New article on DNA fragmentation using a microfluidic chip

A new article titled “Microfluidic DNA fragmentation for on-chip genomic analysis” has recently been accepted for publication in the journal Nanotechnology. In the new article we report a high-throughput clog-free microfluidic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation chip that is based on hydrodynamic shearing. Salmon sperm DNA has been reproducibly fragmented down to ~5 kb fragment lengths by applying low hydraulic pressures (less than 1 Bar) across micromachined constrictions positioned in larger microfluidic channels that create point-sink flow with large velocity gradients near the constriction entrance. Long constrictions (100 µm) produce shorter fragment lengths compared to shorter constrictions (10 µm), while increasing the hydrodynamic pressure requirement. Sample recirculation (10x) in short constrictions reduces the mean fragment length and fragment length variation, and improves yield compared to single-pass experiments without increasing the hydrodynamic pressure.

The paper has been accepted for publication and will appear online soon. For more information, please contact Lingling Shui: l.shui@ewi.utwente.nl or Edwin Carlen e.t.carlen@utwente.nl