A homobifunctional imidoester-based microfluidic system for simultaneous DNA and protein isolation from solid or...

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Simultaneous isolation of proteins and nucleic acids is crucial for diagnostics and research.
• Existing methods lack simultaneous isolation capabilities for clinical applications.
• Cancer tissue heterogeneity and limited sample availability pose analytical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a microfluidic system for simultaneous DNA and protein isolation from single biopsy samples.
• To address the need for efficient biomolecule isolation from challenging clinical specimens.
• To improve diagnostic consistency by analyzing multiple biomolecules from limited samples.

Main Methods:

• Design and optimization of a homobifunctional imidoester (HI)-based microfluidic system using simulations and experiments.
• Utilizing HI groups as capture reagents for simultaneous biomolecule isolation.
• Validation of the system with cancer cell lines and colorectal cancer patient tissue biopsies.

Main Results:

• The HI-based microfluidic system achieved simultaneous DNA and protein isolation within 40 minutes.
• The system demonstrated higher yields of isolated protein and DNA compared to the spin-column method.
• Clinical utility was validated in cancer cell lines and 23 colorectal cancer patient biopsies.

Conclusions:

• The developed HI-based microfluidic system offers a rapid, affordable, and portable solution for simultaneous biomolecule isolation.
• This technology is suitable for analyzing limited and heterogeneous clinical samples, enhancing diagnostic potential.
• The system shows promise for improving clinical analysis and research in oncology and rare diseases.