Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) has found widespread applications in molecular diagnosis of various diseases owing to its sensitive single-molecule detection capability. However, the existing dPCR platforms rely on the auxiliary procedure to disperse
DNA samples, which needs complicated operation, expensive apparatus, and consumables. Besides, the complex and costly dPCR readers also impede the applications of dPCR for point-of-care testing (POCT). Herein, we developed a portable digital loop-mediated isothermal amplification (dLAMP) platform, integrating a microscale
hydrogel (
microgel) array chip for sample partition, a miniaturized heater for
DNA amplification, and a hand-held reader for digital readout. In the platform, the chip with thousands of isolated
microgels holds the capability of self-absorption and partition of
DNA samples, thus avoiding auxiliary equipment and professional personnel operations. Using the integrated dLAMP platform, λDNA templates have been quantified with a good linear detection range of 2-1000 copies/μL and a detection limit of 1 copy/μL. As a demonstration, the
epidermal growth factor receptor L858R gene mutation, a crucial factor for the susceptibility of the
tyrosine kinase inhibitor in
non-small-cell lung cancer treatment, has been accurately identified by the dLAMP platform with a spiked plasma sample. This work shows that the developed dLAMP platform provides a low-cost, facile, and user-friendly
solution for the absolute quantification of
DNA, showing great potential for the POCT of
nucleic acids.