An active-matrix digital microfluidic platform for simultaneous short- and long-read viral genomic surveillance

BINGBING, Z.; FANG, Z.; LIU, Q.; JI, J.; HU, S.; ZHANG, M.; WANG, Y.; CHANG, Y.; LAI, X.; FENG, Y.; LI, J.; YU, J.; JIANG, C.; NATHAN, A.; YU, C.; MA, H.

doi:10.64898/2026.07.21.739725

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.07.21.739725

An active-matrix digital microfluidic platform for simultaneous short- and long-read viral genomic surveillance

BINGBING, Z.·FANG, Z.·LIU, Q.·JI, J.·HU, S.·ZHANG, M.·WANG, Y.·CHANG, Y.·LAI, X.·FENG, Y.·LI, J.·YU, J.·JIANG, C.·NATHAN, A.·YU, C.·MA, H.

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Abstract

The outbreak frequency and geographic distribution of viral pathogens are continuously expanding, making enhanced genomic surveillance an urgent global public health need. Parallel library preparation combining next-generation sequencing (NGS) and third-generation sequencing (TGS) can substantially improve the coverage and resolution of genomic surveillance, representing a key strategy for strengthening surveillance. Here we developed a complete sample-to-result system integrating a programmable active-matrix digital microfluidic (AM-DMF) chip with a bioinformatics analysis pipeline. Compared with conventional manual protocols used in public health laboratories, our system reduces reagent consumption by 72%, shortens library preparation time by 45% and decreases the inter-batch coefficient of variation (CV) by 20%. In 20 RT-qPCR-confirmed clinical samples, the system achieved complete concordance for viral identification and assigned serotypes/genotypes consistent with sequencing-based phylogenetic analysis. This system is field-deployable and enables rapid virus serotyping as well as in-depth genomic surveillance. TeaserA digital microfluidic platform integrating short- and long-read sequencing enables rapid comprehensive viral genome analysis.

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BINGBING, Z., FANG, Z., LIU, Q., JI, J., HU, S., ZHANG, M., WANG, Y., CHANG, Y., LAI, X., FENG, Y., LI, J., YU, J., JIANG, C., NATHAN, A., YU, C., MA, H.. 2026-07-22. An active-matrix digital microfluidic platform for simultaneous short- and long-read viral genomic surveillance. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.21.739725

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