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Ott O, Tolppi S, Figueroa-Cruz J, Myagmar K, Unurbuyan K, Tripathi A. Leveraging the fundamentals of heat transfer and fluid mechanics in microscale geometries for automated next-generation sequencing library preparation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12564. [PMID: 38822053 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63014-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is emerging as a powerful tool for molecular diagnostics but remains limited by cumbersome and inefficient sample preparation. We present an innovative automated NGS library preparation system with a simplified mechanical design that exploits both macro- and microfluidic properties for optimizing heat transfer, reaction kinetics, mass transfer, fluid mechanics, adsorption-desorption rates, and molecular thermodynamics. Our approach introduces a unique two-cannula cylindrical capillary system connected to a programmable syringe pump and a Peltier heating element able to execute all steps with high efficiency. Automatic reagent movement, mixing, and magnetic bead-based washing with capillary-based thermal cycling (capillary-PCR) are completely integrated into a single platform. The manual 3-h library preparation process is reduced to less than 15 min of hands-on time via optimally pre-plated reagent plates, followed by less than 6 h of instrument run time during which no user interaction is required. We applied this method to two library preparation assays with different DNA fragmentation requirements (mechanical vs. enzymatic fragmentation), sufficiently limiting consumable use to one cartridge and one 384 well-plate per run. Our platform successfully prepared eight libraries in parallel, generating sequencing data for both human and Escherichia coli DNA libraries with negligible coverage bias compared to positive controls. All sequencing data from our libraries attained Phred (Q) scores > 30, mapping to reference genomes at 99% confidence. The method achieved final library concentrations and size distributions comparable with the conventional manual approach, demonstrating compatibility with downstream sequencing and subsequent data analysis. Our engineering design offers repeatability and consistency in the quality of sequence-able libraries, asserting the importance of mechanical design considerations that employ and optimize fundamental fluid mechanics and heat transfer properties. Furthermore in this work, we provide unique insights into the mechanisms of sample loss within NGS library preparation assays compared with automated adaptations and pinpoint areas in which the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer can improve future mechanical design iterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Ott
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Sabrina Tolppi
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Jennifer Figueroa-Cruz
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Khaliun Myagmar
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Khulan Unurbuyan
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Anubhav Tripathi
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
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Chavez‐Pineda OG, Rodriguez‐Moncayo R, Cedillo‐Alcantar DF, Guevara‐Pantoja PE, Amador‐Hernandez JU, Garcia‐Cordero JL. Microfluidic systems for the analysis of blood‐derived molecular biomarkers. Electrophoresis 2022; 43:1667-1700. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.202200067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Oriana G. Chavez‐Pineda
- Laboratory of Microtechnologies Applied to Biomedicine (LMAB) Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav) Monterrey Nuevo León Mexico
| | - Roberto Rodriguez‐Moncayo
- Laboratory of Microtechnologies Applied to Biomedicine (LMAB) Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav) Monterrey Nuevo León Mexico
| | - Diana F. Cedillo‐Alcantar
- Laboratory of Microtechnologies Applied to Biomedicine (LMAB) Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav) Monterrey Nuevo León Mexico
| | - Pablo E. Guevara‐Pantoja
- Laboratory of Microtechnologies Applied to Biomedicine (LMAB) Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav) Monterrey Nuevo León Mexico
| | - Josue U. Amador‐Hernandez
- Laboratory of Microtechnologies Applied to Biomedicine (LMAB) Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav) Monterrey Nuevo León Mexico
| | - Jose L. Garcia‐Cordero
- Laboratory of Microtechnologies Applied to Biomedicine (LMAB) Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav) Monterrey Nuevo León Mexico
- Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering (ITB) Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel Basel Switzerland
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Lee K, Murphy J, Tripathi A. Electro-DBS: A Simple Method to Rapidly Extract Genomic DNA from Dried Blood Spots. Anal Chem 2022; 94:13404-13412. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kiara Lee
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 United States
- Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - John Murphy
- Brown BioMed Machine Shop, Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Anubhav Tripathi
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 United States
