A Portable CGE-Based Biomolecule Detection System Using a Smartphone App for Operation via WiFi

Most bioseparation and detection tools used in the laboratory employ slab gel-based electrophoresis technologies, which have routinely been used for the analysis of biomolecules (i.e., DNA, RNA, protein, carbohydrates, etc.) since their inception more than 30 years ago. However, slab gel electrophoresis for bioanalysis is a labor-intensive technique. Further, the method needs to be drastically improved in terms of throughput, resolving power, and cost per sample run.

A microfluidic approach to gel electrophoresis (microchannel device to simplify gel electrophoresis), capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) offers numerous applications.^1‒5 Benefits of CGE technology are its high resolution, high sensitivity, and reliability.^2,3 Although it enjoys wide acceptance in the biotech industry, CGE is sometimes avoided in routine analysis due to its reputation for being high in cost and having high failure rates. However, this is no longer the case—the Qsep1 portable CGE instrument from BiOptic (New Taipei City, Taiwan [R.O.C.]) is cost-effective and operates in wireless mode using WiFi.^6‒8 The present iteration of the instrument provides simplified, high-efficiency, highly sensitive results; is cost-effective; and uses WiFi-type communication for biomolecule detection applications. The system is a miniaturized version of the Qsep100 system vertical capillary gel electrophoresis system, which can complete 4‒16 samples analysis.