Numerical Investigation of a Time-dependent Magnetic Actuation Technique for Tagging Biomolecules with Magnetic Nanoparticles in a Microfluidic System

A. Munir, J. Wang, Z. Zhu, and H.S. Zhou
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA
Published in 2010

The magnetic body forces that act on mono-dispersed magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) tagged biomolecules in a microfluidic system can be efficiently used in various applications that involve separation and detection including DNA and protein analysis, bio-defense, drug delivery, and pharmaceutical development. In this work, we report an FEM model to demonstrate a novel method of tagging biomolecules with MNPs on-chip using time-dependent magnetic field, produced due to the electrodes embedded in the device substrate beneath the microchannel. The model was employed to quantify the effect of convection, diffusion, reaction and magnetic field on the tagging performance. Overall, the developed COMSOL model demonstrates that time-dependent magnetic actuation is an efficient tool to mix or tag MNPs with biomolecules in situ for the development of efficient point-of-care microfluidic systems.

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