Disclosed is a method for detecting and/or growing particles, comprising controlling the surface area exposed to the saturator region by monitoring at least one of a depth of the working liquid on the saturator surface, the surface area exposed to the saturator region, or a volume of the working liquid on the saturator surface. Also disclosed is an apparatus or system for detecting and/or growing particles, comprising a fluidics system configured to control the surface area exposed to the saturator region by monitoring at least one of a depth of the working liquid on the saturator surface, the surface area exposed to the saturator region, or a volume of the working liquid on the saturator surface. Certain aspects do not employ one or more porous structures for vapor generation, nor a separate carrier fluid flow or inlet comprising a carrier fluid and vaporized working liquid for combining with the sample flow in the saturator region.

Disclosed is a method for detecting and/or growing particles, comprising controlling the surface area exposed to the saturator region by monitoring at least one of a depth of the working liquid on the saturator surface, the surface area exposed to the saturator region, or a volume of the working liquid on the saturator surface. Also disclosed is an apparatus or system for detecting and/or growing particles, comprising a fluidics system configured to control the surface area exposed to the saturator region by monitoring at least one of a depth of the working liquid on the saturator surface, the surface area exposed to the saturator region, or a volume of the working liquid on the saturator surface. Certain aspects do not employ one or more porous structures for vapor generation, nor a separate carrier fluid flow or inlet comprising a carrier fluid and vaporized working liquid for combining with the sample flow in the saturator region.

For analyzing a sample containing particles of at least two categories, such as a sample containing blood cells, a particle counter subject to a detection limit is coupled with an analyzer capable of discerning particle number ratios, such as a visual analyzer, and a processor. A first category of particles can be present beyond detection range limits while a second category of particles is present within respective detection range limits. The concentration of the second category of particles is determined by the particle counter. A ratio of counts of the first category to the second category is determined on the analyzer. The concentration of particles in the first category is calculated on the processor based on the ratio and the count or concentration of particles in the second category.

The disclosure features systems and methods for measuring and diagnosing target constituents bound to labeling particles in a sample. The systems include a radiation source, a sample holder, a detector configured to obtain one or more diffraction patterns of the sample each including information corresponding to optical properties of sample constituents, and an electronic processor configured to, for each of the one or more diffraction patterns: (a) analyze the diffraction pattern to obtain amplitude information and phase information corresponding to the sample constituents; (b) identify one or more particle-bound target sample constituents based on at least one of the amplitude information and the phase information; and (c) determine an amount of at least one of the particle-bound target sample constituents in the sample based on at least one of the amplitude information and the phase information.

The present invention relates to the field of microfluidics and in particular to devices and methods for sorting objects in microfluidic channels. These devices and methods allow for fast and robust sorting in two-way and multi-way setups. They also enable sorting over extended periods of time.

According to the present invention there is provided a first particle sensor, a second particle sensor and a device for characterisation of one or more particles in a fluid sample comprising a first particle sensor and/or at least one second particle sensor. A method for characterising one or more particles in a fluid sample is also disclosed.

A passive, hydrodynamic technique implemented using a microfluidic device to perform co-encapsulation of samples in droplets and sorting of said droplets is described herein. The hydrodynamic technique utilizes laminar flows and high shear liquid-liquid interfaces at a microfluidic junction to encapsulate samples in the droplets. A sorting mechanism is implemented to separate sample droplets from empty droplets. This technique can achieve a one-one-one encapsulation efficiency of about 80% and can significantly improve the droplet sequencing and related applications in single cell genomics and proteomics.

A passive, hydrodynamic technique implemented using a microfluidic device to perform co-encapsulation of samples in droplets and sorting of said droplets is described herein. The hydrodynamic technique utilizes laminar flows and high shear liquid-liquid interfaces at a microfluidic junction to encapsulate samples in the droplets. A sorting mechanism is implemented to separate sample droplets from empty droplets. This technique can achieve a one-one-one encapsulation efficiency of about 80% and can significantly improve the droplet sequencing and related applications in single cell genomics and proteomics.

An electronically-controlled digital ferrofluidic device is disclosed which employs a network of individually addressable coils in conjunction with one or more movable permanent magnets, where each moveable permanent magnet delivers the designated fluid manipulation-based tasks. The underlying mechanism facilitating fluidic operations is realized by addressable electromagnetic actuation of miniaturized mobile magnets that exert localized magnetic body forces on droplets filled with magnetic nanoparticles. The reconfigurable, contactless, and non-interfering magnetic-field operation properties of the underlying actuation mechanism allow for the integration of passive and active components to implement advanced and diverse operations with high efficiency (e.g., droplet sorting, dispensing, generation, merging, mixing, filtering, and analysis).

Techniques for label-free determination of a value of at least one blood property are presented. The techniques may utilize a device that includes an optical objective including at least one lens, at least a first light source situated so as to provide light to a body part at a location that is off-center from a central axis of the objective, at least a first electronic detector situated to receive light gathered by the optical objective and generate image data, at least one electronic processor communicatively coupled to the first electronic detector, the at least one electronic processor configured to determine the value of the at least one blood property based at least in part on the image data, and an output interface communicatively coupled to the at least one electronic processor and configured to provide the value of the at least one blood property.