The present invention is directed towards an apparatus and methods for a precise, fast and easy to use manipulation of beads. This method is particularly useful to carry out separation between the beads and the remaining supernants present in the fluid, maximizing the collection and purification efficiencies in tips for liquid handling.

A centrifugal liquid separating system broadly comprises an insert cartridge including a housing, an inlet, one or more flow guides, a stator, a compression nozzle, an expansion nozzle, and an outlet. The flow guides guide liquid flowing into the inlet past the stator into the compression nozzle. The stator induces a rotational vortex into the liquid flow. Liquid with heavier particles in the liquid flow is urged to the outside of the rotational vortex. Liquid with lighter particles and cleaner liquid is urged to the inside of the rotational vortex. The compression nozzle and the expansion nozzle are aligned to cooperatively form an annular liquid channel. The liquid with the heavier particles flows through the annular liquid channel and the liquid with the lighter particles and the cleaner liquid flows to the expansion nozzle to the outlet.

Methods of concentrating beads in a droplet and/or loading beads on a fluidic device are provided, including among other things, a method of concentrating beads in a droplet, the method comprising: (a) providing a droplet actuator comprising: (i) an interior droplet operations volume; and (ii) a reservoir exterior to the interior volume; (iii) a droplet established in a liquid path extending from the reservoir into the interior volume; (b) providing magnetically responsive beads in the portion of the droplet which is in the reservoir; (c) magnetically attracting the magnetically responsive beads through the liquid path into the portion of the droplet which is in the interior volume; and (d) forming a droplet comprising one or more of the magnetically responsive beads in the interior volume.

A filter arrangement for the filtration of oil or an ATF fluid, in particular a transmission oil filter, has at least a first and a second filtration layer which are arranged spaced apart by at least one spacer in a filter housing to form at least one intermediate chamber. At least one magnet or a magnet arrangement for keeping iron particles out of the oil flow are provided between the first and the second filtration layers.

Disclosed are magnetic nanoparticles and methods of using magnetic nanoparticles for selectively removing biologics, small molecules, analytes, ions, or other molecules of interest from liquids.

A magnet apparatus for generating a high gradient and/or high strength magnetic field, comprises: two permanent magnets (2, 4) located side-by-side with oppositely oriented magnetic field polarities and end surfaces of opposite polarities next to one another, wherein the magnetic anisotropy of the magnets exceeds the magnetic induction of the material of the magnets; and a mask (6) or masks (6) on a first end of each of the adjacent permanent magnets (2, 4), the mask(s) 6 comprising a non-retentive material covering adjacent end surfaces of the two permanent magnets (2, 4) with a gap (8) along a joining line between the two permanent magnets (2, 4) to form a zone of high-gradient magnetic field above the joining line; wherein the mask(s) (6) are embedded within the magnets (2, 4) and/or have a varying thickness and wherein the mask(s) (6) each have a maximum thickness greater than a tenth of the thickness of the respective magnet (2, 4).

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.

A contaminant sensor (1) for detecting magnetizable contaminants (7) present in a lubricant flow is disclosed. A permanent magnet (3) is arranged movably inside a sensor housing (2). A sensor element (6, 11, 13), e.g. in the form of a distance sensor (6) or a pressure sensor (11), is arranged to detect a displacement of the permanent magnet (3) inside the sensor housing (2), and an indicator is arranged to generate an alert signal when a displacement and/or a rate of change of displacement of the permanent magnet (3) inside the sensor housing (2) exceeds a pre-defined threshold value. The permanent magnet (3) is arranged to move inside the sensor housing (2) in response to magnetizable contaminants (7) collected on an outer surface of the sensor housing (2).

A method and apparatus for removing magnetic beads together with molecular targets of interest from a fluid is described. A consumable bead collection probe is placed in a vessel containing magnetic beads suspended in the fluid. A magnet outside the vessel concentrates magnetic beads on a surface of the collection probe so they may be manipulated in and out of vessels during washing or processing steps without transferring the fluid into or out of a vessel. In a further embodiment, a vibrational source is attached to the collection probe such that, in combination with the magnet in a position external to the vessel, beads may be washed without releasing them from the collection probe.

An oil tank cleaning ball serves for attracting metal impurities within an oil tank, and has a function of checking whether the oil tank is dirty. The oil tank cleaning ball comprises an enclosing body made of non-magnetic material, but the magnetic lines can pass through the enclosing body, an outer surface of the enclosing body being uneven and rough, having sags and crests so as to expand an area of the outer surface for attracting impurities; a magnetic metal sheet enclosed within and fixed by the enclosing body; the magnetic lines emitting from the magnetic metal sheet can pass through the enclosing body so as to attract the impurities within the oil tank. Amount of impurities on the oil tank cleaning ball is used to decide whether an interior of the oil tank is dirty.