DNA Separation on a Chip by Lateral Electric Fields

建议标题：横向电场在芯片上分离DNA建议编号：CTS-0302271首席研究员：Anuj Chauhan研究所：美国佛罗里达大学这个项目的目标是通过压力驱动流动和垂直于流动的电场的组合，在微细制造的通道中分离不同大小的DNA分子。电场将使带电的DNA分子集中在壁面附近，而轴向流动将倾向于将具有较高扩散系数的较小分子更快地沿通道向下输送。以循环方式运行应能按大小有效地分离DNA分子。为了提高分离效率，提出了几种不同的分离方法。目前分离DNA分子的标准方法是通过毛细管电泳法，这对高达20000个碱基对的小分子是有效的。随着新的大分子测序方法的出现，最困难的一步将是DNA的分离。所提出的分离方法可能适用于兆碱基对范围内的分子。就更广泛的影响而言，根据DNA片段的长度分离DNA片段是分子生物学许多领域的重要一步，特别是DNA测序在医疗诊断和药物输送中的应用。建议的策略不需要任何凝胶，它可以在芯片实验室设备中实现。在教育领域，DNA分离的主题将包括在运输课程中，外展将包括访问初中和高中，以演示e

AbstractProposal Title: DNA Separation on a Chip by Lateral Electric FieldsProposal Number: CTS-0302271Principal Investigator: Anuj ChauhanInstitution: University of FloridaThe objective of this project is to separate DNA molecules of different sizes in microfabricated channels through the combination of pressure-driven flow through the channel and electric fields orthogonal to the flow. The electric field will concentrate the charged DNA molecules near the wall, while the axial flow will tend to transport the smaller molecules with higher diffusivities more rapidly down the channel. Operation in a cyclic manner should lead to an effective separation of DNA molecules by size. Several variations on this method are proposed to increase the efficiency of the separation. The current, standard method for the separation of DNA molecules is through capillary electrophoresis, which is effective for smaller molecules up to about 20,000 base pairs. As new methods for sequencing larger molecules become available, the most difficult step will be the isolation of DNA. The proposed separation method may be applicable to molecules in the megabase pair range. In terms of the broader impacts, separation of DNA fragments on the basis of their lengths represents an important step in a number of areas of molecular biology, especially DNA sequencing for applications in medical diagnostics and drug delivery. The proposed strategy does not require any gels, and it could be implemented in lab-on-a-chip devices. In the educational area DNA separation topics will be included in transport courses, and outreach will include visits to middle and high schools for demonstration e