Biochip Advances Enable Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies
June 27, 2019 | AIP.orgEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Biochips are essentially tiny laboratories designed to function inside living organisms, and they are driving next-generation DNA sequencing technologies. This powerful combination is capable of solving unique and important biological problems, such as single-cell, rare-cell or rare-molecule analysis, which next-generation sequencing can’t do on its own.
Now that the scaling and throughput power of biochip technologies has emerged, the next trend in biochips will involve being capable of providing applications across a wide spectrum — from identifying rare bacterium to population-based clinical studies.
In APL Bioengineering, from AIP Publishing, a group of researchers from Seoul National University explore the role advancements in biochip technology are playing in driving groundbreaking scientific discoveries and breakthroughs in medicine via next-generation sequencing, aka high-throughput sequencing.
Perspectives on potential biochips used for next generation sequencing for promising applications in biotechnology CREDIT: Amos Chungwon Lee
“There have been many experimental successes and failures within the biochip field, and one of the most important things we point out in our review is that these were not done in vain,” said Amos Chungwon Lee, lead author and a graduate student in Sunghoon Kwon’s Biophotonics and Nano Engineering Laboratory. “These technologies are now moving forward and being applied in real-world settings.”
One example of real-world use is biochips that isolate single cells from a heterogeneous mix of a complex biological mass — they are enabling preprocessing for massively parallel $1 single-cell analysis.
“When these biochips meet next-generation sequencing, the net value of both technologies will increase exponentially,” Lee said. “If biochips that allow single-cell analysis prevailed for the last decade, there are many more biochips with different functions that will now innovate the bio field — including drug-screening biochips.”
In their paper, the researchers provide a review of current state-of-the-art biochip technologies, separated into two main categories: microfluidic- and micromanipulation-based methods.
“Microfluidic-based methods use micrometer-sized fluidic channels to compartmentalize biological targets to analyze each and every target, while micromanipulation-based methods use optical devices to pick out the biological target of interest,” explained Lee. “The biggest differences between these methods are the throughput and depth. Microfluidic-based methods have higher throughput, but the micromanipulation-based methods can provide deeper data for the biological targets.”
In the future, biochips will become widely available to the public.
“Like smartphones, biochips will be used by people on a daily basis to check their health or nutritional status,” said Lee. “In the same way that smartphones have shifted the paradigm for information flow, smart biochips will play a key role in revolutionizing the system for the acquisition and interpretation of Mother Nature’s information flow.”
Suggested Items
SEMI ESD Alliance 2024 CEO Executive Outlook to Explore the Evolving RISC-V Movement and Semiconductor Design Ecosystem
03/27/2024 | SEMIKey executives from leading semiconductor EDA and IP companies will gather to discuss the latest industry trends, challenges and opportunities Thursday, May 9, in Santa Clara, California at the annual CEO Executive Outlook, hosted by the Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), a SEMI Technology Community, and Keysight Technologies. Registration opens soon.
SEMI 3D & Systems Summit To Spotlight Trends In Hybrid Bonding, Chiplet Design And Environmental Sustainability
03/26/2024 | SEMILeading experts in 3D integration and systems for semiconductor manufacturing applications will gather at the annual SEMI 3D & Systems Summit, 12-14 June, 2024,
Mycronic's Global Technologies Makes Acquisition in Germany
03/22/2024 | MycronicMycronic’s Global Technologies division has signed an agreement to acquire Vanguard Automation, a company headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, which has developed a technology and automated equipment for 3D microfabrication of optical interconnects.
Qualcomm Brings the Best of On-Device AI to More Smartphones with Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
03/18/2024 | Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the Snapdragon® 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform, delivering the most sought-after 8 series capabilities to more Android flagship smartphones, for extraordinary, premium experiences.
Anda Technologies to Feature Large Platform Conformal Coating and Plasma Treatment Systems at 2024 IPC APEX EXPO
03/15/2024 | Anda TechnologiesAnda Technologies, a leading provider of fluid application and custom automated manufacturing equipment, will showcase its latest innovations at Booth 1038 during the 2024 IPC APEX EXPO.