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Updated: May 13, 2026

A Microfluidic-based Electrochemical Biochip for Label-free DNA Hybridization Analysis
Published on: September 10, 2014
Smartphone-based detection of unlabeled DNA via electrochemical dissolution
1Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3122, USA.
Abstract:
We describe a novel approach that enables unlabeled biomolecules and chemical analytes to be detected using ordinary smartphone optics. Electrochemical reactivity of chromium, ordinarily considered detrimental, is harnessed here to generate a signature that can be easily seen by monitoring electrode dissolution under ordinary white-light illumination. The simplicity and robustness of this approach eliminates the need for labeling and/or pre-programming with specific receptors (e.g., oligonucleotide probes), making it feasible to greatly expand availability of a host of assays where detection complexity is a limiting constraint.
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