Microfluidic origami for point-of-care extraction of nucleic acids from viscous samples

We present a low-cost microfluidic origami device for point-of-care extraction of bacterial DNA from raw viscous samples - a challenge for conventional microfluidic systems. The core idea is a novel method for sequencing arbitrarily complex chemical and physical processing steps through sequential folding of 2D surfaces. This folding creates temporary paper fluidic circuits substituting capillary flow for pumps, and folding and unfolding for valves. Demonstrated here is room temperature cell lysis and DNA extraction from E. coli spiked pig mucin (simulating sputum) without the use of external power. Device fabrication takes less than 30 min, and can be adapted for mass production in the developing world.