Biophysical Society Bulletin | January 2024

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Not too long ago, the idea of digitizing lab experiments like we digitized computing would have been unthinkable. The advent of digital microfluidics (DMF) has made this possible by enabling the programming of discrete sample droplets. In recent years, there has been a notable surge in the development of miniaturized microfluidic devices, with the aim of consolidating entire analytical assays into a single chip-like platform to streamline and multiplex laborious conventional laboratory processes. Owing to its myriad advantages, including minimiz ing sample usage, reducing hands-on time, increasing instrument reliability, and eliminating user-to-user variation, DMF has been used to revolutionize processes across many industries. At Nicoya, we saw an opportunity to solve the challenges of label-free technology through integration with DMF, and developed Alto, our digital surface plasmon resonance (SPR) platform. The first of its kind, Alto enhances productivity in the lab for biotherapeutics characterization. From droplets to kinetics: Exploring the fundamentals of digital microfluidics and SPR

DMF is an innovative technology at the intersection of microfluidics and electronics, revolutionizing the way fluids are controlled on a miniature scale. By leveraging an array of individually controlled elec trodes to modulate droplet wettability, DMF trans forms droplets into discrete bits of data that can be programmed as desired. What is digital microfluidics?

decrease the wettability of the surface. The top plate consists of a hydrophobic layer and a ground elec trode. The sample droplet and associated buffers are sandwiched between the plates and subjected to an electric field, while the electrode, capacitive dielectric layer, and droplet form the total impedance of the circuit. Droplets are then moved by activating the voltage supply to electrodes adjacent to the droplet and simultaneously deactivating the electrode under the droplet. Read our full blog post to learn more

This enables the execution of complex protocols on precise quantities of liquid on a micro- and nanoscale, while streamlining workflows, minimiz ing hands-on time and eliminating user-to-user variation. DMF devices leverage this simple concept through the intelligent stacking of multiple layers to form a simple circuit. The anatomy of a closed DMF system consists of two parallel plates. The bottom plate contains a substrate, a patterned array of individu ally controllable electrodes, a dielectric insulator to increase capacitance, and a hydrophobic layer to

January 2024

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