Exploiting sensitive laser-induced fluorescence detection on electrophoretic microchips for executing rapid clinical diagnostics

Fluorescence is used as a sensitive detection technique for current clinica l diagnostics procedures involving slab gel separations of DNA. In transfer ring electrophoretic separations to smaller formats, first capillaries and then microchips, the size of the sample being separated has decreased consi derably, making it necessary to routinely detect a few hundred molecules of each component in the sample. Laser-induced fluorescence detectors provide high sensitivity and can be employed in both direct and indirect modes to detect clinically relevant compounds. A number of examples show that there is no loss of clinical diagnostic capability in moving these analyses to mi crochip devices. Microchips also allow for parallel processing of samples b y incorporating multiple channels in a single device, with a number of stra tegies possible for using LIF detection in these multiplex systems. Copyrig ht (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.