Design, construction and characterization of a microfluidic chip

Microfluidic chips have paved the way for efficient and economical diagnostics of DNA in the biological field. This report reviews a novel Microfluidic Liquid Phase Nucleic Acid Purification Chip that is able to extract DNA/RNA from a sample. This is done by flushing a reagent in a forward and back manner over the wells containing the sample, which will leave behind the purified DNA/RNA in the wells after the process. However, there were a few possibilities not addressed, like post-extraction protocol, the collection of the purified lysate from the wells and the study of flow rate in multiple channels. This report will investigate the fabrication, loading procedures and the possible design improvements for post-extraction protocol and investigation of the consistency of flow rates. The report will also investigate the potential of size based cell/particle enrichment by varying factors like flow rate and cycles of flushing motion. Lastly, the report will present an improved design and possible fabrication process using the results of the investigation.Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering