Polymer Micropillar Arrays for Colorimetric DNA Detection

We describe the use of periodic micropillar arrays, produced from cyclic olefin copolymer using high-fidelity microfabrication, as templates for colorimetric DNA detection. The assay involves PCR-amplified gene markers for E. coli O157:H7 (rfbO157, eae, vt1, and vt2) incorporating a detectable digoxigenin label, which is revealed through an immunoenzymatic process following hybridization with target-specific oligonucleotide capture probes. The capacity of micropillar arrays to induce wicking is used to distribute and confine capture probes with spatial control, making it possible to achieve a uniform signal while allowing multiple, independent probes to be arranged in close proximity on the same substrate. The kinetic profile of color pigment formation on the surface was followed using absorbance measurements, showing maximum signal increase between 20 and 60 min of reaction time. The relationship between microstructure and colorimetric signal was investigated through variation of geometric parameters, such as pitch (10-50 mu m), pillar diameter (5-40 mu m), and height (16-48 mu m). Our findings suggest that signal intensity is largely influenced by the edges of the pillars and less by their height such that it deviates from a linear relationship when both aspect ratio and pillar density become very high. A theoretical model used to simulate the changes in surface composition at the molecular level suggests that differences in the temporal and spatial accumulation of assay components account for this observation.