IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2024 Jan;71(1):217-226. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2023.3295418. Epub 2023 Dec 22.
Recent advancements demonstrate the significant role of digital microfluidics in automating laboratory work with DNA and on-site viral testing. However, since commercially available instruments are limited to droplet manipulation, our work addresses the need for accelerated integration of other components, such as temperature control, that can expand the application domain.
We developed PhageBox-an accessible device that can be used as a biochip extension. At hardware level, PhageBox integrates temperature and electromagnetic control modules. At software level, PhageBox is controlled by embedded software containing a unique model for bio-protocol programming, and a graphical user interface for visual device feedback and operation.
To evaluate PhageBox's efficacy for biomedical applications, we performed functional testing. Similarly, we validated the temperature control using thermography, obtaining a range of ±0.2[Formula: see text]. The electromagnets produced a magnetic force of 15 milliTesla, demonstrating precise immobilization of magnetic beads. We show the potential of PhageBox for bacteriophage research through three initial protocols: a universal framework for PCR, T7 bacteriophage restriction enzyme digestion, and concentrating ϕX174 RF genomic DNA.
Our work presents an open-source hardware and software extension for digital microfluidics devices. This extension integrates temperature and electromagnetic modules, demonstrating efficacy in biomedical applications and potential for bacteriophage research.
We developed PhageBox to be accessible: the components are off-the-shelf at a low cost ( ≤ $200), and the hardware designs and software code are open-source. With the long aim of ensuring reproducibility and accelerating collaboration, we also provide a DIY-build document.
最近的进展表明，数字微流控在自动化实验室工作和现场病毒检测方面具有重要作用。然而，由于市售仪器仅限于液滴操作，我们的工作解决了加速集成其他组件（如温度控制）的需求，这可以扩展应用领域。
我们开发了 PhageBox-一种可作为生物芯片扩展的可访问设备。在硬件层面，PhageBox 集成了温度和电磁控制模块。在软件层面，PhageBox 由嵌入式软件控制，该软件包含用于生物协议编程的独特模型以及用于可视化设备反馈和操作的图形用户界面。
为了评估 PhageBox 在生物医学应用中的功效，我们进行了功能测试。同样，我们通过使用热成像技术验证了温度控制，获得了±0.2[公式：见正文]的范围。电磁铁产生了 15 毫特斯拉的磁力，证明了对磁性珠的精确固定。我们通过三个初始协议展示了 PhageBox 在噬菌体研究中的潜力：用于 PCR 的通用框架、T7 噬菌体限制性内切酶消化以及浓缩 ϕX174 RF 基因组 DNA。
我们的工作提出了一种用于数字微流控设备的开源硬件和软件扩展。该扩展集成了温度和电磁模块，在生物医学应用中证明了其功效，并具有噬菌体研究的潜力。
我们开发了 PhageBox 使其具有可访问性：组件是现成的，成本低（≤$200），硬件设计和软件代码是开源的。为了确保可重复性和加速协作的长期目标，我们还提供了 DIY 构建文档。
