High-throughput confinement and detection of single DNA molecules in aqueous microdroplets

摘要

A droplet-based microfluidic system combined with high-sensitivity optical detection is used as a tool for high-throughput confinement and detection of single DNA molecules. Although droplet-based microfluidic systems that utilise flow instabilities between immiscible fluids have only been developed in recent years, this nascent technology has attracted huge interest and been exploited in a diverse range of applications. As aqueous droplets within segmented microflows define confined volumes in the femto- or picolitre range, they have the potential to serve as isolated reaction compartments for both screening and synthetic purposes.