CPC C12Q 1/6837 (2013.01) [B01L 3/502761 (2013.01); B01L 2200/0647 (2013.01); B01L 2200/16 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0654 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0819 (2013.01); B01L 2300/168 (2013.01)] | 19 Claims |
1. A method of detecting a leak from a given subarray of a plurality of subarrays that are formed on a substrate and together define a microarray chip, the method comprising:
positioning, within the given subarray, a sample solution that includes:
(i) dissolved sample molecules (DSMs) that define a dissolved sample oligonucleotide sequence; and
(ii) dissolved leak detection molecules (DLDMs) that define a predetermined dissolved leak detection oligonucleotide sequence; and
detecting the DLDMs within a region of the microarray chip that is external to the given subarray;
wherein each subarray of the plurality of subarrays includes a corresponding leak detection region;
wherein the corresponding leak detection region includes anchored leak detection molecules (ALDMs), which are attached to the substrate and define a predetermined anchored leak detection oligonucleotide sequence that is complementary to the dissolved leak detection oligonucleotide sequence;
wherein a spatial arrangement of the plurality of subarrays defines a number of adjacent subarrays;
wherein each corresponding leak detection region includes a number of distinct ALDM features that is at least one of equal to the number of adjacent subarrays and one greater than the number of adjacent subarrays;
wherein each ALDM feature of the number of distinct ALDM features:
(i) is spaced apart from each other ALDM feature of the number of distinct ALDM features; and
(ii) includes corresponding ALDMs that define a corresponding predetermined anchored leak detection oligonucleotide sequence that differs from the predetermined anchored leak detection oligonucleotide sequence of each other ALDM feature; and
wherein the detecting the DLDMs includes detecting hybridization between the ALDMs and the DLDMs;
wherein the region of the microarray chip that is external to the given subarray is a first region of the microarray chip, and further wherein the detecting the DLDMs includes detecting the DLDMs in a second region of the microarray chip that is at least one of:
(i) external to all subarrays of the microarray chip;
(ii) positioned within a contact region between a perimeter sealing structure and the substrate; and
(iii) positioned within an unwetted region of the microarray chip.
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