A 3D Printed Mini-Gel Electrophoresis System for Rapid and Inexpensive DNA Nanoswitch Biosensing

Gel electrophoresis has been a cornerstone laboratory technique for decades, yet it is often viewed as cumbersome and costly and confined to laboratory settings. Recent advances in DNA nanotechnology have used electrophoresis as a primary readout for some biosensing applications such as DNA nanoswitches, where a conformational change in a DNA structure indicates the presence of a target molecule. Conventional gel electrophoresis setups are not ideal for such targeted applications, with moderate equipment cost, excessive reagent use, and time-consuming processes. Here, we adopt a reductionist, application-driven approach to redesign gel electrophoresis specifically for DNA-nanoswitch-based detection. We present a fully 3D printable mini-gel electrophoresis system that incorporates conductive plastic electrodes, demonstrating performance comparable to conventional systems using platinum electrodes. By optimizing the interelectrode distance and running parameters, our system resolves the on/off states of DNA nanoswitches in as little as 1 min. We further show that the device operates reliably at low voltages, including when powered by a USB power bank, and even enables instrument-free nanoswitch readout using an LED with a cell phone camera. Our design substantially reduces the cost, voltage requirements, material usage, operational complexity, and experimental time. These improvements make gel-based biosensing more practical outside traditional laboratory environments, paving the way for the broader adoption of gel electrophoresis in point-of-care and resource-limited settings.