Are you currently facing challenges with long sequencing lead times, high reagent costs, and the complexity of manual sample preparation? Creative Biolabs' Microfluidic Chip Development Service helps you accelerate your research and obtain high-quality, reproducible DNA sequencing data by automating and miniaturizing key workflow steps using innovative microfluidic technologies.
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Background
Microfluidics entails exact fluid manipulation in micron-dimension conduits. For DNA sequencing, this technology forms the foundation of the "lab-on-a-chip" paradigm, enabling the miniaturization and automation of multi-step laboratory workflows. This approach addresses key bottlenecks in traditional sequencing, such as the need for large sample volumes, extensive manual labor, and lengthy turnaround times. The unprecedented control over fluid dynamics within these minuscule channels allows for precision and consistency that are unattainable with conventional, macroscale equipment. By consolidating functions like sample preparation, amplification, and purification onto a single, portable system, our technology reduces equipment costs and minimizes the potential for human error.
Fig. 1 Microfluidic droplet-based target enrichment.1,4
Our microfluidic devices seamlessly integrate crucial steps of the DNA sequencing workflow, including cell lysis, nucleic acid extraction, and amplification (e.g., PCR). Advanced chips, particularly those leveraging droplet-based microfluidics, can encapsulate individual cells or molecules into discrete, picoliter-volume droplets. This powerful compartmentalization enables millions of reactions to run in parallel on a single chip, which is essential for high-throughput applications like genomics. This scaling-down effect substantially intensifies core biochemical mechanisms, since elevated surface-area-to-volume ratios optimize molecular/thermal transport, yielding accelerated reaction kinetics. Furthermore, by containing all reactions within a closed, sealed channel system, our microfluidic chips virtually eliminate the risk of external contamination and sample carryover, thereby guaranteeing superior data reliability.
Applications
Our microfluidic chip development service is suitable for a wide range of applications, revolutionizing various fields of research and diagnostics.
Genomics
Our technology enables the isolation and sequencing of individual cells, providing unprecedented insights into cellular heterogeneity in cancer, immunology, and neuroscience.
Personalized Medicine
By streamlining the analysis of genetic variations, our chips facilitate the development of targeted therapies and personalized treatment plans for patients.
Drug Discovery
We help accelerate drug discovery pipelines by enabling high-throughput screening of drug candidates and analyzing their effects on specific genetic pathways.
Infectious Disease Diagnostics
Our chips can be designed for rapid, portable detection and sequencing of viral or bacterial DNA, crucial for point-of-care diagnostics and disease surveillance.
Forensic and Environmental Analysis
The ability to handle trace amounts of DNA with reduced contamination risk makes our technology ideal for forensic DNA profiling and environmental DNA sequencing.
What We Can Offer
Creative Biolabs provides a comprehensive suite of services and products designed to meet your specific needs in microfluidic DNA sequencing.
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Microfluidic Chip Fabrication: We offer rapid, high-quality fabrication of custom-designed microfluidic chips using various materials like PDMS, glass, or thermoplastics.
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Custom Chip Design for DNA Sequencing: Our team of expert engineers and biologists will collaborate with you to design a unique chip architecture tailored to your specific sequencing application.
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One-Stop Microfluidic Solution: We provide an end-to-end service, handling everything from initial design and prototyping to final chip fabrication and application support, ensuring a seamless experience.
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Integrated Microfluidic Devices: We develop chips that integrate multiple functions, such as sample preparation, PCR, and detection, into a single, automated device.
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Workflow
Why Choose Us
Creative Biolabs ranks preeminent in microfluidic systems, providing distinctive proficiency and a demonstrated history of enabling clients to attain scientific objectives. Our chips are engineered for maximum efficiency and superior data quality, providing distinct advantages over traditional sequencing methods.
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High-Throughput and Automation: Our systems enable the parallel processing of hundreds to thousands of reactions, significantly increasing throughput and reducing hands-on time compared to manual workflows.
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Reduced Sample and Reagent Consumption: The miniaturization of reaction volumes to the nanoliter scale drastically reduces the amount of expensive reagents and precious samples required, leading to substantial cost savings.
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Enhanced Precision and Reproducibility: The precise control over fluid dynamics and reaction conditions on the chip ensures highly reproducible results with minimal risk of human error or contamination.
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Integrated Workflow: We integrate multiple steps of the sequencing workflow, from sample preparation to amplification, into a single device, eliminating the need for complex, multi-instrument setups.
