"The proposed project will develop a polymer-based optofluidic lab-on-a-chip device to study the physical dynamics of label-free DNA molecules. DNA contains the complete genetic code of an organism, yet it is the interaction of DNA with other molecular species that determine how that code is interpreted. Moreover, it has been suggested that there are other factors beyond the genomic sequence that are involved in an organism’s complexity. Subsequently, this project will study the physical dynamics of DNA by spatially profiling its restriction and extension attributes as it propagates along integrated nanochannels. The operating principle of the device will be based on the refractive index (RI) perturbation caused by a DNA molecule as it passes through an optical detector region. The optical detection scheme will use band-edge lasers in photonic crystals to monitor subtle shifts in wavelength caused by the change in RI. This will result in a label-free approach to characterise DNA, circumventing the negative effects of dye staining – a common DNA investigation technique – that prevents true measurements of the molecule’s behaviour. The device material will be polymer-based, offering an affordable development trajectory via nanoimprint technology. In addition, polymer is a suitable material for introducing active dopants, such as fluorescent dyes, to generate the photonic crystal band-edge laser components. Finally, the integration of nanochannels to the devices offers several novel advantages: the nanochannel provides a straightforward approach to deliver DNA to the detector regions; the nanochannel confines DNA, causing an extension of its molecular conformation and allowing access to structural detail otherwise difficult to obtain; and the nanochannel dimensions provide an opportunity to form slot waveguides, a mechanism that drastically increases optical mode intensities within narrow channels to significantly improve detection sensitivity."