Microfluid and Nanofluid System for the Dynamic Structural Analysis of Linear Macromolecules, and Applications Therefor

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This patent describes a novel microfluidic and nanofluidic system for analyzing the structure of linear macromolecules (such as DNA, RNA, and proteins) in a highly integrated and efficient manner. The invention combines the unfolding of such molecules and their structural analysis into a single device by using a special photonic crystal structure, allowing precise detection of molecular properties as they transit through the system. This integration leads to faster, more detailed analysis of macromolecule structures on a single chip, with applications in biology, biochemistry, and related fields.

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• Rapid DNA and RNA sequencing for genomics research and diagnostics
• Protein folding and structural analysis for pharmaceutical development
• Design and synthesis of new proteins in synthetic biology and biotechnology
• Quality control in biochemical manufacturing and bioengineering processes
• Point-of-care and lab-on-a-chip diagnostics for clinical and personalized medicine
• Environmental and food safety testing for biomolecular contaminants
• High-throughput screening and selection of biomolecules in research laboratories

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• Combines multiple processing steps (unfolding and analysis) into a single integrated system, increasing efficiency and speed.
• Significantly reduces sample and reagent consumption due to miniaturization.
• Enables high-resolution detection, with the potential for single-molecule or base-pair resolution.
• Supports dynamic and real-time analysis, suitable for both research and industrial applications.
• Scalable and modular design enables customized or parallel processing for high-throughput workflows.
• Facilitates rapid prototyping and low-cost production using established micro/nanofabrication methods.
• Potential for integration into compact, portable lab-on-a-chip platforms for distributed testing and diagnostics.

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Patent Abstract

Fluidic systems in micrometric and nanometric fields are used as chip laboratories in modern biology and biochemistry, especially for the analysis of linear macromolecules (LM) multifolded in a complex manner, such as DNA. For the analysis, said macromolecules are unfolded at entropic barriers (EB) by means of a transport fluid (FL), and electromagnetically irradiated, and the transmission response is evaluated. Until now, unfolding and irradiation were carried out in separated process steps and structures. The novel microfluid and nanofluid system (NS) is characterised by a spatial and temporal synchronisation of the unfolding in a fluid channel (FK) and an irradiation channel (BK) in a photonic crystal (PK), i.e. a spatially periodic grid structure (PG) with grid openings (GO) having dimensions corresponding to the unfolding of the passing linear macromolecules (LM) and the used spectral region. The grid structure can, for example, be embodied as a nanocolumn field (NF). Such microfluid and nanofluid systems (NS) can fulfill complex functions as an integrated system on a common substrate, e.g. as a microbioreactor (MB) for cell-free protein biosynthesis, with a reaction chamber (RR) between two photonic crystals (PK1, PK2) and optionally with other devices for additional process steps.