DIY Lab-on-a-chip Platforms: A Solution for Simple Nucleic Acid-based Assays in the Absence of Proper (Chip) Facilities

Abstract

Lab-on-a-chip technology plays a key role in nucleic acid-based assays due to its ability to overcome many issues affecting testing methods that depend heavily on a laboratory setting, which can often be time-consuming and lack the flexibility to perform tests on-site. Yet, a classical lab-on-a-chip system also involves some technical difficulties, instead relating to design, platform used, and mechanical control. Since nucleic acid assay depends on nucleic acid amplification and nucleic acid detection, the main technical issues associated with these areas in the context of chip fabrication are reviewed here. For nucleic acid amplification, two methods, loop-mediated isothermal amplification and recombinase polymerase amplification, are used. Both enable them to amplify the nucleic acid domain with high efficiency at lower temperatures. For nucleic acid detection, several techniques, ranging from a simple DNA binder to a fluorescence probe, peptide nucleic acid hybridization and the use of metal nanoparticles, are reviewed. A combination of the selected amplification technique and a suitable signal detection system allows nucleic acid to be detected under the desired chip fabrication method. Here, we discuss a laminated chip and an acrylic chip platform, both of which met the point-of-care criteria. The use of chosen amplification and detection methods on both a laminated chip and an acrylic chip for the purpose of nucleic acid diagnosis and small-molecule assay are also discussed.