
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5
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Xu D, Zhang W, Li H, Li N, Lin JM. Advances in droplet digital polymerase chain reaction on microfluidic chips. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:1258-1278. [PMID: 36752545 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00814a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The PCR technique has been known to the general public since the pandemic outbreak of COVID-19. This technique has progressed through three stages: from simple PCR to real-time fluorescence PCR to digital PCR. Among them, the microfluidic-based droplet digital PCR technique has attracted much attention and has been widely applied due to its advantages of high throughput, high sensitivity, low reagent consumption, low cross-contamination, and absolute quantification ability. In this review, we introduce various designs of microfluidic-based ddPCR developed within the last decade. The microfluidic-based droplet generation methods, thermal cycle strategies, and signal counting approaches are described, and the applications in the fields of single-cell analysis, disease diagnosis, and pathogen detection are introduced. Further, the challenges and prospects of microfluidic-based ddPCR are discussed. We hope that this review can contribute to the further development of the microfluidic-based ddPCR technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danfeng Xu
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Metrology and Applications on Nutrition and Health for State Market Regulation, Division of Chemical Metrology and Analytical Science, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Weifei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Metrology and Applications on Nutrition and Health for State Market Regulation, Division of Chemical Metrology and Analytical Science, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Hongmei Li
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Metrology and Applications on Nutrition and Health for State Market Regulation, Division of Chemical Metrology and Analytical Science, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Nan Li
- Department of Chemistry, Beijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and Instrumentation Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), China.
| | - Jin-Ming Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Beijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and Instrumentation Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), China.
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6
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Shen R, Lv A, Yi S, Wang P, Mak PI, Martins RP, Jia Y. Nucleic acid analysis on electrowetting-based digital microfluidics. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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7
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Song ZR, Zeng J, Zhou JL, Yan BY, Gu Z, Wang HF. Optimization of Electrode Patterns for an ITO-Based Digital Microfluidic through the Finite Element Simulation. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:1563. [PMID: 36295916 PMCID: PMC9611684 DOI: 10.3390/mi13101563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Indium tin oxide (ITO)-based digital microfluidics (DMF) with unique optical and electrical properties are promising in the development of integrated, automatic and portable analytical systems. The fabrication technique using laser direct etching (LDE) on ITO glass has the advantages of being rapid, low cost and convenient. However, the fabrication resolution of LDE limits the minimum line width for patterns on ITO glasses, leading to a related wider lead wire for the actuating electrodes of DMF compared with photolithography. Therefore, the lead wire of electrodes could affect the droplet motion on the digital microfluidic chip due to the increased contact line with the droplet. Herein, we developed a finite element model of a DMF with improved efficiency to investigate the effect of the lead wire. An optimized electrode pattern was then designed based on a theoretical analysis and validated by a simulation, which significantly decreased the deformation of the droplets down to 0.012 mm. The performance of the optimized electrode was also verified in an experiment. The proposed simulation method could be further extended to other DMF systems or applications to provide an efficient approach for the design and optimization of DMF chips.
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8
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Das A, Weise C, Polack M, Urban RD, Krafft B, Hasan S, Westphal H, Warias R, Schmidt S, Gulder T, Belder D. On-the-Fly Mass Spectrometry in Digital Microfluidics Enabled by a Microspray Hole: Toward Multidimensional Reaction Monitoring in Automated Synthesis Platforms. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:10353-10360. [PMID: 35640072 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c01651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We report an approach for the online coupling of digital microfluidics (DMF) with mass spectrometry (MS) using a chip-integrated microspray hole (μSH). The technique uses an adapted electrostatic spray ionization (ESTASI) method to spray a portion of a sample droplet through a microhole in the cover plate, allowing its chemical content to be analyzed by MS. This eliminates the need for chip disassembly or the introduction of capillary emitters for MS analysis, as required by state-of-the-art. For the first time, this allows the essential advantage of a DMF device─free droplet movement─to be retained during MS analysis. The broad applicability of the developed seamless coupling of DMF and mass spectrometry was successfully applied to the study of various on-chip organic syntheses as well as protein and peptide analysis. In the case of a Hantzsch synthesis, we were able to show that the method is very well suited for monitoring even rapid chemical reactions that are completed in a few seconds. In addition, the strength of the low resource consumption in such on-chip microsyntheses was demonstrated by the example of enzymatic brominations, for which only a minute amount of a special haloperoxidase is required in the droplet. The unique selling point of this approach is that the analyzed droplet remains completely movable after the MS measurement and is available for subsequent on-DMF chip processes. This is illustrated here for the example of MS analysis of the starting materials in the corresponding droplets before they are combined to investigate the reaction progress by DMF-MS further. This technology enables the ongoing and almost unlimited tracking of multistep chemical processes in a DMF chip and offers exciting prospects for transforming digital microfluidics into automated synthesis platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anish Das
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Chris Weise
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Polack
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Raphael D Urban
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Benjamin Krafft
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sadat Hasan
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hannes Westphal
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rico Warias
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Simon Schmidt
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 29, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tanja Gulder
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 29, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Detlev Belder
