Microfluidic linear hydrogel array for multiplexed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection.

A PDMS-based microfluidic linear hydrogel array is developed for multiplexed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection. A sequence of three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel plugs containing the desired DNA probes is prepared by UV polymerization within a PDMS microchannel system. The fluorescently labeled target DNA is then electrophoresed through the sequence of hydrogel plugs for hybridization. Continued electrophoresis provides an electrophoretic wash that removes nonspecific binders. The capture gel array is imaged after washing at various temperatures (temperature gradient electrophoresis) to further distinguish perfect matches from mismatches. The ability of this microdevice to perform multiplex SNP genotyping is demonstrated by analyzing a mixture of model E. coli bacterial targets. This microfluidic hydrogel array is ∼1000 times more sensitive than planar microarrays due to the 3D gel capture, the hybridization time is much shorter due to electrophoretic control of the transport properties, and the stringent wash with temperature gradient electrophoresis enables analysis of single nucleotide mismatches with high specificity.