A sequential liquid dispensing method in a centrifugal microfluidic device operating at a constant rotational speed for the multiplexed genetic detection of foodborne pathogens

Abstract

This study proposes a sequential liquid dispensing method using a centrifugal microfluidic device operating at a constant rotational speed for the multiplexed genetic detection of nucleic acid targets across multiple samples in a single operation. A pair of passive valves integrated into each microchamber enabled the liquid to fill towards the center of rotation against the centrifugal force, facilitating the complete removal of air inside the microchamber. Liquid manipulation can be achievable without any surface coating of the device by exploiting the inherent hydrophobicity of the polymer. Furthermore, design guidelines for the optimization of microfluidic devices are clarified. Consequently, our proposed method allows direct liquid dispensing into the reaction chambers without cross-contamination while simultaneously metering the sample/reagent volume for the colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction. In addition, we demonstrated the simultaneous detection of four foodborne pathogens (Salmonella spp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Campylobacter spp., and norovirus genogroup II (GII)) across four samples in a centrifugal microfluidic device within 60 min. Furthermore, the device exhibited high quantitation (R² > 0.98) of the DNA concentration in the sample. Our proposed method enables a more compact design by eliminating the need for metering chambers and offers a point-of-care testing platform with high simplicity as it operates at a constant rotational speed.