Raindance Droplet Technology (RDT), invented by RainDance Technologies, is a highly innovative microfluidics platform. The RDT1000 instrument produces ten million microdroplets per hour, and more than one million of microdroplets in a single run. Currently, the main application of RDT is the production of microdroplets for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Library droplets and genomic DNA template droplets are efficiently merged on a single-use microfluidic chip by electrostatic forces, with merging efficiency being constantly monitored. Each droplet is the functional equivalent of an individual PCR reaction, and up to 10,000 primer pairs can be combined in a single, standard PCR reaction tube. PCR is completed in a standard thermal cycler. After breaking of the oil-water emulsion, PCR products are purified and ready for next-generation sequencing.
