DEVELOPMENTS TOWARDS INTEGRATED ACOUSTIC CELL TRAPPING AND PCR

Presented here is the first acoustic trapping of particles within a microdevice designed specifically for performing polymerase chain reaction analyses. External piezoelectric transducers were used to trap both live Escherichia coli cells and fluorescently labeled particles using frequencies between 6 and 11 MHz, depending of the device and desired nodal arrangement. PCR analysis of intact bacterial cells was performed using only a heat lysis step to liberate genomic DNA for amplification. As a proof of principle, PCR product was generated that is specific to the maltoporin gene in the E. coli genome. Given that we demonstrate trapping of cells and particles within PCR-capable acoustic resonators, and demonstrate successful single-step cell lysis and PCR, this work signifies important first steps towards an integrated microdevice for online sample enrichment followed by PCR analysis for applications such as detection of food-borne pathogens.