Are you currently facing complex clinical trial processes or challenges with high-throughput screening and time-consuming molecular diagnostics? Our Creative Biolabs Microfluidic Chip Development Service helps you accelerate genetic analysis and streamline diagnostic workflows through advanced lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology. We provide a compact, automated, and highly sensitive platform for the rapid detection of genetic deletions, helping you overcome the limitations of traditional, manual methods.
Contact our team to get an inquiry now!
Background
Genetic deletions are a type of mutation where a portion of a chromosome or a DNA sequence is missing. These deletions, which can range from a single base pair to a large segment of a chromosome, are a significant cause of various genetic disorders and are often associated with conditions such as α-thalassemia, muscular diseases, and certain cancers. The precise and rapid detection of these mutations is a critical aspect of modern molecular diagnostics, public health screening, and personalized medicine.
Fig.1 Deletion of chromosome section. Distributed under Unsplash License, from Unsplash.
Contemporary screening for gene deletions has garnered significant interest owing to its critical significance in disease diagnostics and pharmaceutical advancement. Diverse cytogenetic and molecular methodologies—spanning classical karyotyping, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)—have been developed and deployed for identifying entire or partial gene losses. Furthermore, a novel droplet microfluidic methodology was recently reported enabling quantitative and sensitive identification of scarce mitochondrial DNA mutations. This semi-quantitative approach is engineered by employing a microfluidic assay to execute multiplexed PCR across partitioned droplets. Findings confirmed this platform detects mutant allele-specific imbalance (MASI) and precisely quantifies mutant KRAS genes within distinct human metastatic colorectal cancer cellular lineages.
Traditional methods for detecting gene deletions, such as PCR followed by gel electrophoresis or Southern blotting, are often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and require significant sample and reagent volumes. The emergence of microfluidics, or "lab-on-a-chip" (LOC) technology, has provided a powerful alternative. By miniaturizing and integrating all the necessary steps—from sample lysis and nucleic acid extraction to amplification and detection—onto a single, small chip, microfluidic systems offer a more efficient, automated, and cost-effective approach. Our services leverage this technology to overcome the limitations of conventional techniques, enabling faster and more reliable genetic analysis.
Fig. 2 Workflow of the droplet-based microfluidic screening.1,3
Applications
The versatility and efficiency of microfluidic Western blotting open up new possibilities across a wide range of scientific and clinical applications:
Drug Discovery & Development
High-throughput screening of potential drug targets, validating knockdown/knockout efficiency, and analyzing protein-protein interactions.
Biomarker Discovery & Validation
Identifying and validating disease-specific biomarkers in small-volume clinical samples, such as patient plasma or serum.
Cell Signaling & Pathway Analysis
Quantifying changes in protein phosphorylation and expression to map complex signaling networks within cells, particularly useful in oncology and neuroscience.
Clinical Diagnostics
Developing miniaturized diagnostic assays for the rapid detection of disease markers from minimal patient samples, paving the way for point-of-care testing.
Single-Cell Proteomics
Our technology can be adapted for single-cell analysis, providing insights into cellular heterogeneity in cancer research and stem cell biology.
What We Can Offer
Creative Biolabs serves as the premier provider of custom-engineered microfluidic systems. We offer a comprehensive suite of services and products designed to meet the diverse needs of the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries.
-
Custom Microfluidic Chip Design and Fabrication: We design and fabricate custom chips tailored to your specific application, whether for simple fluid mixing or complex multi-step genetic analysis.
-
Integrated Microfluidic Systems: Our expertise lies in creating fully integrated systems that combine sample preparation, amplification, and detection modules on a single platform.
-
One-Stop Microfluidic Solution: From initial consultation and design to fabrication, protocol optimization, and final system delivery, we provide a complete, end-to-end service.
-
Standard Microfluidic chips：We also offer a selection of pre-designed, off-the-shelf microfluidic chips for common applications, providing a quick and cost-effective solution for a wide range of research needs.
Leverage our specialized benefits—Request a quotation today
Workflow
Why Choose Us
Choosing Creative Biolabs means partnering with a team that has a deep understanding of both microfluidic engineering and molecular biology. We provide an unparalleled level of precision, speed, and automation that is critical for modern genetic research and diagnostics.
Key Advantages:
-
High-Throughput Automation: Our integrated microfluidic systems automate the entire process from sample-in to answer-out, significantly reducing manual labor and the risk of human error.
-
Rapid Results: By leveraging microfluidics, we achieve a high heating and cooling rate for PCR and reduce diffusion times, drastically shortening the time to results from hours to minutes.
