Dual-point dual-wavelength fluorescence monitoring of DNA separation in a lab on a chip

We present a simple approach in electrophoretic DNA separation and fluorescent monitoring that allows to identify the insertion or deletion of base-pairs in DNA probe molecules from genetic samples, and to perform intrinsic calibration/referencing for highly accurate DNA analysis. The principle is based on dual-point, dual-wavelength laser-induced fluorescence excitation using one or two excitation windows at the intersection of integrated waveguides and microfluidic channels in an optofluidic chip and a single, color-blind photodetector, resulting in a limit of detection of similar to 200 pM for single-end-labeled DNA molecules. The approach using a single excitation window is demonstrated experimentally, while the option exploiting two excitation windows is proposed theoretically. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America