A PDMS based Integrated PCR Microchip for Genetic Analysis

An integrated continuous-flow microfluidic chip was fabricated on glass substrate with PDMS based microchannels, cell lysis and PCR modules. Gold-microelectrodes were used to produce electrochemical cell lysis, while, indium-tin-oxide (ITO) microheater was used for thermal cycling of PCR reaction. The fabricated device was used for 20 cycles of PCR amplification of pancreatic cancer DNA marker (SMAD4) from non-tumorigenic MCF10a human cell lines. The 193 bp PCR amplicon obtained through on-chip PCR was confirmed in case of MCF 10a cells through agarose gel electrophoresis, whereas no product was detected in case of tumorigenic MCF7 cells. The total time required for entire reaction was less than 90 min. Therefore, we propose that such microchip can be helpful in predicting the risk of cancer by analysis of genetic tumor markers from human samples and can also be used for other genetic analysis involving PCR reaction.