Minhui Liang, Li Liang, Mahnoush Tayebi, Jianwei Zhong, Ye Ai
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Droplet microfluidic systems have emerged as indispensable and advanced tools in contemporary biological science. A prominent example is the droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR), which plays a pivotal role in next-generation sequencing and the detection of rare nucleic acids or mutations. However, existing optical detection configurations are bulky, intricate, and costly, and require meticulous optical alignment to optimize fluorescence sensing. Herein, we propose a lab-in-fiber optofluidic system (LiFO), which provides a stable and compact footprint, self-alignment, and enhanced optical coupling for high-accuracy ddPCR. Moreover, LiFO could expand its capabilities for multiangle-scattering light collection in which we collect focused forward-scattering light (fFSL) to enable real-time droplet counting and size monitoring. To accomplish these attributes, LiFO incorporates optical fibers, along with fabricated PDMS grooves, for a self-aligned optical setup to implement simultaneous fluorescence and scattering detection. Furthermore, LiFO harnesses the concept of flowing droplets functioning as microlenses, which allows us to collect and translate fFSL signals into droplet size information. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of LiFO in ddPCR applications, illustrating its capacity to enhance the accuracy and precision of DNA quantification. Notably, LiFO exhibits improved linearity in the measurement of serial DNA dilutions, reflected by an increase in R2 from 0.956 to 0.997. These results demonstrate the potential of LiFO to serve as a valuable tool across a wide spectrum of droplet microfluidic platforms, offering opportunities for advancement in practical applications.
期刊介绍:
ACS Sensors is a peer-reviewed research journal that focuses on the dissemination of new and original knowledge in the field of sensor science, particularly those that selectively sense chemical or biological species or processes. The journal covers a broad range of topics, including but not limited to biosensors, chemical sensors, gas sensors, intracellular sensors, single molecule sensors, cell chips, and microfluidic devices. It aims to publish articles that address conceptual advances in sensing technology applicable to various types of analytes or application papers that report on the use of existing sensing concepts in new ways or for new analytes.