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Real-time Monitoring: Our advanced chip designs allow for real-time monitoring of on-chip reactions, providing immediate feedback and greater control over the process.
Published Data
Fig 2. Genomic sample preparation device operation and performance.2,4
A recent study on microfluidic technology for microbial genomics demonstrated the development of a high-throughput, automated platform that integrates all key sample preparation steps onto a single chip. The experiment successfully processed a variety of low-input samples, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and clinical P. aeruginosa isolates, which are notoriously difficult to work with. The results showed that the microfluidic system reduced the required DNA input by 100-fold compared to traditional methods, all while maintaining or improving data quality. The platform produced high-quality sequence data with low contamination rates, and its ability to accurately detect single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in clinical samples correlated directly with observed antibiotic resistance. This highlights the technology's effectiveness in overcoming technical barriers and its potential for broader use in both basic research and clinical applications.
FAQs
Q: How does microfluidic-based sequencing improve upon traditional large-scale platforms?
A: The primary improvement lies in the miniaturization and automation of sample and library preparation. By automating these steps on a chip, we drastically reduce hands-on time, reagent costs, and the variability that often arises from manual pipetting. The resulting consistency and enhanced data quality are crucial for scientific reproducibility. Our solutions are designed to serve as a highly efficient and reliable front-end for existing sequencing platforms.
Q: What are the advantages of miniaturizing reaction volumes?
A: Working with microliter to nanoliter volumes offers two key scientific advantages. First, it enables a significant reduction in reagent consumption, making large-scale experiments more cost-effective. Second, it allows for the analysis of extremely limited or precious samples, such as those from clinical biopsies, single cells, or archaeological specimens, which would be impossible to process with traditional, macroscale methods.
Q: Can these systems be tailored for specific genomic applications?
A: Affirmative, the chip architecture permits complete adaptation to specifications. We can design chips optimized for a wide range of applications, including targeted enrichment for specific gene panels, long-read sequencing library preparation, and CRISPR-based screening to analyze genetic modifications. The on-chip protocol is tailored to meet the unique requirements of your research.
Q: How is data integrity maintained with microfluidic workflows?
A: Our systems are engineered to ensure data integrity and minimize the risk of contamination. The closed-system design of the chips physically isolates samples and reagents from the environment. Additionally, we can integrate on-chip quality control markers and sensors to provide real-time monitoring of critical reaction parameters, ensuring each step of the process is performed correctly and reliably.
Q: What is the process for integrating this technology into an existing lab infrastructure?
A: Our process begins with a detailed consultation to understand your current lab setup and research needs. We then design a solution that is specifically tailored to your workflow and is compatible with your existing equipment. Our goal is to provide a seamless transition that complements your current sequencers and other instrumentation, not to replace them.
Featured Services
Feature Products
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CAT No
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Material
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Product Name
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Application
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MFCH-001
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Glass
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Herringbone Microfluidic Chip
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Processing samples and reagents in Nucleic acid analysis, blood Analysis, immunoassays and point-of-care diagnostics.
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MFMM-0723-JS12
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Glass
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Double Emulsion Droplet Chip
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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.
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MFCH-005
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PDMS
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3D Cell Culture Chip-Neuron
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Neuron cell culture and study of axon transport, axon protein synthesis, axon damage/regeneration, signal transduction of axon to somatic signal.
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MFCH-009
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PDMS
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Synvivo-Idealized Co-Culture Network Chips (IMN2 radial)
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SynBBB 3D Blood Brain Barrier Model/SynRAM 3D Inflammation Model/SynTumor 3D Cancer Model/SynTox 3D Toxicology Model
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MFMM1-GJS4
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COC
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BE-Doubleflow Standard
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Studying circulating particles, cell interactions and simple organ on chip system construction.
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MFMM1-GJS6
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COC
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BE-Transflow Custom
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Used to construct cell interface or Air-Liquid interface (ALI) to study more complex culture systems.
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Click here to Explore our complete product catalog.
Consult our specialists for detailed insights and project-specific deliberations.
References
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Eastburn, Dennis J et al. "Microfluidic droplet enrichment for targeted sequencing." Nucleic acids research vol. 43,13 (2015): e86. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkv297
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Kim, Soohong et al. "High-throughput automated microfluidic sample preparation for accurate microbial genomics." Nature communications vol. 8 13919. 27 Jan. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13919
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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
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Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.
