Provided herein are apparatuses and systems for mixing liquids and suspensions that include vessels with structures that improve mixing while not contacting liquid delivery components. The apparatuses and systems can include a motor drive that allows speed and directional control of rotation of the vessel. The apparatuses and systems can include one or more magnets for separating magnetic beads in a suspension. Also provided are methods using said apparatuses and systems for mixing and separation processes.

An apparatus for separating an analyte from a test sample, such as bacteria from blood components, based on their dielectric properties, localizing or condensing the analyte, flushing substantially all remaining waste products from the test sample, and detecting low concentrations of the analyte. The module array includes a plurality of microfluidic channels with connecting microfluidic waste channels for directing undesired material away from the analyte. An electric field is applied causing a positive dielectrophoretic force to the analyte to capture the analyte. The electric field is applied to at least one electrode having a plurality of concentric rings or concentric arcs extending radially outwards from a center point, electrically connected to a voltage source such that when voltage is applied to the at least one electrode, the concentric rings or concentric arcs alternate in voltage potential.

A fluid entrained particle separator may include an inlet passage to direct particles entrained in a fluid, a first separation passage branching from the inlet passage, a second separation passage branching from the inlet passage and electrodes to create electric field exerting a dielectrophoretic force on the particles to direct the particles to the first separation passage or the second separation passage, wherein the first separation passage, the second separation passage, the electric field and the dielectrophoretic force extend in a plane.

An object trapping device enables efficiently trapping a plurality of objects in a specific combination. Each of a first electrode pair (13), a second electrode pair (14), and a third electrode pair (15) in an electrode pair group (3) is applied with an individual AC voltage and traps an object by dielectrophoresis generated in accordance with the AC voltage that is applied.

A centrifugal reaction device includes: a centrifugal disk including a centrifugal shaft and at least one centrifugal holder, with the centrifugal holder disposed annularly about the centrifugal shaft; and at least one magnetic block disposed on at least one side of the centrifugal holder, wherein the centrifugal holder detachably holds a reaction tube, and the reaction tube contains magnetic beads, wherein the magnetic beads move within the reaction tube under a force of the sum of a magnetic force of the magnetic block and a centrifugal force. Therefore, a reaction mixture is blended quickly and sufficiently to facilitate a reaction. With the magnetic beads adsorbing a product, a valve of the reaction tube opens under the centrifugal force to discharge a waste liquid and reduce consumption of consumables of the reaction tube.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for flow-through separation of paramagnetic particle-bound cells in a cell suspension containing both bound and unbound cells as well as systems and methods for removing paramagnetic particles from paramagnetic particle-bound cells or from a cell suspension with unbound cells. It further relates to a flow-through magnetic separation/debeading module and a flow-through spinning membrane debeading module.

Microfluidic devices are described that include a microfluidic channel, a first array of one or more magnets above the microfluidic channel, each magnet in the first array having a magnetic pole orientation opposite to a magnetic pole orientation of an adjacent magnet in the first array, and a second array of one or more magnets beneath the microfluidic channel, each magnet in the second array having a magnetic pole orientation opposite to a magnetic pole orientation of an adjacent magnet in the second array. The first array is aligned with respect to the second array such that magnetic fields emitted by the first array and second array generate a magnetic flux gradient profile extending through the channel. An absolute value of the profile includes a first maximum and a second maximum that bound a local minimum. The local minimum is located within the microfluidic channel or less than 5 mm away from a wall of the microfluidic channel. Methods of using the new devices are also described.

A method of preparing a magnetic particle having a polymer matrix (P) and at least one magnetic core (M), preferably at least two magnetic cores (M), wherein the polymer matrix (P) comprises at least one hypercrosslinked polymer, wherein the method comprises (i) providing at least one magnetic core (M), preferably at least two magnetic cores (M), (ii) providing polymer precursor molecules, (iii) polymerizing the polymer precursor molecules according to (ii) in the presence of the at least one magnetic core (M), thereby forming a particle comprising the at least one magnetic core (M) is disclosed. Further, particles obtained or obtainable by this method as well as to the use of these particles are disclosed. In a further aspect, a method for determining at least one analyte in a fluid sample having the step of contacting of the magnetic particle with a fluid sample having or suspected of having the at least one analyte is disclosed.

Individual biological cells can be selected in a micro-fluidic device and moved into isolation pens in the device. The cells can then be lysed in the pens, releasing nucleic acid material, which can be captured by one or more capture objects in the pens. The capture objects with the captured nucleic acid material can then be removed from the pens. The capture objects can include unique identifiers, allowing each capture object to be correlated to the individual cell from which the nucleic acid material captured by the object originated.

The present invention relates to a three-degree-of-freedom library preparation cassette and a method using the same. Two-degree-of-freedom movement capability is provided for mutual positioning between a pipette and reagent wells, within a limited small volume, by combining rotation of a mixing reagent tray and relative horizontal movement between the pipette and the mixing reagent tray, thus greatly increasing the number of reagent wells that can be provided, thereby increasing the functions and applications of the whole system; and the device is simple in structure, low in cost, and suitable for disposable use.