Simulation of PCR Kinetics in Convective Flow Systems

PCR analysis is one of the most widely used techniques for molecular diagnosis due to its high specificity and sensitivity. This technique subjects a mixture of enzymes and nucleic acids to thermal cycling to amplify DNA fragments. However, one of the main limitations is the development time of new and better devices which can be expensive. Computer simulation is required for a faster and cheaper way to design, test, and optimize new devices. We present a numerical analysis of a microfluidic device that generates convection flows through constant temperature gradients in capillary tubes. This model can predict the temperature gradients, flow velocity, pressure, species transport, species concentration and the PCR reactions in the device. We observed that thermal gradients affect the PCR amplification speed due to the generated flow rates which determine the time that the sample is in the different temperature zones.