Hydrogel microarrays as a tools for multiparameter analysis of biomarkers of bacterial, viral and plant genomes

Development and implementation of methods for the analysis of nucleic acid sequences is a priority task for the molecular biology. An integrated technology based on the use of low-density microarrays (biochips) comprised of hydrogel elements was developed and patented at the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology (Moscow, Russia). The structure of the hydrogel can be adapted for immobilization of virtually any biological molecules in natural hydrophilic environment. The discrimination between matching and mismatching duplexes of nucleic acids in these conditions is more reliable than on conventional flat surfaces, minimizing the number of elements necessary to detect specific sequences. A highly sensitive procedure for multiplex amplification and fluorescence labelling of genome segments was proposed. A rotary-based platform with multiple disposable microfluidic modules for simultaneous automatic nucleic acid isolation was developed. The procedure is performed inside insulated individual disposable modules, which minimizes both the risk of infection of personnel and laboratory cross-contamination. The hydrogel biochips were successfully applied for laboratory diagnostics in a broad variety of clinical conditions involving identification of bacterial and viral pathogens, and also detection of plant-derived genetically modified organisms in food and feed product