MICROCHANNEL ELECTROPHORETIC SEPARATIONS OF DNA IN INJECTION-MOLDED PLASTIC SUBSTRATES

Microfabricated electrophoretic separation devices have been produced by an injection-molding process. The strategy for producing the device s involved solution-phase etching of a master template on a silicon wa fer, followed by electroforming more durable injection-molding masters in nickel from the silicon master. One of the nickel electroforms was than used to prepare an injection mold insert, from which microchanne l chips in an acrylic substrate were mass-produced. The microchannel d evices were used to demonstrate high-resolution separations of double- stranded DNA fragments with total run times of less than 3 min. Run-to -run and chip-to-chip reproductibility was good, with relative standar d deviation values below 1% for the run-to-run data and in the range o f 2-3% for the chip-to-chip comparisons. Such devices could lead to th e production of low-cost, single-use electrophoretic chips suitable fo r a variety of separation applications, including DNA sizing, DNA sequ encing, random primary library screening, and rapid immunoassay testin g.