Microfluidic circuit elements, such as a microvalve, micropump or microvent, formed of a microcavity divided by a diaphragm web into a first subcavity bounded by a first internal wall and a second subcavity bounded by a second internal wall, where the diaphragm web is characterized as a thin film having a first state contacting the first internal wall and a second state contacting the second internal wall and exhibiting essentially no elasticity in moving between the first state and the second state, the thin film web having been stretched beyond its yield point before or during use are provided. The disclosed elements enable faster and more efficient cycling of the diaphragm in the microcavity and increases the diaphragm surface area. In a preferred embodiment, the microfluidic circuit element is pneumatically driven and controls the motion of fluids in a microassay device.

A fluid pump for pumping a fluid from an inlet toward an outlet comprises a pump body, a pump diaphragm, and a valve seat. The pump body has a first opening and a second opening. The pump diaphragm is attached to the pump body and forms a pump chamber between the pump body and the pump diaphragm. The pump chamber is fluidly connected to the inlet by the first opening and to the outlet by the second opening. The valve seat is disposed inside the pump chamber and around the second opening. The valve seat protrudes with an undeformed height from the second opening into the pump chamber in a direction toward the pump diaphragm. The valve seat has an elastic body and a gasket with a sealing surface. The pump diaphragm is deflectable and is adapted to open and close a fluidic pathway of the outlet by moving into and out of contact with the valve seat.

The invention relates to a valve, in particular for a device for administering a liquid medicament, with a valve body which has an interior for receiving a liquid, wherein the valve body has a liquid inlet and an opposite liquid outlet which both open into the interior, wherein the interior accommodates a large number of micro channels which extend in a connection direction between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet. A corresponding device for administering a liquid medicament is also described.

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for using an ionizing fluidic accelerator that may encompass the use of an ionizing fluidic accelerator including a substrate, an electron emitter having a negative bias and being formed on the substrate, an anode having a positive bias and being formed on the substrate, and an attractor having a negative bias and being formed on the substrate. The electron emitter and the anode may be separated in a first direction and the negative bias of the electron emitter and the positive bias of the anode may produce a first electric field in the first direction. The anode and the attractor may be separated in a second direction, the positive bias of the anode and the negative bias of the attractor may produce a second electric field in the second direction, and the second direction may be orthogonal to the first direction.

A pump tray has a liquid pump with an inlet and outlet. A blindly matable liquid coupler fluidicly couples with the pump inlet and a blindly matable liquid coupler fluidicly couples with the pump outlet. A chassis of the pump tray has an alignment member configured to removably engage with another device and to restrict, to a limited number of degrees-of-freedom, movement of the chassis relative to the other device (e.g., a liquid pumping unit). The blindly matable liquid couplers are so physically coupled with the chassis as to inhibit movement of them relative to the chassis. A liquid pumping unit also has a chassis defining a bay configured to receive a pump tray, a liquid inlet coupler and a liquid outlet coupler, and a reservoir fluidicly coupled with the liquid inlet coupler. A blindly-matable liquid coupler fluidicly couples with the reservoir outlet and a blindly-matable liquid coupler fluidicly couples with the liquid outlet coupler. An alignment member is configured to removably engage with the pump tray and to restrict, to a limited number of degrees-of-freedom, movement of the pump tray relative to the chassis of the liquid pumping unit.

A microfluidic chip orients and isolates components in a sample fluid mixture by two-step focusing, where sheath fluids compress the sample fluid mixture in a sample input channel in one direction, such that the sample fluid mixture becomes a narrower stream bounded by the sheath fluids, and by having the sheath fluids compress the sample fluid mixture in a second direction further downstream, such that the components are compressed and oriented in a selected direction to pass through an interrogation chamber in single file formation for identification and separation by various methods. The isolation mechanism utilizes external, stacked piezoelectric actuator assemblies disposed on a microfluidic chip holder, or piezoelectric actuator assemblies on-chip, so that the actuator assemblies are triggered by an electronic signal to actuate jet chambers on either side of the sample input channel, to jet selected components in the sample input channel into one of the output channels.

A low-force, non-displacement, micro/miniature valve and/or pump assembly is provided. A tube component having a first side port coupled to an inlet portion and a second side port coupled to an outlet portion can be selectively moved to alternatively couple the side ports to a first or second piston pump chamber. First and second pistons can be actuated after positioning the tube component to either draw in fluid or push out fluid from either the first or second piston pump chambers during each actuation of the pistons. The fluid can be drawn in from a reservoir and can be expelled to a patient for providing a dose of the fluid to the patient.

A cartridge assembly comprises a housing having an illumination chamber and a well plate. The well plate is maintained within the housing and has liquid wells to receive desired amounts of liquids. The well plate includes a fluidics analysis station aligned with the illumination chamber, and an interface window and interface ports located at the fluidics analysis station. The well plate includes a valve station and pump station. A piercer unit is provided in the housing and positioned proximate to the wells. The piercer unit includes a piercer element and is to be moved to a piercing position where the piercer element pierces a cover for the corresponding well. A pump assembly on the well plate at the pump station manages fluid flow through the channels between the pump station and the fluidics analysis station. The housing includes a flow cell chamber to receive a removable flow cell cartridge.

The present disclosure is drawn to microfluidic cellular membrane modification. In one example, a method of modifying cells can include pumping a fluid comprising cells in a forward direction through a microfluidic channel, applying an electric field within the microfluidic channel as cells flow in the forward direction through the electric field and beyond within the microfluidic channel, and pumping the fluid in a backward direction through the microfluidic channel, wherein cells flow in the backward direction returning through the electric field.

Micropump (10) including a support structure (14), a pump tube (16), and an actuation system (18) comprising one or more pump chamber actuators (28), the pump tube comprising a pump chamber portion (24) defining therein a pump chamber (26), an inlet portion (20) for inflow of fluid into the pump chamber, and an outlet portion (22) for outflow of fluid from the pump chamber. The inlet, outlet and pump chamber portions form part of a continuous section of tube made of a supple material. The one or more pump chamber actuators are configured to bias against the pump chamber portion to expel liquid contained in the pump chamber via the outlet portion, respectively to bias away from the pump chamber portion to allow liquid to enter the pump chamber via the inlet portion. The pump chamber portion has a cross-sectional area Ap in an expanded state that is larger than a cross-sectional area Ai of the pump tube at the inlet and outlet portions.