The utilisation of electromagnetic fields in DNA microchip electrophoresis

A numerical model is presented for the accurate and efficient prediction of pre-concentration and transport of DNA in micro-capillary electrophoresis. The model, which is based on the Finite Element-Flux Corrected Transport (FE-FCT) method, incorporates conservation laws for the different buffer ions, salt ions and DNA sample, coupled through the solution of Poisson’s equation to account for the field modifications that cause electro-migration. The model has been employed for the prediction of DNA sample pre-concentration and transport during electrophoresis in a double-T injector micro-device and to test its validity, the numerical results have been compared with the corresponding experimental data under similar conditions with excellent agreement obtained. The results demonstrate the great potential offered by the model for future optimisation of such in terms of enhanced speed and resolution of separation