Method and apparatus for amplifying and synthesisizing nucleic acid with denaturant

A method for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence contained in a nucleic acid, comprising:

• (a) providing a first reservoir, a second reservoir, a main channel, a first channel and a second channel disposed all in a fluidic device, wherein the first channel communicating to the first reservoir and the main channel, and the second channel communicating to the second reservoir and the main channel, and at least one of the reservoirs is filled with a liquid containing a denaturant;
• (b) forming in the main channel a concentration-cycle region comprising an alternating pattern of a first region having a denaturant of a first denaturant concentration and a second region having the denaturant of a second denaturant concentration, wherein the first denaturant concentration is higher than the second denaturant concentration and the first and second regions being made by introducing the two liquids alternatively or at different flow ratios;
• (c) introducing the nucleic acid to the concentration-cycle region;
• (d) passing the nucleic acid through the concentration cycle region;
• (e) denaturing the nucleic acid in the first denaturant concentration region to produce a denatured nucleic acid;
• (f) hybridizing the denatured nucleic acid with a primer in the second denaturant concentration region to produce a hybridized nucleic acid;
• and
• (g) extending the primer of the hybridized nucleic acid by a nucleic acid polymerase in the second denaturant concentration region.

An apparatus for amplifying a nucleic acid, comprising:

• (a) a first reservoir, a second reservoir, a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first reservoir and the second reservoir communicate with the first channel and the second channel, respectively, and at least one of the first and the second reservoirs stores a liquid containing a denaturant;
• (b) a main channel communicating with the first channel and the second channel, wherein an alternating pattern of a first region containing a first concentration of a denaturant and a second region containing a second concentration of the denaturant, wherein the first concentration is higher than the second concentration and the first and second regions being made by introducing the two liquids stored in the first and the second reservoir alternatively or at different flow ratios. and wherein the nucleic acid is amplified by exposing the nucleic acid to the alternating pattern of the first region and the second region;
• and
• (c) a sample reservoir and a sample channel, wherein the sample reservoir communicates with the sample channel to the main channel, and the sample reservoir stores a nucleic acid to be amplified.

A method for synthesizing a nucleic acid, comprising:

• (a) forming in a channel an alternating pattern of a region containing a denaturant in an amount sufficient to denature a nucleic acid and a region containing a denaturant in an amount sufficient to hybridize a denatured nucleic acid with a primer;
• (b) exposing a target nucleic acid to the region containing a denaturant in an amount sufficient to denature a nucleic acid, thereby denaturing the target nucleic acid;
• (c) exposing the denatured target nucleic acid to the region containing a denaturant in an amount sufficient to hybridize a denatured nucleic acid with a primer, thereby hybridizing a primer with the denatured target nucleic acid;
• and
• (d) allowing the primer hybridized with the target nucleic acid in step (c) to be extended using a nucleic acid polymerase.