A Microfow Reactor for Two Dimensional Investigations of In Vitro Amplification Systems

For experimental spatially resolved studies in molecular evolution an open two dimensional reactor was designed which allows the continuous influx of reactants, homogeneous flow through the active reaction layer and the removal of reaction products. It is implemented in closed microstructured layers to allow flow control, conserve material and avoid contamination. Non-linear molecular amplification kinetics can induce spatial species distributions which change the nature of the selection process. This new approach unites the insights of ecological field studies with the precision of in vitromolecular evolution. We believe that this kind of study will open up the way to a better understanding of how optimisation proceeds at the molecular level. The design of the reactor is presented along with the experimental set-up and first results in a precursor single layer reactor.