research:

Molecular Comb

The burgeoning disciplines of genomics and proteomics require a fast, efficient and high throughput biomolecular separation technologies on-a-chip format.

Ideally, the detection technique selected would be a direct separation of biomolecules with low power consumption and visualization without the use of exogenous labels and be readily incorporated into a scanning array format.

Separation technologies currently used for nucleic acid and protein separation utilize gel electrophoresis or microfluidic channels which typically employ incorporated fluorescent labels or dyes.

Molecular Comb technology is a revolutionary approach of separating biomolecules such as proteins using light at a solid-liquid interface. The biomolecules get attracted to the location on the semiconductor illuminated by a focused light beam of a few microns in size. As the light beam is scanned over the surface the protein molecules follow the path of the light beam. The protein molecules can be moved in any arbitrary path of a few microns in size by programming the deflecting mirrors. It is more like a microfluidic channel without pre-fabricated channels.

Molecular Comb technology can, one day, replace one and two dimensional gel electrophoresis. Unlike gel electrophoresis where high voltages are necessary, Molecular Comb utilizes only a few volts for operation. A small power laser diode can act as the light source. Another unique aspect of the technology is that the location of the separated proteins can be visualized by fast scanning the surface with the laser and observing the photocurrent. The photocurrent image of the surface does not utilize any external labels and images can be done anytime during or after separation.

The advantages of molecular comb technology:

• Simple technology that exploits the well established results of photoelectrochemistry
• Miniature and based on interaction of light with semiconductors
• Utilizes low power (a few volts vs a few kilo volts used in gel electrophoresis
• Simultaneous separation and imaging of separated species