Microfluidics deals with the manipulation of fluidics in the structure with dimensions of micrometers or nanometers. As an emerging field, microfluidics has numerous advantages, such as controllable fluid flow and reduced reagents consumption. Recently, microfluidic has been applied into the area of cell transfection, providing opportunities to investigate cell transfection process on microscale. This review summarizes recent technical development of cell transfection based on microfluidics, including transfeceted microarray, transfecetion established in miniaturization flowing space, microdrops, microinjection and microfluidic electroporation. The factors that affect the transfection efficiency and improvement approaches are also discussed.
Electroporation ; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques ; instrumentation ; Miniaturization ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Transfection

Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) is a semiquantitative analysis based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It possesses many advantages such as high efficiency, simple operation, low cost and has been wildly applied in researches of diseases associated with copy number variation, point mutation and methylation. Recently, MLPA is combined with DNA chip to become a real high-throughput method and get great improvement in reliability. Here, the progresses of methods and application of MLPA, as well as its limitations are reviewed.
DNA Methylation ; DNA Probes ; analysis ; genetics ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; instrumentation ; methods ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

The detection method of gene chip based on SPR principle is a potential high-throughput microanalysis method without labelling. With the use of Self-assembled monolayer (SAM) technology, the gene chip of Neisseria gonorrhoeae probe lattice has been prepared, detected and analyzed using the Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and SPR imaging (SPRI) gene chip detection system here-in provided for research in the hybridizatin reaction on the probe lattice of gene chip. The result indicates that there is an obvious resonance assimilate peak on the SPR resonance curve. And after hybridization, the refractive index and resonance as well as molecular weight of the probe have increased. So whether a hybridization takes place or whether the wanted ingredient is in the sample under examination can be determined by using SPR to watch the detecting interface or the resonance curve. The SPRI detection system is available for observing the happening of a hybridization on the probe of gene chip in real-time and straighforwardly. The SPR and SPRI system can do analysis qualitatively and quantitatively.
DNA Probes ; genetics ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae ; genetics ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; instrumentation ; methods ; Surface Plasmon Resonance ; methods ; Surface Properties

A protocol for enrichment and adsorption of karyocyte from whole blood by using magnetic nanometer beads as solid-phase absorbents was presented. The PCR amplification could be accomplished by using the nanobeads with karyocyte as template directly and the PCR products were applied on an oligonucleotide array to do gene typing. The HLA-A PCR amplification system and a small HLA-A oligonucleotide microarray were applied as the platform and an experiment protocol of separating karyocyte from whole blood using the magnetic nanometer beads (Fe2O3) were set up. The experimental conditions were also discussed. It showed that pH level of PBS eluent, Taq enzyme quantity and fragment length of products could influent the amplification results, and the magnetic nano-beads could succeed in sample preparation in microarray to provide a promising way in automatic detection and lab-on-a-chip.
Adsorption ; Cell Separation/instrumentation ; Cell Separation/methods ; Genotype ; Leukocytes/*cytology ; *Magnetics ; Microchemistry/instrumentation ; Microchemistry/*methods ; Nanotechnology ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis/*methods ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Templates, Genetic

The clinical laboratory technology has gradually changed the traditional detection methods. The new detection technology provides a more rapid and more accurate way for the disease diagnosis. The designs of the clinical laboratory equipments pay more attention to human factors, low cost and benefit for environment protection.
Clinical Laboratory Information Systems ; Clinical Laboratory Techniques ; instrumentation ; trends ; Equipment Design ; Humans ; Laboratories, Hospital ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; instrumentation ; methods ; Robotics ; Software

A protocol for enrichment and adsorption of karyocyte from whole blood by using magnetic nanometer beads as solid-phase absorbents was presented. The PCR amplification could be accomplished by using the nanobeads with karyocyte as template directly and the PCR products were applied on an oligonucleotide array to do gene typing. The HLA-A PCR amplification system and a small HLA-A oligonucleotide microarray were applied as the platform and an experiment protocol of separating karyocyte from whole blood using the magnetic nanometer beads (Fe2O3) were set up. The experimental conditions were also discussed. It showed that pH level of PBS eluent, Taq enzyme quantity and fragment length of products could influent the amplification results, and the magnetic nano-beads could succeed in sample preparation in microarray to provide a promising way in automatic detection and lab-on-a-chip.
Adsorption ; Cell Separation ; instrumentation ; methods ; Genotype ; Leukocytes ; cytology ; Magnetics ; Microchemistry ; instrumentation ; methods ; Nanotechnology ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Templates, Genetic

In the post-genome era, the emphasis of the human genome project (HGP) is transferred to the study of functional genomics, which has become the hotspots of modern medicine. Studies on mechanism of various diseases could be deepened with the progressing of differential gene expression analysis technique. By taking the study on ischemic heart diseases as an example, the development of differential gene expression analysis technique and its application were reviewed.
Biomedical Research ; methods ; trends ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; Gene Expression Profiling ; methods ; Genomics ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques ; Myocardial Ischemia ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis

OBJECTIVETo establish a new method for sperm sorting by imitating the physiological process of sperm-cervical mucus interaction on the microfluidic chip.