-
Minimal Sample and Reagent Consumption: The microscale channels and chambers require only microliter volumes of sample and reagents, leading to significant cost savings.
-
High Sensitivity and Specificity: Our platforms are designed for precise control, enabling the sensitive detection of even minute amounts of target DNA and specific amplification of deleted regions.
-
Portability and Integration: We develop compact, disposable systems that can be easily integrated into existing laboratory workflows or used as a standalone, portable diagnostic tool.
FAQs
Q: What advantages does a microfluidic system offer over conventional genetic analysis methods?
A: Microfluidic systems offer significant advantages by integrating multiple steps, such as sample preparation, DNA amplification, and detection, onto a single chip. This automation reduces manual pipetting and the risk of contamination, while miniaturization enables faster thermal cycling and a substantial reduction in sample and reagent volumes, leading to quicker and more cost-effective analysis.
Q: How are different types of samples processed within a microfluidic device?
A: The microfluidic system's design is highly adaptable. It can accommodate a range of biological fluids, from purified nucleic acid solutions to more complex, crude samples like saliva, blood, and cell lysates. The chip can be customized with on-board modules for cell lysis and nucleic acid extraction, ensuring that the system can handle the specific challenges presented by different sample matrices.
Q: What is the scientific principle behind a microfluidic chip's high specificity for gene deletion detection?
A: High specificity is achieved by combining precise fluidic control with highly specific molecular assays. The chip enables the precise delivery of primers and probes designed to target the specific gene deletion. The integrated PCR module provides rapid and accurate amplification of the target sequence, and the on-chip optical detection system then uses fluorescence or other methods to confirm the presence or absence of the deletion with high confidence.
Q: How is scalability for high-throughput applications achieved on a single chip?
A: Scalability for high-throughput screening is achieved through the use of parallel micro-channels and reaction chambers on a single chip. This design allows for the simultaneous processing of multiple samples or the analysis of multiple gene targets from a single sample, dramatically increasing the number of tests that can be performed in a given timeframe compared to traditional, serial methods.
Q: Can a microfluidic platform be adapted to detect novel or complex genetic mutations?
A: Yes, the modular design of a microfluidic platform allows for great flexibility. While the chip's physical structure is fixed after fabrication, the on-chip protocol can be customized to accommodate new primer/probe sets for a specific gene target or novel mutations. This adaptability allows researchers to apply the technology to a wide range of genetic studies, including the detection of novel deletions or complex rearrangements, simply by adjusting the assay reagents.
Featured Services
Feature Products
|
CAT No
|
Material
|
Product Name
|
Application
|
|
MFCH-001
|
Glass
|
Herringbone Microfluidic Chip
|
Processing samples and reagents in Nucleic acid analysis, blood Analysis, immunoassays and point-of-care diagnostics.
|
|
MFMM-0723-JS12
|
Glass
|
Double Emulsion Droplet Chip
|
Our double emulsion microfluidic chip, incorporating localized modifications and a classic flow-focusing structure, is specifically designed to generate stable and uniform double emulsion droplets.
|
|
MFCH-005
|
PDMS
|
3D Cell Culture Chip-Neuron
|
Neuron cell culture and study of axon transport, axon protein synthesis, axon damage/regeneration, signal transduction of axon to somatic signal.
|
|
MFCH-009
|
PDMS
|
Synvivo-Idealized Co-Culture Network Chips (IMN2 radial)
|
SynBBB 3D Blood Brain Barrier Model/SynRAM 3D Inflammation Model/SynTumor 3D Cancer Model/SynTox 3D Toxicology Model
|
|
MFMM1-GJS4
|
COC
|
BE-Doubleflow Standard
|
Studying circulating particles, cell interactions and simple organ on chip system construction.
|
|
MFMM1-GJS6
|
COC
|
BE-Transflow Custom
|
Used to construct cell interface or Air-Liquid interface (ALI) to study more complex culture systems.
|
Click here to Explore our complete product catalog.
Consult our specialists for detailed insights and project-specific deliberations.
References
-
Yuan, Huiling et al. "Microfluidic screening and genomic mutation identification for enhancing cellulase production in Pichia pastoris." Biotechnology for biofuels and bioproducts vol. 15,1 50. 14 May. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-022-02150-w
-
Fergola, Andrea et al. "Droplet Generation and Manipulation in Microfluidics: A Comprehensive Overview of Passive and Active Strategies." Biosensors vol. 15,6 345. 29 May. 2025, https://doi.org/10.3390/bios15060345
-
Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.
