Evaluation of LabChipTM technology for GMO analysis in food

Ongoing technological advances permit the development of new scientific strategies for bio-analysis. The work described here sought to compare a traditional agarose slab gel electrophoresis method combined with digital image analysis against a new microfluidic capillary electrophoresis system (LabChipTM, Agilent Technologies) to assess their relative performance in the quantitative analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. The comparative strategy exploited methodology for providing quantitative genetically modified organism (GMO) determinations in food samples and demonstrated that the LabChipTM system offered improvements in quantitation accuracy, objectivity and ease of use.