Reconfigurable acoustic streaming tweezers enabled portable liquid handler for nucleic acid extraction

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

• Nucleic acid (NA) extraction and purification are vital for molecular diagnostics.
• Current methods are hindered by bead clumping and complex equipment, limiting portable applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel reconfigurable acoustic streaming tweezer (RAST) for automated, portable NA extraction.
• To demonstrate the RAST's ability to perform both particle separation and solution mixing without external peripherals.

Main Methods:

• Integration of two microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabricated solid-mounted thin-film piezoelectric resonators (SMRs) into a compact chamber.
• Utilizing high-frequency (>1 GHz) acoustic waves for liquid flow and particle manipulation.
• Employing numerical simulations and micro particle image velocimetry (PIV) for device characterization.

Main Results:

• The RAST successfully switched between centrifuge-type particle separation and vortex-type solution mixing modes.
• An 80% NA recovery rate was achieved from rat whole blood.
• Detection sensitivity for adenovirus (DNA) and COVID-19 (RNA) reached 10^2 IU/mL, with enhanced sensitivity for small sample volumes.

Conclusions:

• The RAST offers a promising solution for automated, portable NA extraction, overcoming limitations of existing technologies.
• The developed device significantly enhances detection sensitivity, particularly for low-volume samples.
• This technology has the potential to advance point-of-care molecular diagnostics.