The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatuses for
amplifying nucleic acid sequences using immobilized DNA polymerase. More
particularly, it relates to methods and apparatuses useful for amplifying
target nucleic acid sequences by forming a plurality of reaction regions
in which polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can occur, positioning
immobilized DNA polymerase in a specific reaction region, and circulating
DNA through the reaction regions. The present invention provides those
methods and apparatuses that allow simple separation and recovery of the
DNA polymerase after the amplification, that can be operated not only
with thermostable DNA polymerases but also with non-thermostable DNA
polymerases, and that are simpler in their designs and processes so that
they can be readily integrated into complex devices such as
Lab-on-a-chip.