Developing Microfabricated Nanopillars to Replace Gels for DNA Electrophoresis. Application in Synthetic Biology

At imec, we are developing a microfluidic device for synthetic biology, designed to automate DNA assembly and purification steps within a single, user-friendly platform. Capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) has been chosen for purification due to its high resolution, speed, and automation that make it the gold standard for DNA analysis and purification.

Traditionally, gels such as agarose or polyacrylamide are used to create a sieving matrix that delay longer DNA fragments, allowing the separation of molecules by size. However, these gels have several limitations: they require cold, wet storage, have a short shelf life, and are difficult to mass-manufacture in microfluidic channels. As a result, current devices often require users to prepare the gel in situ just before using it - an inconvenient and error-prone process. Some newer solutions use high molecular weight polymers (e.g., PVP) mixed with the background electrolyte, but these too demand time-consuming preparation and experienced users, introducing variability and limiting scalability.