According to an aspect of the present inventive concept there is provided a light excitation and collection device for a micro-fluidic system, comprising: a light source configured to generate excitation light; a plurality of excitation waveguides, each associated with a flow channel of the micro-fluidic system; wherein each excitation waveguide is configured to receive and redirect the excitation light towards the flow channel, such that the excitation light is elastically scattered by a sample in the flow channel forming forward and side scattered light; and wherein the light excitation and collection device further comprises: at least one forward scattered light collection point; and at least one side scattered light collection point; and wherein the forward scattered light collected for all excitation waveguides is detected by a first plurality of light sensitive areas and the side scattered light collected for all excitation waveguides is detected by a second plurality of light sensitive areas, the first and the second pluralities of light sensitive areas form different groups of light sensitive areas.

A liquid droplet forming device includes a liquid droplet discharger that discharges, as a liquid droplet, a particle suspension liquid in which one or more fluorescent particles are suspended; a light source for irradiating light onto the flying liquid droplet discharged from the liquid droplet discharger; a photodetector that receives fluorescence that is emitted by the one or more fluorescent particles included in the liquid droplet in response to the light as excitation light; and a particle number detector that detects a number of the one or more fluorescent particles included in the liquid droplet based on information from the photodetector.

There is provided a microparticle sorting device that automatically optimizes a fluid stream. There is provided a microparticle sorting device that includes a voltage supply unit that supplies a driving voltage to a vibratory element that applies vibration to an orifice that produces a fluid stream, a charge unit that imparts charge to at least some droplets ejected from the orifice, deflecting plates, arranged opposing each other with the fluid stream S therebetween, that vary a travel direction of the droplets, and a first image sensor that acquires an image of the droplets passing between the deflecting plates. The microparticle sorting device is equipped with a controller that detects the droplets in the image, sets a standard band corresponding to a width of the droplets before imparting the charge, and controls the driving voltage of the voltage supply unit so as to further decrease a quantity of the droplets detected in areas within a designated number of pixels from the standard band from among the droplets after imparting the charge.

Bioassays are provided for detecting and analyzing responses from single cells and cell pairs suspended in micro-scale droplets (80-200 ?m diameter) generated in microfluidic devices. Cell responses to various stimuli are analyzed. The stimuli are delivered by homotypic or heterotypic cells, small molecule drugs, and therapeutic agents including immunotherapeutics. The bioassays can be used to describe heterogeneity in any given cell population, and can be used in a clinical setting, such as profiling of patient-derived cells, designing personalized treatment strategies, and optimizing drug combinations for immunotherapy of tumors.

A technology capable of stably detecting a particle velocity with high accuracy is provided.

Provided is a particle sorting apparatus or the like including: an irradiation unit that includes a plurality of light sources and irradiates a particle contained in a fluid with light from the plurality of light sources; a detection unit that includes a plurality of pixels configured to detect, as an event, a luminance change in the light emitted from the particle due to irradiation of the light from each of the light sources; and a sorting control unit that controls sorting of the particle on the basis of event data detected by the detection unit.

A technology capable of stably detecting a particle velocity with high accuracy is provided.

Provided is a particle sorting apparatus or the like including: an irradiation unit that includes a plurality of light sources and irradiates a particle contained in a fluid with light from the plurality of light sources; a detection unit that includes a plurality of pixels configured to detect, as an event, a luminance change in the light emitted from the particle due to irradiation of the light from each of the light sources; and a sorting control unit that controls sorting of the particle on the basis of event data detected by the detection unit.

Droplet sorting modules for sorting droplets of a flow stream are described. Droplet sorting modules according to certain embodiments include a plurality of droplet sort decision units and a processor with memory operably coupled to the processor, where the memory includes instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine an optimal droplet sort decision unit from the plurality of sort decision units for sorting each droplet of the flow stream. Particle (e.g., cells) sorting systems and methods for sorting droplets of a flow stream are also described. Kits having one or more of the subject droplet sorting modules are also provided.

Methods of partition-based analysis. In an exemplary method, a device having a port fluidically connected to a chamber may be selected. A sample-containing fluid may be placed into the port. The sample-containing fluid may be moved from the port to the chamber. Partitions of the sample-containing fluid may be formed. A monolayer of the partitions in the chamber may be created. At least a portion of the monolayer may be imaged.

Apparatus and methods are described for automatically performing set-up steps for flow cytometry operations. The invention provides for the spatial determination of a flow stream and the subsequent automatic alignment of analysis devices and/or collection vessels. The automatic determination of flow stream properties provides for the automatic configuration flow cytometer parameters.

A microparticle sorting apparatus includes a detection unit which detects microparticles flowing through a flow path; an imaging device which images a droplet containing the microparticles which is discharged from an orifice provided on an edge portion of the flow path; a charge unit which applies a charge to the droplets; and a control unit which determines a delay time as from a time that the microparticles are detected by the detection unit to the time at which a number of bright spots in a standard region, which is set beforehand, of image information imaged by the imaging device reaches the maximum, making it possible for the charge unit to apply a charge to the microparticles once the delay time has lapsed after the microparticles are detected by the detection unit.