Nanofluidic Flow Cell with Grooves for Biopolymer Confinement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The direct visualization, manipulation, and quantification of long, delicate biopolymers such as genomic DNA and protein-DNA complexes are hindered by polymer breakage during handling and analysis, limiting the establishment of long-range structural information.
Innovation Solution
A flow cell design featuring substrates with nanoscale surface topography, including grooves, that confines molecules by displacing one substrate against the other, trapping them within the nanoscale features to prevent breakage and facilitate extended observation and analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional handling methods are used for biopolymers, then the handling process is simple, but polymer breakage occurs during handling and analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into multiple functional zones including a loading zone with a well, a transport zone with a bridge, and a confinement zone with a nanoscale groove. This segmentation allows different operations (loading, transport, confinement) to occur in separate regions, protecting the biopolymer from breakage while maintaining manageable device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The biopolymer is nested within a series of increasingly confined spaces: first in the well, then transported across the bridge, and finally confined within the nanoscale groove. This nested structure provides progressive protection and stabilization of the biopolymer throughout the handling process
2Reliability
If substrates are brought into contact to confine molecules, then molecule confinement is achieved, but the loading process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The biopolymer is preliminarily loaded into the well before substrate contact. This preliminary action separates the loading step from the confinement step, allowing molecules to be introduced in a controlled manner before the substrates are brought together to achieve confinement, thereby simplifying the overall operation
Solution Approach 2:
When the substrates are brought into contact, the nanoscale groove automatically confines the biopolymer through geometric constraints and surface interactions. The system performs the confinement action automatically through its structure, reducing the need for complex external control mechanisms
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively maintains the integrity of biopolymers, allowing for prolonged observation and enhanced analysis by confining molecules within nanoscale grooves, which improves self-ligation efficiency and enables extended observation periods without polymer breakage.
Implementation Method 1
deforming at least part of the flow cell to confine a biological molecule within a nanoscale groove of the flow cell
Data Source
AI summary
A flow cell for confining molecules in a fluid. The flow cell includes an upper substrate, an upper support member, a center substrate, a membrane, a lower support member and a lower substrate. The lower support member comprises an imaging chamber it is positioned below the membrane and above the lower substrate. In one embodiment the membrane comprises a nanopore and nanoscale groove extending through the membrane. In another embodiment the lower substrate comprises an upper face in communication with the imaging chamber, and the upper face comprises a plurality of nanoscale grooves extending partially through the lower substrate. In both embodiments the upper substrate, upper support member, center substrate and membrane are displaceable through the imaging chamber, thereby causing molecules in the imaging chamber to be confined or trapped through the nanoscale groove(s) of the membrane or of the lower substrate.