(565a) Pushing the Limits on High Resolution Electrophoretic DNA Separations on Microdevices with Short Effective Separation Lengths

short tandem repeat (STR) fragments amplified from select locations in the genome. CE has been the

modern workhorse for genetic analysis since the 1990â??s, and the systems specifically manufactured for

forensic STR profiling are expensive and reagent cost-intensive. In addition, separations are on the

order of 30-40 minutes, require highly-skilled personnel and are not portable. There is a need for the

development of an inexpensive, rapid, and portable device for DNA fragment separation. Here, we

report progress towards the development of a unique, multi-layer, rotationally-driven microdevice to

meet these needs.

We have demonstrated the fabrication of microdevices composed of inexpensive materials such as

cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), polyester film (PE), pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), and other

proprietary materials not typically used in conventional methods. Through CAD design, we have

designed, developed and tested electrophoretic microfluidic devices with up to four separation domains

on a rotationally-driven system the size of a compact disc. Where possible, a CO 2 laser was used ablate

channels into the necessary layers to create intricate fluidic channels with features less than 100 µm,

with plasma oxidization providing enhanced layer-to- layer bonding using only an office laminator.

Separations of fragments in the 80-300 base range were achievable in less than 300 sec with a 2-base

resolution in a 4 cm L eff channel. This has the potential to integrate with other microdevice domains

such as extraction and PCR for rapid human identification/screening in the field.