MICROCHANNEL SURFACE COATING

• US 20090130746A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon US Life Sciences Inc (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon US Life Sciences Inc (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: CAO, WEIDONG
• Application Number:
  US12/257,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20090130746A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/287.200
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/163 Biocompatibility
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502707 characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components by shaping or joining plastic parts B29C59/00, B29C65/00; by laminating B32B37/00; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for improving the efficiency of biochemical reactions in channels of microfluidic devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of chitosan or a chitosan derivative for coating channel surfaces to reduce non-specific adsorption of reagents to microfluidic channels. This reduction of non-specific adsorption improves the efficiency and reproducibility of the reaction, e.g., amplification reactions, such as PCR, and reduces cross-contamination.

Claims

1. A method of improving the efficiency of a biochemical reaction in a channel in a microfluidic device, said method comprising coating the channel surface with a solution comprising chitosan or a chitosan derivative to reduce non-specific adsorption to a surface of the channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biochemical reaction is an amplification reaction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the amplification reaction is a polymerase chain reaction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the chitosan derivative is chitosan that has been derivatized with a hydrophilic polymer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the hydrophilic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol and poly(methyl methacrylate).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the solution further comprises metal or metal ions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper, zinc and platinum.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the metal or metal ions are in the form of nanoparticles.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the particles have a size of from about 5 nm to about 200 nm.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the particles have a size of from about 12 nm to about 60 nm.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the metal is gold.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the concentration of metal or metal ions is from about 0.001% to about 0.1%.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the concentration of metal or metal ions is from about 0.01 to about 0.05%.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the chitosan or chitosan-derivative is adsorbed to the surface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the chitosan or the chitosan-derivative has a molecular weight of from about 100,000 daltons to about 5,000,000 daltons.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the chitosan or the chitosan-derivative has a molecular weight of from about 500,000 daltons to about 5,000,000 daltons.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the chitosan or the chitosan-derivative has a molecular weight of about 1,000,000 daltons.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the concentration of the chitosan or chitosan-derivative in the solution is from about 0.01% to about 0.5%.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the concentration of the chitosan or chitosan-derivative in the solution is from about 0.1% to about 0.5%.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the chitosan or chitosan-derivative is covalently bound to the channel surface.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the chitosan or the chitosan-derivative has a molecular weight of from about 1,000 daltons to about 1,000,000 daltons.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the chitosan or the chitosan-derivative has a molecular weight of from about 1,000 daltons to about 10,000 daltons.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the concentration of the chitosan or chitosan-derivative in the solution is from about 0.1% to about 5%.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the concentration of the chitosan or the chitosan-derivative in the solution is from about 1% to about 5%.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the surface contains a functional group which covalently binds the chitosan or chitosan-derivative.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the functional group is an epoxy group on the surface.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the chitosan or chitosan-derivative is covalently bound to the channel surface via a linking molecule.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the linking molecule is 3-glycidoxypropyltri-methoxysilane (GTMS) or 3-(trimothoxysilyl)propyl aldehyde (ALDTMS).

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the solution is contacted with the channel for about 1 hour to about 16 hours.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the solution is contacted with the channel at a temperature from about 15°

C. to about 70°

C.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the solution is contacted with the channel for about 1 hour to about 8 hours at from about 50°

C. to about 70°

C.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the solution is contacted with the channel for about 8 hour to about 16 hours at from about 15°

C. to about 30°

C.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the solution is pulled into the channel for the contacting.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the solution is flushed out of the channel after contacting and the channel is dried.