Device and method for pressure-driven plug transport and reaction
The present invention provides microfabricated substrates and methods of conducting reactions within these substrates. The reactions occur in plugs transported in the flow of a carrier-fluid.
1. A method of conducting an autocatalytic reaction comprising forming a plurality of plugs and conducting the autocatalytic reaction in at least one plug, wherein:
each plug comprises an aqueous fluid surrounded by a hydrophobic fluid;
the aqueous fluid of at least one plug comprises a biological reagent;
the hydrophobic fluid of each plug comprises a fluorosurfactant; and
the fluorosurfactant is linked to an oligoethylene glycol (OEG).
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plugs are formed in a microchannel.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sorting the plugs.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the autocatalytic reaction is a polymerase-chain reaction (PCR).
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one plug comprises a single biological reagent.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the single biological reagent is DNA or RNA.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorosurfactant comprises an oligoethylene glycol terminal.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fluorosurfactant is of the formula:
wherein m is 0, 3, 4, 5, or 6; and n is an integer of no less than 16.
9. The method of claim 7 , where the oligoethylene glycol is linked to a terminal end of the fluorosurfactant.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorosurfactant is linked to the oligoethylene glycol (OEG).
11. A method of preparing a composition comprising a plurality of plugs, the method comprising:
flowing an aqueous fluid in a first microchannel toward a junction, the aqueous fluid comprising a biological reagent;
flowing a hydrophobic fluid that is immiscible with the aqueous fluid in a second microchannel toward the junction, the hydrophobic fluid comprising a fluorosurfactant is linked to an oligoethylene glycol (OEG); and
contacting the aqueous fluid with the hydrophobic fluid at the junction and forming a plurality of plugs at the junction, wherein each plug comprises a subvolume of the aqueous fluid surrounded by the hydrophobic fluid and the subvolume of the aqueous fluid of at least one plug comprises a biological reagent.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein pressure is applied in the first and second microchannels to induce fluid flow.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein continuous flow of the hydrophobic fluid is provided in the microchannel after the contacting.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the biological reagent is at least one of a cell, a virion, an enzyme, a protein, and a nucleic acid.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fluorosurfactant comprises a hydrophilic head.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fluorosurfactant comprises an oligoethylene glycol terminal.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the fluorosurfactant is of the formula:
wherein m is 0, 3, 4, 5, or 6; and n is an integer of no less than 16.
18. The method of claim 16 , where the oligoethylene glycol is linked to a terminal end of the fluorosurfactant.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fluorosurfactant is linked to the oligoethylene glycol (OEG).
20. A method of conducting an enzymatic reaction comprising forming a plurality of plugs and conducting the enzymatic reaction in at least one plug, wherein:
each plug comprises an aqueous fluid surrounded by a hydrophobic fluid;
the aqueous fluid of at least one plug comprises an enzyme;
the hydrophobic fluid of each plug comprises a fluorosurfactant; and
the fluorosurfactant is linked to an oligoethylene glycol (OEG).