Microchannels nucleic acids analysis

The analysis of nucleic acids is a field of application where microchannels show their advantages in particular. The lab-on-a-chip approach benefits from one reaction channel, different reaction zones, and different temperature levels. 

After peptides and nucleic acids, saccharides form the third class of compounds the analysis of which bears advantages if being done in a microchannel. Again these analyses benefit from facile handling and short reaction times. What renders the microdevices most useful is the minimal amount of sample on the one hand and suppression of the back-reaction on the other. In addition, as an outcome of mixing on the microscale, the enzyme-catalyzed reaction proceeds up to three times faster than that in a stirred tank reactor [60]. 

One of the main applications of microfluidic DNA-sensing platforms on environmental analysis lies on its utilization as high-throughput systems for the rapid detection of nucleic acids that identify specific bacterial pathogens. Nowadays, a serious attention is needed in the evaluation of microbial cells in water, soil, and environment. These platforms are feasible to incorporate all the functional components of a macro-scale instrument into the restricted spatial domains of a microchannel for the identification of pathogens within minutes with a single-cell sensitivity level. ° ... 

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