Thermoelectric method for sequencing DNA†
Abstract
This study describes a novel, thermoelectric method for DNA sequencing in a microfluidic device. The method measures the heat released when DNA polymerase inserts a deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate into a primed DNA template. The study describes the principle of operation of a laminar flow microfluidic chip with a reaction zone that contains DNA template/primer complex immobilized to the inner surface of the device's lower channel wall. A thin-film thermopile attached to the external surface of the lower channel wall measures the dynamic change in temperature that results when Klenow polymerase inserts a deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate into the DNA template. The intrinsic rejection of common-mode thermal signals by the thermopile in combination with hydrodynamic focused flow allows for the measurement of temperature changes on the order of 10−4 K without control of ambient temperature. To demonstrate the method, we report the sequencing of a model