A TWO-DIMENSIONAL MICROFLUIDIC SEPARATION PLATFORM FOR HIGH-THROUGHPUT GENETIC MUTATIONAL ANALYSIS By

2003 PREFACE Chapters two and three in this dissertation were co-authored and previously submitted for publication. Copyright permissions for the reproduced manuscripts were obtained from the publishers and are indicated on the first page of both chapters. Furthermore, the inclusion of reproduced manuscripts in this dissertation is permitted by the In the cases for both manuscripts, I was the primary author. In addition to my own written work, contributions from the coauthors named to the manuscripts constituting chapters two and three of this thesis consisted solely of critiques and suggested revisions received from my dissertation advisor, Dr. Cheng S. Lee. All other persons named as coauthors were recognized exclusively for contributions made to the work that is reported in the manuscripts. You have always been there to support me in every endeavor I have undertaken. I can never thank you enough. You have stuck by my side in thick and thin throughout this entire process. I could not have finished without you. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Pen-Chang Wang for his help with the work presented in Chapter 2. Fred Rosenberger and Yan Li provided an immense amount of fabrication support in fabricating a substantial portion of the silicon templates and microfluidic devices that were used in the studies presented in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. For their help, I am extremely grateful. Christopher Kimball is gratefully acknowledged for his work with integrated microheaters and sensors that enabled the development and demonstration of the integrated spatial TGGE device presented in Chapter 3. I would like to thank Edd Cole for providing invaluable instruction and assistance with the manufacturing and machining of the custom hardware required for the work outlined in this dissertation. Dr. Ed Highsmith and Dr. Caren Chang are also gratefully acknowledged for their assistance in generating the DNA samples required for the studies presented in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my advisor, Dr. Cheng S. Lee, for his tutelage during the course of my studies for the doctor of philosophy degree.