Total serum protein N-glycome profiling on a capillary electrophoresis-microfluidics platform

We implemented 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (APTS)-labeled asparagine-linked glycan (N-glycan) profiling on a microfluidic electrophoresis platform. Using 11.5 cm effective length etched channels and 4% linear polyacrylamide as the separation matrix, the major N-glycans in human serum were profiled in 12 min with a resolution comparable to what is achieved for these analytes on gel-based DNA sequencers. This demonstration suggests a practical clinical application for high-speed compact analyzers which might be uniquely based on microfluidic devices.