Disclosed herein are chemical actuators and ionic motive force transducers. The actuators and transducers are capable of converting an electrical stimulus into an ionic gradient within a reaction volume.

A method includes providing a fluid to a structure including an aperture, applying a voltage signal to a circuit that includes the fluid, applying a substantially periodic pressure signal to the fluid, detecting a current signal in the circuit as an analyte passes through the aperture in response to the substantially periodic pressure signal, and processing the current signal and the substantially periodic pressure signal to determine a switch time and a release time for the analyte. An apparatus includes a structure including an aperture to receive a fluid, a voltage source to provide a voltage signal to an electronic circuit having a path that includes the aperture, a pressure signal generator to provide a substantially periodic pressure signal to the fluid, and a system to process the periodic pressure signal and a current signal induced in the electronic circuit.

The present invention provides a system and method for measuring the impedance of one more target cells before and after an electroporation protocol has been applied to the cells. The result of the impedance measurement provides a feedback control that can be implemented during and/or after the electroporation protocol to customize the electrical treatment for a particular target cell or cellular tissue.

The present invention relates to a method for single-cell imaging mass spectrometry (MS) by correlating an optical image of a cell sample with an MS image. The method of the invention is in particular useful in research to test concomitantly optical and molecular phenotypes at a single-cell resolution.

A cell capture system including an array, an inlet manifold, and an outlet manifold. The array includes a plurality of parallel pores, each pore including a chamber and a pore channel, an inlet channel fluidly connected to the chambers of the pores; an outlet channel fluidly connected to the pore channels of the pores. The inlet manifold is fluidly connected to the inlet channel, and the outlet channel is fluidly connected to the outlet channel. A cell removal tool is also disclosed, wherein the cell removal tool is configured to remove a captured cell from a pore chamber.

A cell observation device is cell observation device for observing a cell held by a microplate having a well holding a sample including the cell and includes a microplate holder for holding the microplate thereon, an electrical stimulation unit including an electrode pair including a first electrode and a second electrode, and a position controller for controlling a position of the electrical stimulation unit in a state in which the first electrode is disposed closer to the center of the well than the second electrode when the electrode pair is disposed in the well of the microplate. The tip of the first electrode extends more than the tip of the second electrode.

According to one embodiment, a method for detecting a sample includes preparing a device for detecting a sample, the device including a measurement cassette, a first chamber formed by partitioning the cassette with a partition wall, a through-hole provided in the partition wall, a first electrode provided in the cassette, and a second electrode provided in the cassette, introducing a reagent and a sample containing a measuring object substance into the first chamber, introducing a conductive liquid into the second chamber, supplying current to the through-hole, allowing the measuring object substance whose surface is bound to and is covered by the tag particles via the capture substance in the first chamber to pass through the through-hole, and detecting presence of the measuring object substance.

The invention relates to a new method of delivering an analyte to a transmembrane pore in a membrane. The method involves the use of microparticles.

The invention relates to apparatus and methods for apparatus for simultaneously detecting presence or monitoring progression of two or more types of cancer in a biological subject, comprising: a channel or chamber in which the biological subject passes through; and at least one detector placed partially or completely alongside one or more side walls of the channel or chamber, wherein the at least one detector is configured to detect at least one bio-physical or physical property of the biological subject. The invention also relates to apparatus and methods for apparatus for treating the detected diseases or cancers.

Methods and systems for stimulating and monitoring electrogenic cells are described. Some systems for stimulating electrogenic cells are based on the injection of electric currents into the cells via electrodes connected to the cells. Such stimulators may comprise an impedance element having an input terminal and an output terminal coupled to an electrode, and a voltage follower coupled between the input terminal and the output terminal of the impedance element, the voltage follower being configured to maintain a substantially constant voltage between the input terminal and the output terminal of the impedance element. The impedance element may comprise one or more switched capacitors at least in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the voltage follower may be implemented using a source follower.