Let's get digital: digitizing chemical biology with microfluidics

Digital microfluidics (DMF) has recently emerged as a popular technology for a wide range of applications in chemical biology. In DMF, nL–mL droplets containing samples and reagents are controlled (i.e., moved, merged, mixed, and dispensed from reservoirs) by applying a series of electrical potentials to an array of electrodes coated with a hydrophobic insulator. DMF is distinct from microchannel-based fluidics as it allows for precise control over multiple reagent phases (liquid and solid) in heterogeneous systems with no need for complex networks of microvalves. Here, we review the state-of-the-art in DMF as applied to a wide range of applications in chemical biology, including proteomics, enzyme assays and immunoassays, applications involving DNA, cell-based assays, and clinical applications.