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Lee K, Tripathi A. An investigation into simplifying total RNA extraction with minimal equipment using a low volume, electrokinetically driven microfluidic protocol. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2022; 16:044107. [PMID: 35992642 PMCID: PMC9385220 DOI: 10.1063/5.0096684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Current methods for total RNA extraction are time-consuming and require several hands-on steps and specialized equipment. Microfluidic devices can offer the opportunity to reduce the number of hands-on steps, decrease the volumes of reagents required for purification, and make extraction high throughput. Here, we investigated the translation of a high volume magnetic bead-based total RNA extraction method (from human whole blood) onto a low input volume microfluidic device. Our results first show that RNA integrity is maintained when the reagent volumes are scaled down by a factor of 22 and the wash buffers are combined 1:1. With our microfluidic method, the number of wash steps can be reduced from four to one. Thus, the time to complete RNA extraction can be reduced from 2 h to 40 min. These manipulations to the conventional protocol yielded RNA amplifiable within 40 cycles of reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) when using the microfluidic device to simplify the wash steps. To improve the purification of the RNA during the bead transport through the microchannel, we also investigated the effect of a synergetic application of the electrokinetic flow. Our results show that DNase I and other contaminants surrounding the beads get washed away more effectively via electrophoretic transport. Most notably, RNA adsorption on the beads is strong enough to counter electrophoretically-driven desorption. In all, our work opens new ways to extract high-quality total RNA rapidly and simply from a small quantity of blood, making the process of RNA extraction more accessible.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anubhav Tripathi
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
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Obino D, Vassalli M, Franceschi A, Alessandrini A, Facci P, Viti F. An Overview on Microfluidic Systems for Nucleic Acids Extraction from Human Raw Samples. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21093058. [PMID: 33925730 PMCID: PMC8125272 DOI: 10.3390/s21093058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid (NA) extraction is a basic step for genetic analysis, from scientific research to diagnostic and forensic applications. It aims at preparing samples for its application with biomolecular technologies such as isothermal and non-isothermal amplification, hybridization, electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing. Multiple steps are involved in NA collection from raw samples, including cell separation from the rest of the specimen, cell lysis, NA isolation and release. Typically, this process needs molecular biology facilities, specialized instrumentation and labor-intensive operations. Microfluidic devices have been developed to analyze NA samples with high efficacy and sensitivity. In this context, the integration within the chip of the sample preparation phase is crucial to leverage the promise of portable, fast, user-friendly and economic point-of-care solutions. This review presents an overview of existing lab-on-a-chip (LOC) solutions designed to provide automated NA extraction from human raw biological fluids, such as whole blood, excreta (urine and feces), saliva. It mainly focuses on LOC implementation aspects, aiming to describe a detailed panorama of strategies implemented for different human raw sample preparations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Obino
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council, 16149 Genova, Italy; (D.O.); (F.V.)
| | - Massimo Vassalli
- Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, James Watt South Building, Glasgow G128LT, UK;
| | | | - Andrea Alessandrini
- Nanoscience Institute, National Research Council, 41125 Modena, Italy;
- Department of Physics, Informatics and Mathematics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Paolo Facci
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council, 16149 Genova, Italy; (D.O.); (F.V.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Federica Viti
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council, 16149 Genova, Italy; (D.O.); (F.V.)
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Schneider L, Cui F, Tripathi A. Isolation of target DNA using synergistic magnetic bead transport and electrokinetic flow. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2021; 15:024104. [PMID: 33763161 PMCID: PMC7972524 DOI: 10.1063/5.0045307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The advent and dissemination of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies such as Illumina's sequencing platforms has brought forth vast reductions in the cost, time, and technical difficulties associated with DNA and RNA sequencing. Despite this trend, the workflow required to generate nucleic acid libraries for sequencing remains time-consuming and laborious. The following research proposes a method for simplifying and streamlining this process by replacing the manual washing steps of the common magnetic bead-based cleanup with a novel microfluidic method by integrating magnetic separation and electrokinetic purification (MSEP). Requiring no pumps, pipette mixing, vortexing, or centrifugation, MSEP relies on selective adsorption of target DNA onto the magnetic beads with subsequent transport of beads through a microchannel undergoing an antiparallel electroosmotic flow. The synergetic flow conditions were optimized using a simple electrohydrodynamic flow model. This work demonstrates that MSEP is as effective in eliminating adapter-dimers from the post-ligation library mix as the manual method while also greatly reducing the hands-on time and amount of pipetting required. Although MSEP has been applied specifically toward NGS library preparation at this time, it has the potential to be adapted and employed for any bead-based separation scheme, namely, solid phase extraction, sequence-specific hybridization, and immunoprecipitation on a microscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Schneider
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, 182 Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
| | - Francis Cui
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, 182 Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
| | - Anubhav Tripathi
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Brown University, 182 Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
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