Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Interpretable Deep Learning for Single-Molecule Nanopore Fingerprinting Using Physics-Guided Preprocessing.

ACS sensors·2026
Same author

MicroRNA spatial profiling for assessing drug efficacy in <i>BRCA1</i> -related triple-negative breast tumors.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

High-Concentration Antibody Formulation via Solvent-Based Dehydration.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2025
Same author

Surface-Mediated Self-Assembly of Kinetoplast DNA: Depletion-Driven Dimer Formation and Quasi-2D Dynamics.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2025
Same author

Phase behavior of catenated-linear DNA mixtures.

Soft matter·2025
Same author

Data-driven organic solubility prediction at the limit of aleatoric uncertainty.

Nature communications·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

Photodegradable Hydrogel Interfaces for Bacteria Screening, Selection, and Isolation
07:28

Photodegradable Hydrogel Interfaces for Bacteria Screening, Selection, and Isolation

Published on: November 4, 2021

4.8K

Oil-isolated hydrogel microstructures for sensitive bioassays on-chip.

Rathi L Srinivas1, Stephen D Johnson, Patrick S Doyle

  • 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.

Analytical Chemistry
|November 19, 2013
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a novel hydrogel-based platform for highly sensitive molecular diagnostics. The system confines reactions in picoliter-sized compartments, significantly boosting nucleic acid detection sensitivity up to 57-fold.

More Related Videos

Microfluidic On-chip Capture-cycloaddition Reaction to Reversibly Immobilize Small Molecules or Multi-component Structures for Biosensor Applications
14:43

Microfluidic On-chip Capture-cycloaddition Reaction to Reversibly Immobilize Small Molecules or Multi-component Structures for Biosensor Applications

Published on: September 23, 2013

10.2K
Dry Film Photoresist-based Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor Platform: Device Fabrication, On-chip Assay Preparation, and System Operation
13:42

Dry Film Photoresist-based Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor Platform: Device Fabrication, On-chip Assay Preparation, and System Operation

Published on: September 19, 2017

10.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Photodegradable Hydrogel Interfaces for Bacteria Screening, Selection, and Isolation
07:28

Photodegradable Hydrogel Interfaces for Bacteria Screening, Selection, and Isolation

Published on: November 4, 2021

4.8K
Microfluidic On-chip Capture-cycloaddition Reaction to Reversibly Immobilize Small Molecules or Multi-component Structures for Biosensor Applications
14:43

Microfluidic On-chip Capture-cycloaddition Reaction to Reversibly Immobilize Small Molecules or Multi-component Structures for Biosensor Applications

Published on: September 23, 2013

10.2K
Dry Film Photoresist-based Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor Platform: Device Fabrication, On-chip Assay Preparation, and System Operation
13:42

Dry Film Photoresist-based Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor Platform: Device Fabrication, On-chip Assay Preparation, and System Operation

Published on: September 19, 2017

10.1K

Area of Science:

  • Biomolecular Engineering
  • Microfluidics
  • Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

  • Multiplexed, sensitive molecular diagnostics are crucial for clinical and research applications.
  • Confining reactions to small volumes (nanoliter-femtoliter) enhances detection sensitivity.
  • Hydrogels offer nonfouling, flexible, and aqueous properties suitable for bioassays.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel platform combining hydrogels and microfluidics for enhanced molecular diagnostics.
  • To create surfactant-free, oil-confined hydrogel microstructures for picoliter- to nanoliter-sized reaction volumes.
  • To improve the sensitivity and multiplexing capabilities of on-chip diagnostic assays.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of functional hydrogel microstructures within microfluidic channels.
  • Isolation of hydrogel compartments in a fluorinated oil phase, creating oil-impenetrable, aqueous reaction volumes.
  • Development and implementation of a multiplexed signal amplification assay using gel-bound enzymes.

Main Results:

  • Achieved monodisperse, customizable hydrogel reaction compartments (picoliter- to nanoliter-sized).
  • Demonstrated significant signal enhancement (up to 2 orders of magnitude) in nucleic acid detection assays.
  • Reported up to a 57-fold increase in detection sensitivity compared to direct labeling, with no cross-talk.

Conclusions:

  • The developed hydrogel-based platform enables highly sensitive and multiplexed on-chip molecular diagnostics.
  • This approach offers a robust, surfactant-free method for creating stable, confined reaction volumes.
  • The platform shows significant potential for advancing clinical and research molecular detection capabilities.