Disclosed are devices, systems and methods of use utilizing interfacial effects enabling droplet actuation, inhibition and early sensing of molecular reactions, such as of polymerase chain reaction.

A heating device includes a heating element, a temperature sensor, a first heat pump element, a first heating block, a second heating block and a controller. The heating element is to receive an energy of the controller and convert the energy into a first thermal energy provided to the first heating block. A sensing result is generated by the temperature sensor according to the first thermal energy. The first heat pump element is to receive the energy of the controller for generating a temperature difference. The first thermal energy is conducted to the first heat pump element for forming a second thermal energy. The second heating block is to receive the second thermal energy. The controller correspondingly outputs the energy to the heating element and the first heat pump element according to the sensing result, and thereby controls the first thermal energy and the temperature difference.

A microscope slide staining system has a chamber, a plurality of slide support elements, a plurality of spreading devices positionable in association with microscope slides supported on the slide support elements so the spreading devices define a gap between the spreading device and the microscope slide and so the spreading device and the microscope slide are movable relative to one another to spread at least one reagent on the microscope slide independent of the other spreading devices and microscope slides.

An automated microscope slide staining system and staining apparatus and method that features a plurality of individually operable miniaturized pressurizable reaction compartments or a pressurizable common chamber for individually and independently processing a plurality of microscope slides. The apparatus preferably features independently movable slide support elements each having an individually operable heating element.

Disclosed herein are microfluidic actuators for selecting objects in a fluid stream comprising a plurality of objects. In some embodiments, the actuator comprises an object detection means adapted for, upon arrival of an object, identifying whether an object is an object of interest. It further comprises a heater adapted for generating a jet flow for deflecting an object of interest from the fluid stream and a controller for activating the heater as function of the detection of an object of interest using a nucleation signal. The controller is adapted for obtaining temperature information of the heater and for adjusting a nucleation signal for the heater taking into account the obtained temperature information. Also disclosed are microfluidic systems and diagnostic devices comprising the microfluidic actuators of the disclosure, as well as methods of use thereof.

Systems and methods for light based heating of light absorbing sources for modification of nucleic acids through fast thermal cycling of polymerase chain reaction are provided. The system includes a polymeric fluidic device comprising one or more reaction wells. A first light absorbing material is disposed on a first support to define a reaction well and first and second ports are coupled to the reaction wells. The first and second ports are configured to allow input of a fluidic sample into the reaction well. A lyophilized reagent is pre-loaded in the reaction well. A light source is configured to illuminate the first light absorbing material. A first portion of light illuminated onto the first light absorbing material is absorbed into the first light absorbing material and is configured to elevate the temperature of the first light absorbing material to heat the fluidic sample within the reaction well.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for nucleic acid amplification and, more particularly, to an apparatus for nucleic acid amplification capable of rapid nucleic acid amplification by rapidly heating and cooling a reactant in a reaction vessel for a chemical/biochemical reaction requiring a temperature change, and a method for temperature control in nucleic acid amplification.

Provided is a heat treatment device for slide specimen testing, and the heat treatment device mainly includes a container, a base, a heater, a liquid outlet, a liquid inlet, a controller and a thermocouple. When such device is used together with devices such as a slide cover plate and a slide rack, a large amount of slide specimens can be carried out steps of reagent loading, cleaning, heat treatment, temperature maintaining and drying inside one same device, especially multi-step operations such as an immunohistochemical testing, an original hybrid gene testing, and other protein testing, DNA nucleotide and gene testing on the slide specimen. All testing on the slide specimen is enabled to be performed in one same device from the beginning to the end, guaranteeing that all slide specimens are completely covered by the reagent from the beginning to the end, and all slide specimens are carried out the heat treatment at a uniform temperature. The operation procedures are simplified, and reliability and repeatability of slide specimen processing are enhanced.

A microscope slide staining system has a chamber, a plurality of slide support elements, a plurality of spreading devices positionable in association with microscope slides supported on the slide support elements so the spreading devices define a gap between the spreading device and the microscope slide and so the spreading device and the microscope slide are movable relative to one another to spread at least one reagent on the microscope slide independent of the other spreading devices and microscope slides.

Apparatus, systems, chips, and methods of performing a large number of simultaneous chemical reactions are provided herein. The chips of the invention comprise addressable units that can be addressed according to the temperature of the reaction to be run. The subject apparatus, systems, and chips are particularly suited for performing polymerase chain reactions on thousands of nucleic acid sequences, up to and including sequences of an entire genuine of an organism of interest.