A repeatable method for detecting circulating tumor cells in vitro is provided. The method involves combining a test sample from a patient suspected of having circulating tumor cells, and a non-lytic adenoviral system, and culture media for the cells. The adenoviral system utilizes (i) a first replication-defective adenoviral particle in which an expression cassette is packaged, said expression cassette comprising an adenoviral 5′ and 3′ ITRs and a tumor-specific promoter; and (ii) a coding sequence for a reporter protein which is expressed in the presence of circulating tumor cells, and an adenoviral 3′ ITR. The test sample and the non-lytic adenoviral system are incubated for a sufficient time to permit expression of the reporter protein, and measuring reporter protein expression in the test samples, whereby presence of reporter expression indicates the presence of circulating tumor cells in the sample.

A repeatable method for detecting circulating tumor cells in vitro is provided. The method involves combining a test sample from a patient suspected of having circulating tumor cells, and a non-lytic adenoviral system, and culture media for the cells. The adenoviral system utilizes (i) a first replication-defective adenoviral particle in which an expression cassette is packaged, said expression cassette comprising an adenoviral 5′ and 3′ ITRs and a tumor-specific promoter; and (ii) a coding sequence for a reporter protein which is expressed in the presence of circulating tumor cells, and an adenoviral 3′ ITR. The test sample and the non-lytic adenoviral system are incubated for a sufficient time to permit expression of the reporter protein, and measuring reporter protein expression in the test samples, whereby presence of reporter expression indicates the presence of circulating tumor cells in the sample.

A system for analyzing a gas mixture, including at least one chromatography column, a mechanism injecting the mixture into the column, and a mechanism detecting compound(s) forming the gas mixture, the detection mechanism including at least one detector of nanosensor type of an outlet of the column and a detector of nanosensor type in the column, capable of detecting passage of the compounds. It is then possible to determine the velocity of each of the compounds within the system.

Disclosed is a pressure determining unit configured for determining a pressure of a fluid. The pressure determining unit comprises a body structure and a deformation detector. The body structure has a fluidic path configured for conducting the fluid, wherein the body structure has a first surface in a first dimension and in a second dimension, and a thickness in a third dimension. The deformation detector is configured for responding to an elongation into the second dimension of the first surface of the body structure by generating a signal indicative of a value of the pressure of the fluid in the body structure. The fluidic path of the body structure comprises one or more first channel segments, each first channel segment having a height into the third dimension being at least twice of its width into the second dimension.

A liquid junction assembly for providing a flow connection between two tubular conduits. The assembly includes respective bodies configured to define elongated passages of respective first and second cross sections to receive and locate the respective tubular conduits, a plate with at least one hole therethrough of a third cross section smaller than the first and second cross sections, and a seat for the plate, defined in a face of one or both of the bodies. The bodies and the plate are assembled with the plate in the seat and the elongated passages and the hole aligned along a common axis.

The invention concerns a method for producing a chromatography analysis column, the resulting column, and a device comprising such a column. The method according to the invention comprises the following steps: (a) depositing on the flat surface of a substrate a first layer of particles which are intended to form the stationary phase; (b) depositing on the layer at least one second layer of compactly assembled particles; (c) impregnating the first and second layers with a light radiation-sensitive material, to form at least two compactly assembled particle layers impregnated with sensitive material; (d) insolating these layers in the regions corresponding to the desired internal shape of the chromatography analysis column, if the light radiation-sensitive material behaves like a positive resin, or outlining this internal shape if the light radiation-sensitive material behaves like a negative photosensitive resin; (e) eliminating either the regions insolated in step (d) if the light radiation-sensitive layer behaves like a positive photosensitive resin, or the regions not insolated in step (d) if the light radiation-sensitive material behaves like a negative photosensitive resin; and (f) covering and sealing the structure obtained in step (e) with a cover covered on the face facing the layers with at least one layer of compactly assembled particles which are identical to or different from those deposited on the substrate surface. The invention is used in particular in the field of chemical analysis.

Provided are systems and methods for adapting to volume variations in microfluidic chromatography columns. A column is calibrated by comparing a parameter of the column with a same parameter of a reference column and generating, by a processor, an adjustment factor in response to the comparison between the parameter of the column with a same parameter of the reference column. Volume differences between the calibrated column and the reference column are compensated for by integrating the generated adjustment factor into a sample separation involving the calibrated column.

Methods, devices, and systems for improving the quality of electrospray ionization mass spectrometer (ESI-MS) data are described, as are methods, devices, and systems for achieving improved correlation between chemical separation data and mass spectrometry data.

Microfluidic chips that can comprise thin substrates and/or a high density of vias are described herein. An apparatus comprises: a silicon device layer comprising a plurality of vias, the plurality of vias comprising greater than or equal to about 100 vias per square centimeter of a surface of the silicon device layer and less than or equal to about 100,000 vias per square centimeter of the surface of the silicon device layer, and the plurality of vias extending through the silicon device layer; and a sealing layer bonded to the silicon device layer, wherein the sealing layer has greater rigidity than the silicon device layer. In some embodiments, the silicon device layer has a thickness between about 7 micrometers and about 500 micrometers while a via of the plurality of vias has a diameter between about 5 micrometers and about 5 millimeters.

A chromatographic cassette includes a cassette including a chamber, chromatographic media disposed within the cassette chamber, a distribution network fluidly coupled to the chromatographic media and an inlet port and an outlet port coupled to the distribution network. A hyper-productive chromatography technique includes providing a scalable and stackable chromatographic cassette, loading a sample to be processed, operating the scalable chromatographic cassette having an adsorptive chromatographic bed having a volume greater than 0.5 liter by establishing a flow at a linear velocity greater than 500 cm/hr with a residence time of the loading step of less than one minute.