A discharge device includes a discharge head that discharges a liquid material from a nozzle opening connected to the cavity by varying the internal pressure of a cavity using an actuator. The discharge head includes a monitoring portion provided between the cavity and the nozzle opening and the discharge device further includes a detection apparatus that detects the number and/or form of the particle-like bodies included in the liquid material in the monitoring portion of the discharge head and a control unit that drives the actuator according to the detection result of the detection unit to change the state of the particle-like bodies included in the liquid material of the monitoring portion.

Instruments and cartridges for processing droplets in emulsions containing biological entities such as cells. A method of such processing comprises providing a plurality of the entities in a fluid; preparing a droplet from the fluid; determining whether the droplet contains one or more entities of said plurality of entities, or whether said droplet does not contain a said entity; sorting said droplet dependent on an outcome of the determination; and dispensing the sorted droplet into a reservoir. The dispensing may comprise identifying and extracting the sorted droplet from a first fluidic flow path of said fluid by transferring the sorted droplet from into a second fluidic flow path and then ejecting the sorted droplet into a reservoir by applying pressure to the second fluidic flow path. The droplet contents may be tracked so that the contents of an individual droplet can be sorted, selectively dispensed, and retrieved.

In accordance with embodiments herein, microfluidics systems and methods are described for identifying and/or tracking particles in a droplet. For example, the particle may be a bead, a cell, or any other type of particle. For example, embodiments herein are useful in distinguishing cells from other particles. The microfluidics systems and methods provide the capability to image a large area (e.g., a few square millimeters) within a digital fluidics chamber using interference microscopy, wherein the image of the interference pattern is acquired, instead of an image of the micrometric object itself. The interference pattern results from the incoming light that interferes with the light scattered by the object. In the case of micrometric objects (e.g., cells, bacteria, etc.), the acquired interference pattern may typically be about 100 jum in diameter so that the area can be imaged using a lens-free imaging configuration or using a low magnification lens.

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.

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.

This invention provides microfabricated devices and methods for detecting, analyzing and sorting biological materials and particles. Droplets containing the particles are provided in an extrusion fluid, passed through a detection region, and then directed into a branch channel according to predetermined characteristics. For example, cells or viral particles contained in droplets of aqueous solvent are flowed past a detector in the nonpolar extrusion fluid decane, and routed into a selected branch channel for subsequent analysis or use.

Aspects of the present disclosure include a droplet deflector configured to apply a deflection force to a flow stream at a plurality of different angles. Droplet deflectors according to certain embodiments include one or more sets of parallel metallic plates that are configured to apply a deflection force to droplets in a flow stream flowing therebetween. Systems and methods for sorting particles in a sample with the subject deflector plates are also provided.

Provided are a microparticle sorting device, and a method and a program for sorting microparticles capable of stabilizing sorting performance over a prolonged period of time.

The microparticle sorting device includes an imaging element and a controller. The imaging element obtains an image of fluid and fluid droplets at a position where the fluid discharged from an orifice which generates a fluid stream is converted into the fluid droplets. The controller controls driving voltage of an oscillation element which gives oscillation to the orifice and/or controls a position of the imaging element based on a state of the fluid in the image and/or a state of a satellite fluid droplet. The satellite fluid droplet does not include microparticles and exists between the position, where the fluid is converted into the fluid droplets, and a fluid droplet, among fluid droplets including the microparticles, which is closest to the position where the fluid is converted into the fluid droplets.

Devices, systems, and associated methods are provided for manipulating and/or determining one or more characteristics of cells contained within a biological sample. In particular a device and methods of use thereof are provided, the device comprising a sorting component configured to separate cell-containing microdroplets from empty ones into a population of cell-containing first microdroplets; a microdroplet manipulation component configured to manipulate the first microdroplets using real or virtual electrowetting electrodes, and an optical detection system configured to detect an optical signal from the microdroplets via the one or more detection windows.

Devices, systems, and associated methods are provided for manipulating and/or determining one or more characteristics of cells contained within a biological sample. In particular a device and methods of use thereof are provided, the device comprising a sorting component configured to separate cell-containing microdroplets from empty ones into a population of cell-containing first microdroplets; a microdroplet manipulation component configured to manipulate the first microdroplets using real or virtual electrowetting electrodes, and an optical detection system configured to detect an optical signal from the microdroplets via the one or more detection windows.