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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9
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Li M, Wan L, Law MK, Meng L, Jia Y, Mak PI, Martins RP. One-shot high-resolution melting curve analysis for KRAS point-mutation discrimination on a digital microfluidics platform. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:537-549. [PMID: 34904611 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00564b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) plays a critical role in personalized medicine, forensics, pharmacogenetics, and disease diagnostics. Among different existing SNP genotyping techniques, melting curve analysis (MCA) becomes increasingly popular due to its high accuracy and straightforward procedures in extracting the melting temperature (Tm). Yet, its study on existing digital microfluidic (DMF) platforms has intrinsic limitations due to the temperature inhomogeneity within a thickened droplet during the on-chip rapid heating process. Although the utilization of an on-chip thermostat can regulate and monitor the dynamic melting process in real time, the limited Tm accuracy resulting from the insufficient system response time to accommodate the fast-melting evolution still poses a great challenge for precise MCA with high throughput. This work proposes a one-shot MCA on a DMF platform. The tailoring of a functional substrate with hierarchical micro/nano structure enables high-resolution patterning of pL-scale droplets. Specifically, the hydrothermal and photocatalysis treatment allows the functional substrate to exhibit a superwettability contrast of >170°, facilitating passive isolation of the pL-scale DNA sample into highly-resolved pL droplets above the 200 μm superhydrophilic patterns. This high-resolution MCA technique can successfully discriminate KRAS gene targets with single-nucleotide mutations in 3 seconds. The high accuracy and consistency in the acquired Tm when compared with off-chip results demonstrate its opportunities for near-patient diagnostics, precision medicines, genetic counseling, and prevention strategies on DMF platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingzhong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao, China.
| | - Liang Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Man-Kay Law
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Li Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Yanwei Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Pui-In Mak
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Rui P Martins
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Macau, Macao, China
- On leave from Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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10
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Manipulation and control of droplets on surfaces in a homogeneous electric field. Nat Commun 2022; 13:289. [PMID: 35022399 PMCID: PMC8755840 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27879-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
A method to manipulate and control droplets on a surface is presented. The method is based on inducing electric dipoles inside the droplets using a homogeneous external electric field. It is shown that the repulsive dipole force efficiently suppresses the coalescence of droplets moving on a liquid-infused surface (LIS). Using a combination of experiments, numerical computations and semi-analytical models, the dependence of the repulsion force on the droplet volumes, the distance between the droplets and the electric field strength is revealed. The method allows to suppress coalescence in complex multi-droplet flows and is real-time adaptive. When the electric field strength exceeds a critical value, tip streaming from the droplets sets in. Based on that, it becomes possible to withdraw minute samples from an array of droplets in a parallel process. Control of droplet coalescence is a major challenge of droplet microfluidics. Here, the authors show that homogenous external electric field can induce dipoles inside droplets, which can be used to withdraw samples from an array of droplets.
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11
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Zhai J, Li C, Li H, Yi S, Yang N, Miao K, Deng C, Jia Y, Mak PI, Martins RP. Cancer drug screening with an on-chip multi-drug dispenser in digital microfluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:4749-4759. [PMID: 34761772 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00895a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidics has been the most promising platform for drug screening with a limited number of cells. However, convenient on-chip preparation of a wide range of drug concentrations remains a large challenge and has restricted wide acceptance of microfluidics in precision medicine. In this paper, we report a digital microfluidic system with an innovative control structure and chip design for on-chip drug dispensing to generate concentrations that span three to four orders of magnitude, enabling single drug or combinatorial multi-drug screening with simple electronic control. Specifically, we utilize droplet ejection from a drug drop sitting on a special electrode, named a drug dispenser, under high-voltage pulse actuation to deliver the desired amount of drugs to be picked up by a cell suspension drop driven by low-voltage sine wave actuation. Our proof-of-principle validation for this technique as a convenient single and multi-drug screening involved testing of the drug toxicity of two chemotherapeutics, cisplatin (Cis) and epirubicin (EP), towards MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and MCF-10A normal breast cells. The results are consistent with those screened based on traditional 96-well plates. These findings demonstrate the reliability of the drug screening system with an on-chip drug dispenser. This system with fewer cancer cells, less drug consumption, a small footprint, and high scalability with regard to concentration could pave the way for drug screening on biopsied primary tumor cells for precision medicine or any concentration-related research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau, China.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences/Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Caiwei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - DECE, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Haoran Li
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - DECE, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Shuhong Yi
- Liver Transplantation Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ning Yang
- Department of Electronic Information Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Kai Miao
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
- MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Chuxia Deng
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
- MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Yanwei Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - DECE, University of Macau, Macau, China
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
- MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Pui-In Mak
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - DECE, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Rui P Martins
- State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, Institute of Microelectronics, University of Macau, Macau, China.
- Faculty of Science and Technology - DECE, University of Macau, Macau, China
- On leave from Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
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