Numerical Simulations of the Pressure-Driven and Electrokinetic Transport in DNA Hybridization

The consequences of transport and accumulation of biomolecules, particularly DNA, in the presence of electroosmotic and pressure-driven flows are investigated through numerical modeling. In this study we report the effect of electric field distribution on the design of flow cells and how it influences the hybridization rate at immobilization probes site, located further from the entry section of a microchannel. A general kinetic model is presented, describing the process of heterogeneous hybridization in the microfluidic flow channel, as well as the distinctive parameters of the transport phenomena like: optimal transport velocity, species concentrations, microchannel length and potential gradient, which are important factors driving the hybridization mechanisms.