title: Thermoplastic microfluidic devices and their applications in protein and DNA analysis.
abstract: Microfluidics is a platform technology that has been used for genomics, proteomics, chemical synthesis, environment monitoring, cellular studies, and other applications. The fabrication materials of microfluidic devices have traditionally included silicon and glass, but plastics have gained increasing attention in the past few years. We focus this review on thermoplastic microfluidic devices and their applications in protein and DNA analysis. We outline the device design and fabrication methods, followed by discussion on the strategies of surface treatment. We then concentrate on several significant advancements in applying thermoplastic microfluidic devices to protein separation, immunoassays, and DNA analysis. Comparison among numerous efforts, as well as the discussion on the challenges and innovation associated with detection, is presented.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Microsystems Group, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-6250, USA.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Z Hugh
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods; D046228:Microarray Analysis / Q000379:methods; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D010969:Plastics / Q000737:chemistry*; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D011506:Proteins; D004247:DNA