Integrated bioassays in microfluidic devices: botulinum toxin assays.

A microfluidic assay was developed for screening botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT-A) by using a fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay. Molded silicone microdevices with integral valves, pumps, and reagent reservoirs were designed and fabricated. Electrical and pneumatic control hardware were constructed, and software was written to automate the assay protocol and data acquisition.

Dynamic DNA hybridization on a chip using paramagnetic beads.

Dynamic DNA hybridization is presented as an approach to perform gene expression analysis. The method is advantageous because of its dynamic supplies of both DNA samples and probes. The approach was demonstrated on a microfluidic platform by incorporating paramagnetic beads as a transportable solid support.

Chemiluminescence detection in integrated post-separation reactors for microchip-based capillary electrophoresis and affinity electrophoresis.

Chemiluminescence (CL) detection based on the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) catalyzed reaction of luminol with peroxide was investigated as a post-separation detection scheme for microchip-based capillary electrophoresis. An integrated injector, separator and post-separation reactor was fabricated on planar glass wafers. The fluorescein conjugate of HRP (HRP-F1) was used as a sample for optimization of the CL detector response.

Microchip-based capillary electrophoresis of human serum proteins.

The separation and relative quantitation of human serum proteins is important to the clinical diagnosis of various states of disease. Microchip-based capillary electrophoresis (CE) of human serum proteins offers several advantages over sodium dodecyl sulfate-poly(acrylamide) gel electrophoresis and conventional CE methods, including decreased sample consumption and analysis time and the possibility of on-chip sample manipulation (dilution, labelling, etc.).

Evaluation of methods for the laboratory diagnosis of malaria in Guyana.

When 297 blood samples taken from patients attending a fever clinic in Georgetown Public Hospital were examined microscopically, after thick and thin blood films had been stained with Giemsa, one hundred and forty-two (47.8%) were microscopically positive for malaria. After processing the patient's serum, samples by the Indirect Fluorescent Antibody (IFA) technique, specific IgG and IgM antibodies were detected in 239 (81.