Lab-on-a-chip technology cuts DNA extraction time, cost for food safety testing
Researchers have demonstrated a spinning microfluidic disc that extracts DNA from food samples in minutes with minimal equipment—matching the performance of expensive laboratory columns. The advance could enable rapid, portable pathogen detection at food processing plants and reduce reliance on centralized testing facilities.
Originaltitel: Automation of silica bead-based nucleic acid extraction on a centrifugal lab-on-a-disc platform
<p>We describe a centrifugal microfluidic ‘Lab-on-a-Disc’ (LoaD) technology for DNA purification towards eventual integration into a Sample-to-Answer platform for detection of the pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 from food samples. For this application, we use a novel microfluidic architecture which combines ‘event-triggered’ dissolvable film (DF) valves with a reaction chamber gated by a centrifugo-pneumatic siphon valve (CPSV). This architecture permits comprehensive flow control by simple changes in the speed of the platform innate spindle motor. Even before method optimisation, characterisation by DNA fluorescence reveals an extraction efficiency of 58%, which is close to commercial spin columns.</p>