Patent ID: 7527719

Claim:
A capillary electrophoresis chip apparatus for detecting a nucleotide polymorphism or a single nucleotide polymorphism, said apparatus comprising an electrophoresis chip comprising: an upper channel layer, comprising a first-dimension microfluidic channel, a plurality of second-dimension microfluidic channels in fluid communication with the first-dimension microfluidic channel, and two or more sets of electrode apertures in fluid communication with the first-dimension microfluidic channel and with the plurality of second-dimension microfluidic channels; a middle electrode layer capable of sealing the first-dimension microfluidic channel and the plurality of second-dimension microfluidic channels to form intact capillaries, said middle electrode layer comprising electrodes capable of providing a needed voltage along the first-dimension microfluidic channel and along the plurality of second-dimension microfluidic channels; and a lower heating layer capable of providing a stable temperature gradient for electrophoresis along the plurality of second-dimension microfluidic channels, said lower heating layer comprising two or more sets of temperature control elements that are spaced apart from each other and positioned approximately perpendicular to the plurality of second-dimension microfluidic channels, wherein the upper channel layer, the middle electrode layer, and the lower heating layer are thermally conductive and adhesive to each other, and the capillary electrophoresis chip apparatus is capable of detecting a nucleotide polymorphism or a single nucleotide polymorphism.