Microheater platform for selective detachment of DNA

Despite deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)'s well-known temperature sensitivity, not much work has been reported on leveraging temperature to manipulate the interaction of DNA with surfaces. This paper describes a microheater device that enables the application of a temperature field on a glass surface, thereby enabling the study of temperature-dependence of DNA-surface interactions. Experimental data for thermal performance of the device agree well with finite-element simulation results. Experiments demonstrate the capability of spatially selective detachment of DNA from a glass surface using the device. The integration of thermal-based capabilities described here with analysis tools such as polymerase chain reaction may help improve DNA detection and separation capabilities. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4748308]