Novel Consumables for High-Throughput Screening That Capitalize on Electrical Forces and Leverage Existing Laboratory Tools

Novel consumables for high-throughput screening
that capitalize on electrical forces and leverage existing laboratory tools

Vincent T. Remcho

Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR  97331 USA

Abstract

Plate readers and electrophoresis are to biology and biochemistry what gas chromatographs are to petrochemistry: reliable, indispensable high-throughput sources of critical data.  Plate readers have permeated the high throughput screening market just as inkjet printers permeated the printing market; both are high precision tools that handle small volumes of fluids, both have modest acquisition cost, and both are heavily dependent on consumables.  Likewise, the quality of their output is dependent on the quality of the consumables.

We have explored a space that is common to plate readers, inkjet printers and bioassays by designing, building and deploying microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (mPADS) using a materials palette that leverages the best qualities and capabilities of each of the materials and methods selected.  The materials include microfibrous media, polycaprolactone, and semiconductor nanocrystals, and the methods include electrospinning, thermal inkjet deposition, lamination, paper electrophoresis, and plate reader-based optical spectroscopy. These selections enable high-throughput screening and analysis with minimal reagent handling and at low cost.  Minimization of reagent handling leads to increased precision and accuracy, contributing to data quality and diagnostic utility.

Hybrid microfluidic devices with open and wicking channels were modeled, designed, prepared and applied for colorimetric and fluorescent diagnostic assays for clinical biomarkers such as glucose, bilirubin, and creatinine as well as targets of forensic analysis such as cyanide and heavy metal ions, in environmental and biological samples.  Assay results were analyzed using commercial UV-Vis and fluorescence plate readers for detection using custom-built devices of a form factor readily accommodated in unmodified standard plate readers.