Microchip devices for nucleic acid amplification

Basic requirements for microchip devices used in nucleic acid amplification by means of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as well as in their isothermal amplification, are considered, and the results of testing the devices made of various materials are reported. Tests involved detecting a small amount of nucleic acid molecules in a sample by the colony PCR technique. The uniformity of the molecular colony distribution over the reaction chamber of the device has been quantitatively estimated. The application potential of the microchips for molecular diagnostics is discussed.