The invention concerns a robotic method for coating the bottom surface of at least one well of a multiwell plate by a polyelectrolyte multilayer film, the multiwell plate obtainable according to the method and the use thereof for cell culture.

The present invention relates to the automation of incubation, processing, harvesting and analysis of samples in a multi-cell plate. In particular, a multi-cell plate including a body with a plurality of cells is presented. Furthermore, an automated crystal harvesting and processing system with a cutting unit, a fluid unit and a removing device is presented. The multi-cell plate further includes a sealing film for sealing the cells on a first side of the body and a sample film for sealing the cells on a second side of the body. The sample film is adapted for accommodating a biological material for crystallization. Furthermore, the sample film is of a thickness and composition that makes it compatible with x-rays and also with laser ablation. The design of the multi-cell plate and the automated crystal harvesting and processing system allows for several steps of incubation, processing, harvesting and analysis of the samples to be automated.

A specimen collection, storage, transport, and testing device can include an outer vessel containing an internal cup having an openable drain having a brim raised above the bottom floor of the cup. Once opened the drain allows a portion of liquid specimen to flow from the cup into a lower chamber of the vessel containing a number of chromatographic assay strips. A lid sealing the vessel can include a downwardly projecting guide tube having first barrier sealing a bottom aperture. An oblong initiator can axially engage the guide tube, break the first barrier and open the drain to initiate the test while retaining a pool of liquid specimen in the cup for subsequent confirmatory testing.

A biosensor for the detection of an analyte using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is provided. The biosensor includes a SERS-active substrate and a microfludic circuit device arranged to be in fluid communication with the SERS-active substrate. Method of manufacturing a biosensor, and methods for detecting an analyte using the biosensor, wherein the analyte may be haptoglobin, are also provided.

The present invention relates to encapsulated microfluidic packages and methods thereof. In particular embodiments, the package includes a device, a cradle configured to support the device, and a lid having a bonding surface configured to provide a fluidic seal between itself and the device and/or cradle. Other package configurations, as well as methods for making such fluidic seals, are described herein.

The present disclosure provides improved methods for bead beating and a bead beating system useful therefor. The bead beating system comprises a sample tube, beads, and a dry blocking agent, and methods for using the bead beating system to extract nucleic acids from cells containing the nucleic acids.

An apparatus includes a polymer base layer having a surface. A die that includes a fluid manipulation surface that is substantially coplanar with the surface of the polymer base layer. The die includes a control electrode to generate an electric field to perform microfluidic manipulation of fluid across the fluid manipulation surface of the die.

A method and system are provided for extracting a target analyte from a sample using acoustic ejection technology. The method involves applying focused acoustic energy to a fluid reservoir housing a fluid composition that contains a target analyte and comprises an upper region and a lower region, where the concentration of the target analyte in the upper region differs from that in the lower region. The focused acoustic energy is applied in a manner that is effective to result in the ejection of a fluid droplet from the fluid composition into a droplet receiver, wherein the concentration of the analyte in the droplet corresponds to either the concentration of the analyte in the upper region or the concentration of the analyte in the lower region, and wherein the concentration of the analyte is substantially uniform throughout the droplet. The fluid composition may comprise an ionic liquid, used in the extraction of ionic target analytes. Related methods and an acoustic extraction system are also provided.

A substrate is described having a treated contact surface comprising a carbon or silicon compound comprising from 1 to 30 atomic percent oxygen, from 0.1 to 30 atomic percent nitrogen, or both, each as measured by XPS. The treated contact surface has a biomolecule recovery percentage greater than the biomolecule recovery percentage of the surface before treatment according to the method.

A method for fabrication of a lab-on-a-chip system makes use of first and second mold parts, which are adapted to join each other to form a cavity to accommodate a positioning means and a support structure. The method includes receiving the chip in the positioning means, forming the cavity by joining the first and second mold parts, securing the chip with a fluid port of the chip to rest on the support structure for the support structure to mask the fluid port, introducing a molding material into the cavity to over-mold at least part of the chip and a volume extending away from the chip, separating the first and second mold parts, and extracting the chip from the mold. A fluid channel is formed by the support structure.