Nucleic Acid Amplification Using Radio Frequency Electrokinetic Heating

Abstract

Microfluidic PCR is one of the most common and widely used sample preparation techniques. Most heating methods for microfluidic PCR are heated in one of two ways: (1) the reaction is pumped between different boundary-heating zones, or (2) stationary reaction chamber boundaries are heated by resistive heating elements. Both heating methods are subject to limitations of boundary-driven heating, where an inherent thermal gradient exists between heater and reaction. Therefore, there is a need to develop a simple and rapid PCR heating mechanism that is not subject to limitations of boundary-driven heating.Alternating current (AC) electrokinetics has many uses in microfluidics, from dielectrophoresis, the study of induced dipoles on a particle in an electric field, to electrokinetic fluid pumping, where conductivity and thermal gradients drive fluid flow. A common side effect I would also like to thank my lab mates Steven Doria and Edwin Lavi for introducing me to the fields of microfluidics and lithography. In addition, I would like to thank my other lab mates, Md Nazibul Islam for his assistance with device photography and COMSOL simulations, and Yuncheng (Max) Yu for taking SEM images of electrode chips. A general thanks goes to all of my lab mates for their support, wisdom, and advice. My thanks also extend to my previous scientific mentors at Colorado State University & Boston Biochem, where my passion for engineering and biotechnology grew into what it is today. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends I have made through Chemical Engineering and Club Swimming for their support, laughter, and advice during my time at Texas A&M University. I could not have achieved what I did without them. vi CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES Contributors This work was supervised by a thesis committee consisting of Professor Gagnon (advisor) & Professor Ugaz of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Professor Jain of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. COMSOL simulations of electrokinetic heating were performed in collaboration with Md Nazibul Islam. Additionally, various pictures for figures & diagrams were taken by Md Nazibul Islam. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of electrodes were taken by Yuncheng (Max) Yu. All other work conducted for this thesis was completed by the student independently,