METHODSWe designed a microfluidic chip to imitate the physiological process of natural sperm sorting in the microchannel based on the interaction between sperm and cervical mucus, and obtained motile sperm after the interaction. Meanwhile, we established an integrated real-time sperm detection reservoir on this chip to determine sperm parameters using the computer-assisted sperm analysis system. We analyzed 30 samples using both microfluidic and swim-up methods, and compared the results with those obtained before sorting.

RESULTSThe rate of grade a + b sperm, the rate of morphologically normal sperm, straight-line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP) and straightness (STR) were (29.78 +/- 11.24)%, (8.00 +/- 5.19)%, (18.89 +/- 4.90) microm/s, (26.84 +/- 5.13) microm/s and (70.15 +/- 7.61)%, respectively, before sorting, (71.65 +/- 11.18)%, (14.95 +/- 6.79)%, (24.14 +/- 5.95) microm/s, (32.61 +/- 6.36) microm/s and (73.87 +/- 9.34)%, respectively, after swim-up sorting, and (92.37 +/- 6.33)%, (23.33 +/- 7.67)%, (34.03 +/- 16.78) microm/s, (38.73 +/- 16.40) microm/s and (84.91 +/- 12.56)%, respectively, after sorting on the microfluidic chip. The sperm parameters obtained before sorting showed statistically significant differences from those obtained on the chip (P < 0.01) and by the swim-up method (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONImitation of the physiological interaction between sperm and cervical mucus on the microfluidic chip helped the realization of both the natural sorting and real-time analysis of sperm. The quality of the sperm sorted on the microfluidic chip is significantly better than that of the sperm before sorting and sorted by the swim-up method. This has prepared the ground for imitating the fertilization process under the physiological condition on the microfluidic chip.

Cell Movement ; Cell Separation ; Cervix Mucus ; Humans ; Male ; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques ; instrumentation ; Microfluidics ; methods ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Motility ; physiology ; Spermatozoa ; physiology

Conformations of surface atoms in various stages of nanogold-based genechip testing were scanned by the atomic force microscope based on the scanning tunneling microscope. The findings were: First, the surface atoms of genechip slide (formylphenyl glass) were in a regular porous-arrangement; Second, after combination with probe, the regular porous arrangement changed to be irregular; Third, after hybridization with the target nucleic acid, the surface atoms were once again in a cable-like arrangement which was relatively structured and intensively cross-parallel. However, after the silver staining, the surface atoms showed a larger block structure with serious unevenness. From these results we can intuitively know the process and differences in probe combination, nucleic acid hybridization, and silver staining. Moreover, the relevant experiment was verified at the micro-level.
Gold ; Metal Nanoparticles ; chemistry ; Microscopy, Atomic Force ; methods ; Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling ; methods ; Molecular Conformation ; Nanotechnology ; methods ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; instrumentation ; methods ; Particle Size ; Surface Properties

DNA chip has been used as a powerful tool to study the genetic reprogramming of cells and its link to cellular phenotype such as angiogenesis. To evaluate the angiogenesis related genetic reprogramming more efficiently, we here developed an angiogenesis- focused cDNA chip containing 153 angiogenesis related genes arrayed in duplicate on a slide glass. In order to validate the functionality of the angiogenesis-focused cDNA chip, we examined gene expression profiles in HT1080 cells treated with either fetal bovine serum, a well known pro-angiogenic factor, or trichostatin A, a known angiogenesis inhibitor, using the cDNA chip. All duplicate data from the analysis are well matched with each other and gene expression profiles are well consistent with previously reported data. These results demonstrate that the angiogenesis-focused cDNA chip developed here can be a useful tool towards angiogenesisrelated researches.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents/pharmacology ; Angiogenesis Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Gene Expression/drug effects ; Gene Expression Profiling/*instrumentation ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/*genetics ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/*genetics ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis/*instrumentation ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tumor Cells, Cultured