Upstate New York LRIG

Nathaniel C. Cady, Assistant Professor, Nanobiosciences, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Harnessing Microfluidics for Research and Development

Dr. Abbie L. Esterman, Ph.D., Senior Application Scientist, Caliper Life Sciences

High Throughput Nucleic Acid and Protein Analysis using Microfluidic Technology

Microfabricated devices offer the benefits of assay integration, miniaturization and standardization of processes. Caliper’s LabChip GX instrument platform utilizes microfluidic chips fabricated with an integrated sample injection “sipper”. This design, combined with the appropriate assay reagents and chip design architecture, allows for the high throughput serial separation and analysis of a variety of biomolecules including DNA, RNA and Proteins. Several applications utilizing the platform will be reviewed. These include the use of the GX System to analyze diagnostic multiplex PCR samples, assess RNA quality for downstream gene expression studies and characterize antibodies and other proteins.

Mr. Jeffrey Martin, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Redesigning the Biological Activities of Heparan Sulfate on a Digital Microfluidic Chip

Using digital microfluidics, recombinant enzyme technology, and magnetic nanoparticles we have enzymatically modified heparin sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycan chains immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles. Sulfo groups were transferred from adenosine 3’-phosphate 5’-phosphosulfate (PAPS) to the 3-hydroxyl group of the D-glucosamine residue in an immobilized HS chain using D-glucosaminyl 3-O-sulfotransferase. After modification, the nanoparticles with immobilized HS exhibited increased affinity for fluorescently labeled antithrombin III as detected by confocal microscopy. Since the biosynthesis of HS involves an array of specialized glycosyl transferases, epimerases, and sulfotransferases, this approach should mimic the synthesis of HS in vivo. Further, our method demonstrates the feasibility of investigating the effects of multi-enzyme systems on the structure of final glycan products for HS-based glycomic studies.