Methods and apparatus are provided for increasing compliance with the discard volume method of blood drawing. The method includes attaching an initial discard container for discarding an initial amount of blood drawn to a standard blood culture bottle. The apparatus, detachable and configurable with a variety of standard blood culture containers, may act as a physical reminder and a convenient handling arrangement for drawing blood according to the preferred discard volume method that reduces sample contamination and false positives. These methods and apparatus may be compatible or retrofit with existing standard blood culture bottles or kits.

An interfacial technique utilizes hydrodynamic micro-vortices to perform (i) high efficiency single cell encapsulation and (ii) size-selective capturing of cells based on their sizes in a single microfluidic device. A notable feature of this technique is that it can perform high efficiency single cell encapsulation at low cell concentrations, and this technique is all passive, controlled only by the flow rates of the two phases and does not require complex structures or on-chip active devices. Single bead/cell encapsulation was demonstrated at 50% efficiency, which is at least 10 times greater than the random encapsulations at the introduced cell concentrations. Also demonstrated is the selective trapping of cells based on their sizes. This present technique expands the capabilities of droplet microfluidics for applications ranging from single cell genomics, proteomic assays to sample preparation.

Methods and systems are provided for isolating fetal cells from a maternal blood supply in order to perform non-invasive prenatal testing. In one example, a system for non-invasive prenatal testing includes a substrate coated with a cell-capturing surface, the cell-capturing surface including an array of pillar-like structures, each pillar-like structure including a plurality of intersecting arms.

A needle assembly for sampling fluid from a patient including a needle guard, an insertion needle, and a needle housing. The distal end of the needle guard includes a nose portion and a flexible nose extension defining a fluid collection reservoir. The proximal end of the needle guard includes a push feature. The insertion needle has a sharpened distal tip, a proximal needle end and a shaft defining a lumen extending therebetween. The needle housing is operably coupled to the proximal needle end and is slideably coupled to the needle guard. The needle housing includes a flash chamber including a wall defining a cavity. The cavity is in fluid communication with the lumen of the insertion needle and is sealed at one end by a gas permeable flash plug. The push feature selectively engages the flash plug to divert captured bodily fluids to the fluid collection reservoir for sampling.

Methods and systems are provided for isolating fetal cells from a maternal blood supply in order to perform non-invasive prenatal testing. In one example, a system for non-invasive prenatal testing includes a substrate coated with a cell-capturing surface, the cell-capturing surface including an array of pillar-like structures, each pillar-like structure including a plurality of intersecting arms.

An apparatus includes a housing, a fluid reservoir, a flow control mechanism, and an actuator. The housing defines an inner volume and has an inlet port that can be fluidically coupled to a patient and an outlet port. The fluid reservoir is disposed in the inner volume to receive and isolate a first volume of a bodily-fluid. The flow control mechanism is rotatable in the housing from a first configuration, in which a first lumen places the inlet port is in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir, and a second configuration, in which a second lumen places the inlet port in fluid communication with the outlet port. The actuator is configured to create a negative pressure in the fluid reservoir and is configured to rotate the flow control mechanism from the first configuration to the second configuration after the first volume of bodily-fluid is received in the fluid reservoir.

Methods for treating a patient using therapeutic renal neuromodulation and associated devices, systems, and methods are disclosed herein. One aspect of the present technology is directed to biomarker sampling in the context of neuromodulation devices, systems, and methods. Some embodiments, for example, are directed to catheters, catheter systems, and methods for sampling biomarkers that change in response to neuromodulation. A system can include, for example, an elongated shaft and a neuromodulation and sampling assembly having a neuromodulation and a sampling element.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure describe a diversion device that traps an initial flow of blood in a diversion chamber of the diversion device. The diversion chamber may be defined, in part, by a housing shell, a housing base, and a filter. The filter may be a porous material that allows air, but not blood, to flow through it. After the diversion chamber is filled, a subsequent flow of blood may be directed into a collection vessel through an internal conduit of the diversion device.

Methods and systems are provided for isolating fetal cells from a maternal blood supply in order to perform non-invasive prenatal testing. In one example, a system for non-invasive prenatal testing includes a substrate coated with a cell-capturing surface, the cell-capturing surface including an array of pillar-like structures, each pillar-like structure including a plurality of intersecting arms.

The invention generally relates to enclosed desorption electrospray ionization probes, systems, and methods. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a source of DESI-active spray, in which a distal portion of the source is enclosed within a transfer member such that the DESI-active spray is produced within the transfer member.