Polymer synthesizer based on magnetic transport of particles

A novel polymer synthesizer was developed that permits simple and flexible synthesis of various polymers - such as oligonucleotides or polypeptides. The synthesizer consists of reservoirs, guideways and deflectors, integrated on a single chip. A magnetic particle modified with linker molecule is transported along the guideway by moving magnetic field, and undergoes a series of reservoirs containing the monomers to be added until the desired sequence is obtained on it. Various sequences can be easily with obtained by selecting the appropriate reservoirs with deflectors. By placing thus obtained particles on a substrate, we can fabricate an array of polymers with desired set of sequences. Here, we have made and demonstrated one unit of the synthesizer for DNA synthesis, and confirmed DNA synthesis on particles. With the development of this device, cost-effective fabrication of arrays of various biopolymers in small scale can be realized.