Abstract
The invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has caused a revolution in molecular biology, giving access to a method of amplifying deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules across several orders of magnitude. Since the first application of PCR in a microfluidic device was developed in 1998, an increasing number of researchers have continued the development of microfluidic PCR systems. In this review, we introduce recent developments in microfluidic-based space and time domain devices as well as discuss various designs integrated with multiple functions for sample preparation and detection. The development of isothermal nucleic acid amplification and digital PCR microfluidic devices within the last five years is also highlighted. Furthermore, we introduce various commercial microfluidic PCR devices.
Highlights
A number of time and space domain polymerase chain reaction (PCR) devices do not address the issue of providing simple user interfaces
While microfluidic devices offer great advantages over conventional bench-top systems, typical PCR users do not have access to microfluidic techniques, often lacking equipment or skill required for the operation
This provides a significant barrier for PCR users, preventing them from adapting microfluidic techniques
Summary
Associate Professor at Department of Mechanical Engineering in Sogang University, Seoul, Korea He received his Bachelor and Master degrees from Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea and his Ph.D. degree from University of California Irvine, USA in 2007. His research interests are in the areas of Lab on a Chip, nanomedicine, and tissue engineering He is a director of the BioNano Technology Lab in Sogang University, Seoul, Korea. When the sample is moved through a microchannel featuring different temperatures along its length, the temperature is dependent on the position in the channel This group of devices is referred to as space domain PCR device. A polyimide device with three integrated resistive copper heaters has been presented (Fig. 1A).[17] The microfluidic device was designed for 30 cycles of PCR with a time ratio of 1 : 1 : 2 for denaturation, annealing, and extension step.
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