Enhanced mobile hybridization of gold nanoparticles decorated with oligonucleotide in microchannel devices

Mobile hybridization is a concept proposed and verified herein. We have designed a microfluidic device that is capable of enhancing passive mixing through the morphology of micro-structures, positioned along the channels of the device. We investigated the capability of these structures to promote mobile hybridization of fluorophore-labeled target oligonucleotides to oligonucleotide gold-nanoparticle (Au-NP) probes. This process is monitored with fluorescence through the quenching of the fluorescent signal within the device as the target oligonucleotides become bound to the Au-NP probes. We evaluated the fluorescent intensity of a sample image that showed enhanced probability of mobile hybridization of the samples, which was completed in about 7.2 s. Mobile hybridization is thus much more effective than traditional static hybridization (reaction overnight) limited by molecular diffusion. This approach promises an improved hybridization of samples with these probes, and is beneficial for microfluidic-based systems for biomedical detection.