Single-Molecule DNA Amplification and Analysis Using Microfluidics

Single-molecule DNA amplification and analysis has been studied within the confines of microfluidic reactors. With respect to new applications of single-molecule DNA amplification using microfluidics, the most immediately appealing perhaps lies in the field of sequencing. The existing ultrahigh-throughput sequencing technology can be further improved by use of small-sized monodisperse droplets engineered on chips, and the applications of droplet reactors in single-molecule nucleic acid amplification can be further opened up. It is even possible to envision microfluidic platforms capable of performing the entire process of single-molecule amplification and analysis, such as sample preparation of starting template, single-molecule amplification, sequence-specific or non-sequence-specific detection, and data analysis. Small volume operation and rapid thermal cycling have been the major motivations in the development of single-molecule DNA amplification and analysis using microfluidics.