DNA accumulation on single-anode microelectrode structures and its application in active microarray layout design

The present work investigates, using simulation computer tools and fluorescence microscopy experimental assays, the local distribution of short single-stranded oligonucleotide fragments accumulated on a single microelectrode after the switching of an external dc electrical stimulus for some seconds (up to 75 s). It contributes to fill the existing gap in active microelectronic DNA arrays, where due to the large number of microelectrodes contained in the devices, no or little attention has been given to the final coverage of the individual electrodes by the DNA probes transported onto them, and how it is influenced by the device geometry and other variables like the current magnitude and the transport time. All these parameters play a fundamental role in both the accumulation rate of DNA strands on a polarized electrode and the degree of symmetry of their final distribution, which is convenient to know prior to any active microarray layout design in order to optimize the device performance.