A pipetting device having a lube has an opening al one end for suctioning or discharging a sample fluid and can be operatively connected to a pressure generation device at the other end, a first electrode is formed on the pipetting device and forms a measuring capacitor together with a second electrode formed by at least one part of the sample fluid that can be received in the tube and that measuring capacitor is operatively connected to a measuring unit, and the measuring unit is designed to determine a volume of the suctioned or discharged sample fluid according to the capacity of the measuring capacitor, as well as having a first electrical contact that is designed to create an electrical connection with the working fluid, the first electrical contact can be electrically connected to the measuring unit via a low-resistance converter circuit.

The invention relates to a method for vitrifying a biological sample. The method includes positioning a sample holder with the biological sample by a transfer device in a starting position. The sample holder has a base and a pin projecting from the base along a holder axis. Further, the biological sample is attached to the pin distant from the base. The method further comprises adding a liquid to the biological sample in the starting position by a liquid dispenser. Further, the method comprises moving the sample holder with the biological sample by the transfer device along a predetermined transfer path from the starting position to a release position, wherein the biological sample in the release position is arranged in or adjacent to a liquefied gas. It is provided that the transfer path is inclined with respect to the holder axis or runs along a circular arc. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vitrification apparatus which is configured to perform the method.

Arrays of droplet-on-demand dispensers are controlled by a row-column addressing scheme that can reduce the number of on-chip address lines, thereby making it feasible to construct large dispenser arrays. Decoders are used to further reduce the number of control lines that select a specific address line. A microfluidic logic controller includes row-select lines, each coupled to dispensers disposed on the same row, and column-select lines, each coupled to dispensers disposed on the same column such that each dispenser is associated with a unique row-column address. A logic circuit can actuate a dispenser only if the logic circuit receives signals from both of the row-select line and the column-select line corresponding to the row-column address of the selected dispenser. Reagents can be dispensed from the dispenser array, thereby allowing for rapid formatting of a reagent library into microfluidic droplets.

A method of analyzing and/or sorting selected cells or other biological components, for example for cell-based therapy, includes sampling a sample with an open end of a probe to obtain a fluid stream with the sample in it. The probe with the open end also has a fluid supply to convey fluid to the open end, and a fluid exhaust to convey the fluid stream away from the open end. The method then includes conveying the fluid stream to a flow cytometer and analyzing the fluid stream by flow cytometry; and/or separating it into at least two components. An apparatus with the probe connected to the flow cytometer may support this method. The method can provide for sampling of multiple samples efficiently, in particular to select cells for cell-based therapies.

An example system includes an array of retaining features in a microfluidic cavity, an array of thermally controlled releasing features, and a controller coupled to each releasing feature in the array of releasing feature. Each retaining feature in the array of retaining features is to position capsules at a predetermined location, the capsules having a thermally degradable shell enclosing a biological reagent therein. Each releasing feature in the array of releasing features corresponds to a retaining feature and is to selectively cause degradation of the shell of a capsule. Each releasing feature is to generate thermal energy to facilitate degradation of the shell. The controller is to selectively activate at least one releasing feature in the array of thermally controlled releasing features to release the biological reagent in the capsules positioned at the retaining feature corresponding to the activated releasing feature.

Disclosed are systems and methods to provide rapid and autonomous detection of analyte particles in gas and liquid samples. Disclosed are methods and devices for identifying biological aerosol analytes using MALDI-MS and chemical aerosol analytes using LDI and MALDI-MS using time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS).

Provided herein is a nucleic acid extraction and the structure of a reaction chamber is improved such that a piston, a reaction chamber and a magnetic rod are independent of one another, magnetic beads are more concentrated, more sufficient adsorption, washing and elution are achieved, dead corners are eliminated, when the nucleic acid extraction and amplification device is used to perform nucleic acid extraction and amplification. The sensitivity and accuracy of nucleic acid detection can be further improved, and missing and wrong detection can be avoided.

Provided herein, among other aspects, are methods and apparatuses for analyzing particles in a sample. In some aspects, the particles can be analytes, cells, nucleic acids, or proteins and contacted with a tag, partitioned into aliquots, detected by a ranking device, and isolated. The methods and apparatuses provided herein may include a microfluidic chip. In some aspects, the methods and apparatuses may be used to quantify rare particles in a sample, such as cancer cells and other rare cells for disease diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment.

According to various embodiments, a method is provided that comprises washing an array of DNA-coated beads on a substrate, with a wash solution to remove stacked beads from the substrate. The wash solution can include inert solid beads in a carrier. The DNA-coated beads can have an average diameter and the solid beads in the wash solution can have an average diameter that is at least twice the diameter of the DNA-coated beads. The washing can form dislodged DNA-coated beads and a monolayer of DNA-coated beads. In some embodiments, first beads for forming an array are contacted with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) solution comprising a PEG having a molecular weight of about 350 Da or less. In some embodiments, slides for forming bead arrays are provided as are systems for imaging the same.

Provided herein, among other aspects, are methods and apparatuses for analyzing particles in a sample. In some aspects, the particles can be analytes, cells, nucleic acids, or proteins and contacted with a tag, partitioned into aliquots, detected by a ranking device, and isolated. The methods and apparatuses provided herein may include a microfluidic chip. In some aspects, the methods and apparatuses may be used to quantify rare particles in a sample, such as cancer cells and other rare cells for disease diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment.