A valve for controlling a flow of a fluid comprises: a sealing plate comprising a plurality of ports for passage of the fluid through the sealing plate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the sealing plate; and a plurality of valve members, each valve member comprising at least one anchor portion arranged in fixed relationship with the sealing plate and a closure portion which is contiguous with the anchor portion and in movable relationship with the sealing plate under a differential pressure of the fluid across the valve, the closure portion being movable away from the sealing plate under a first differential pressure direction to open at least one of the ports and toward the sealing plate under a second and opposite differential pressure direction to close said at least one of the ports. The anchor portions of the plurality of valve members partition the closure portions from each other such as to define a plurality of valve cells, each valve cell comprising one of the valve members and at least one associated port.

A fluid check-valve for venting gas from a fluidic system comprises a retention body defining a fluid aperture having an upstream side and a downstream side, a hydrophilic porous material held by the retention body and disposed to cover the fluid aperture, and a hydrophobic porous material held by the retention body and disposed to cover the fluid aperture and adjacent the hydrophilic porous material. One face of the hydrophilic porous material is in fluid communication with the upstream side of the aperture, and one face of the hydrophobic porous material is in fluid communication with the downstream side of the aperture. The hydrophilic porous material is configured to retain liquid from the upstream side to hinder passage of gas from the downstream side to the upstream side, and the hydrophobic porous material is configured to hinder passage of liquid from the upstream side to the downstream side.

A medical fluid pneumatic manifold system includes a first plate including a plurality of apertures, a second plate attached to the first plate so as to form a plurality of pneumatic flowpaths sealed between the first plate and the second plate, a plurality of tubing connections and a plurality of pneumatic tubes connected to the plurality of tubing connections, the plurality of tubing connections placing the plurality of pneumatic tubes in pneumatic communication with the plurality of pneumatic flowpaths via the plurality of apertures of the first plate, and a pneumatic reservoir in pneumatic communication with the plurality of pneumatic flowpaths, the pneumatic reservoir configured to provide pneumatic pressure to the plurality of pneumatic tubes.

This invention concerns an integrated microfluidic system that utilizes microfluidic chip technology to receive a patient sample including cells, expand the cells, reprogram the expanded cells and then store the reprogrammed cells in a microfluidic chip. These microfluidic chips with stored reprogrammed cells may then be used in scenarios of genetic differentiation into specific cell types. Overall this system and workflow is suitable as a hospital based device that will allow the generation of iPSCs from every isolating patient for downstream diagnostic or therapeutic use.

A valve for use in connection with microfluidic devices includes a safety feature such that flow is controlled even in the case of a loss of power, thus having applications in critical applications such as the precise delivery of drugs over time. The valve may be used in connection with multiple tubes delivering drugs, and may be used with a pump, such as an electrochemical pump, to provide the force to move the fluids containing drugs for delivery. In certain applications, more than one medicine may be delivered and metered independently using a single pump with multiple reservoirs and valves.

A valve module includes a semiconductor body, cavities in the semiconductor body separated from each other by a distance, a cantilever structure suspended over each cavity to enable at least partial closing of the cavity, and a piezoelectric actuator for each cantilever structure. The piezoelectric actuator is configured for use to cause a positive bending of the respective cantilever structure and so modulate a rate of air flow through the valve module.

The present application discloses a micro-valve comprising: a first valve body and a second valve body, at least one of the first and second valve bodies defining a valve chamber and a valve seat, the first valve body having a liquid outlet and the second valve body having a liquid inlet; a valve plug disposed and movable within the valve chamber; and an elastic member disposed within the valve chamber and positioned closer to the liquid inlet than the valve plug. The elastic member has a liquid-inflow position and a liquid-outflow position, and in the liquid-inflow position, the elastic member enables liquid to flow from the liquid inlet through the elastic member to the liquid outlet, in the liquid-outflow position, the valve plug compresses the elastic member, such that the compressed elastic member seals the valve seat, or the compressed elastic member together with the valve plug seals the valve seat, so as to prevent liquid from flowing back from the liquid outlet to the liquid inlet through the valve seat.

Disclosed is a bi-directional exhalation valve useful for many applications such as in CPAP devices. The exhalation valve includes a valve body having a center chamber, side chambers, and bidirectional ports coupled to the center chamber via passages and a mechanism that provides fluid ingress into the bi-directional valve in a first mode of operation or fluid egress from the bi-directional valve in a second mode of operation. Unidirectional ports are coupled to the plurality of bidirectional ports to provide providing fluid egress from the valve in the second mode of operation, and a unidirectional port provides fluid ingress into the bi-directional valve in the first mode of operation. A mechanism including a center paddle, side paddles, and a shaft are arranged in an elongated compartment of the valve body, such that the shaft is pivots and the central and side paddles open and close corresponding ones of the input and output ports.

A microfluidic pumping system for providing continuous or pulsed pumping action of a sample fluid along a microfluidic channel of a microfluidic device is described. The pumping system comprises at least one actuator comprising an actuator channel and at least one polarizer for generating pumping fluid motion, and at least one microfluidic rectification system for facilitating the flow of a sample fluid in a predetermined direction, the at least one microfluidic rectification system being laid out in or along the microfluidic channel, and the at least one actuator being adapted for creating a pressure in the microfluidic channel, the system thus being adapted for providing continuous or pulsed fluid movement of the sample fluid along the microfluidic channel when actuation of the pumping fluid in the actuator channel takes place and further providing sample fluid immobilization when no actuation takes place.

A micro-valve comprises a floating armature, wherein the floating armature is within a fluid flow path through the valve and comprises three or more channels extending along the armature in the direction of fluid flow.