A self-contained disposable cartridge microsystem for dengue viral ribonucleic acid extraction

A self-contained disposable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) cartridge was developed for the extraction of dengue viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in solid phase. The cartridge integrated reservoirs, microchannels, microvalves, sample collectors and a silicon-based viral RNA extraction chip into a compact microsystem. Reagents required for extraction were pre-stored in separate reservoirs. To facilitate automated microfluidic flow control, a computer controlled actuation system was designed to dispense reagents into the chip during the extraction process; therefore the person who handles this extraction system does not need to be professionally trained. The microsystem was tested by extracting dengue serotype II RNA from virus culture. The extraction process can be completed within 30 min. Our results demonstrated amplification of extracted RNA by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) process. This self-contained device provides an opportunity to realize on-site molecular diagnosis in the future of infectious diseases such as dengue fever.