Compositions, devices, and methods are disclosed for the modification of polymer surfaces with coatings having a dispersion of silicone polymer and hydrophobic silica. The surface coatings provide the polymer surface with high hydrophobicity, as well as increased resistance to biofouling with proteinaceous material. The polymer surfaces can be particularly useful in microfluidic devices and methods that involve the contacting of the covalently modified polymer surfaces with emulsions of aqueous droplets containing biological macromolecules within an oil carrier phase.

A reaction processor includes: a vessel installation unit for installing a reaction processing vessel provided with a channel formed in a substrate; a high temperature heater and a medium temperature heater for adjusting the temperature of the channel of the reaction processing vessel; a vessel alignment mechanism for adjusting the position of the reaction processing vessel 10; and a housing that has a housing main unit and a cover portion capable of being opened and closed with respect to the housing main unit and that houses the vessel installation unit, the high temperature heater, the medium temperature heater, and the vessel alignment mechanism. In conjunction with the state of the cover portion being changed from an open state to a closed state, the vessel alignment mechanism aligns the reaction processing vessel such that the reaction processing vessel can be heated by the high temperature heater and the medium temperature heater.

An improved actuator for use in a microfluidic particle sorting system utilizes a staggered packing scheme for a plurality of actuators used to selectively deflect a particle in an associated sorting channel from a stream of channels. An actuator block may be provided for housing a two-dimensional array of actuators, each configured to align with an actuation port in an associated sorting chip containing a plurality of sorting channels. The actuator block may include a built-in stressing means to pre-stress each actuator housed by the block. An actuator comprising a piezo-electric stack may employ contact-based electrical connection rather than soldered wires to improve packing density. The actuator may be an external actuator. That is, the external actuator is external to the substrate in which the sorting channels are formed.

A microfluidic device for detection of an analyte in a fluid is described. The microfluidic device comprises a substrate having a first surface defining entrances to one or more chambers defined in the substrate, surfaces of the chambers defining a second surface of the substrate, the first surface being modified for selective targeting and capture of at least one analyte to operably effect a blocking of the entrance to at least one of the chambers, and wherein a response characteristic of the microfluidic device is operably varied by the blocking of the entrance to the at least one of the chambers, thereby providing an indication of the presence of the analyte within the fluid.

The invention relates to a device and method for detecting a specific analyte in a liquid sample. The device that can be used in the method contains at least one fluid line, at least one receiving region for receiving a liquid sample, at least one enzymes region containing at least one determined enzyme and/or at least one acidification region containing at least one acid. The device also contains at least one reaction region used to form gas bubbles. The fluid line transports the liquid sample from the receiving region via the enzyme region and/or the acidification region to the reaction region by means of capillary forces and/or at least one micropump allowing fast, simple and cost-effective detection of a specific analyte in a liquid sample, the detection being carried out with a high level of sensitivity, specificity and precision. The invention further relates to uses of the device.

According to an example, a microfluidic apparatus may include a fluid slot, a foyer in fluid communication with the fluid slot via a channel having a relatively smaller width than the foyer, a sensor to detect a presence of a particle of interest in a fluid passing through the channel, a nozzle in fluid communication with the foyer, and an actuator positioned in line with the nozzle. The microfluidic apparatus may also include a controller to receive information from the sensor, determine, from the received information, whether a particle of interest has passed through the channel, and control the actuator to expel fluid in the foyer through the nozzle based upon the determination.

This disclosure provides systems and methods to extend the capabilities of inertial and/or viscoelastic focusing in channels, such as microchannels. The new systems and methods can be integrated with existing microfluidic devices for inertial and/or viscoelastic manipulation of particles that have defied prior attempts, enabling a variety of applications in clinical diagnosis. The particles, e.g., bioparticles and cells, focus into streamlines in the same way and in the same locations as in existing inertial and viscoelastic focusing systems, but at much lower particle Reynolds numbers, much lower shear stress, over much shorter distances, and at lower driving pressures and/or flow rates.

A probe assembly for aspirating and delivering liquids includes a liquid line having a liquid line end and a pipette configured to be in fluid communication with the liquid line, the pipette configured to aspirate and dispense liquids when the probe assembly is devoid of connections to external liquid sources other than liquids being aspirated or dispensed, the liquid line end having a first portion of a dynamic coupler configured to be dynamically coupled to a second portion of a dynamic coupler, and the second portion of the dynamic coupler configured to be in fluid communication with a liquid source external to the probe assembly. Other probe assemblies, testing apparatus, and methods are disclosed.

Compositions, devices, and methods are disclosed for the modification of polymer surfaces with coatings having a dispersion of silicone polymer and hydrophobic silica. The surface coatings provide the polymer surface with high hydrophobicity, as well as increased resistance to biofouling with proteinaceous material. The polymer surfaces can be particularly useful in microfluidic devices and methods that involve the contacting of the covalently modified polymer surfaces with emulsions of aqueous droplets containing biological macromolecules within an oil carrier phase.

A joint point-of-care testing (POCT) analyzer, and a system comprising an analyzer and a cartridge, for measuring one or more analyte quantities per unit volume of blood and one or more formed element quantities per unit volume of blood, is described. Examples of formed elements of blood are red blood cells and white blood cells, and cell counts are determined by imaging using a two-dimensional multi-channel detector. Examples of analytes are hemoglobin and bilirubin, and hemoglobin and bilirubin concentrations are determined by spectroscopy using a one-dimensional multi-channel detector. Other examples of analytes are electrolytes, and electrolyte concentrations may be determined using biosensors incorporated in the cartridges.