Phaseguide assisted liquid lamination for magnetic bead-based assays

Abstract

We demonstrate a simple, pump-free platform for performing rapid magnetic bead-based processes via their transfer through sequentially laminated liquid streams, made possible by the use of phaseguide technology. We have applied this strategy to two on-chip assays: (i) a streptavidin-biotin binding assay, and (ii) a sandwich immunoassay for the detection of C-reactive protein (CRP). Here, functionalized magnetic beads were pulled through alternating lanes of reagents and buffer solution, allowing multiple binding and washing processes to be reduced into a single step, significantly shortening procedural times compared to conventional multi-step bead-based assays.