Optimization of droplet routing for an n-plex bioassay on a digital microfluidic lab-on-chip

The multiplexed in-vitro measurement of glucose and other metabolites in human physiological fluids is of great importance for the clinical diagnosis of metabolic disorders. We present a design technique for optimizing an n-plex bioassay on an electrowetting-based digital microfluidic lab-on-chip. The n product droplets of the n-plex bioassay are detected using a photomultiplier tube located at the transport bus of the lab-on-chip. We optimize the routing of the droplets and prove that this approach minimizes the assay completion time. The effectiveness of the proposed droplet-routing schedule is shown via an on-chip experiment for a 3-plex assay. We compare the completion time of the proposed routing schedule to an unoptimized baseline schedule for the n-plex assay.