Evaluation of Magnetic Beads Agitation Performance Operated by Multi-Layered Flat Coils

We have previously proposed a magnetic bead handling mechanism for micro-total-analysis-systems and have developed a palmtop-sized biochemical analysis system. Appropriate agitation is one of the crucial issues in micro-meter-sized fluidic systems. We investigated the agitation produced by using multilayered flat coils and magnetic beads. The beads were magnetically agitated inside the droplet by changing the external magnetic field distribution, and the agitation performance was evaluated by using an enzymatic reaction. The reaction efficiency increased linearly with an increase in the reaction time and was more than four times as efficient with agitation than without agitation.