Direct PCR amplification and in situ imaging based on alginate droplets

摘要

A droplet based microfluidic system encapsulating PCR reagent into alginate beads as a new digital PCR solution has been developed, which avoided droplet coalescence and enabled efficient DNA amplification and high-throughput fluorescent imaging. We also compared two trapping methods using hydrodynamic traps and micro-sieves, and indicated the advantages of latter for higher trapping rate and no droplet clogging. These results provide new insights and tools for on-chip digital PCR and are expected to attract broad interest for applications in droplet microfluidics.