A container comprising: a first panel; a second panel opposing the first panel; a first side; a second side opposing the first side; a third side; a fourth side opposing the third side; wherein each of the sides joins the first panel and the second panel; a chamber defined by the four sides, the first panel, and the second panel, wherein the chamber is configured to receive a biological specimen; a port defined in the first side; a plug inserted into the port; an opening defined in the second side; and a closure element coupled to the opening, wherein the chamber is leak proof.

Air-matrix digital microfluidics (DMF) apparatuses and methods of using them to prevent or limit evaporation and surface fouling of the DMF apparatus. In particular, described herein are air-matrix DMF apparatuses and methods of using them including thermally controllable regions with a wax material that may be used to selectively encapsulate a reaction droplet in the air gap of the apparatus; additional aqueous droplets may be combined with the encapsulated droplet even after separating from the wax, despite residual wax coating, by merging with an aqueous droplet having a coating of a secondary material (e.g., an oil or other hydrophobic material) that may remove the wax from the droplet and/or allow combining of the droplets.

A pipetting device for processing a fluid sample includes a receiving element and a pipette tip detachably arranged on the receiving element, a displacement element flow-connected to the pipette tip for generating a flow for receiving or ejecting the fluid sample. The pipetting device includes an optically transparent extension detachably arranged on the pipette tip in such a way that the extension is flow-connected to the displacement element via the pipette tip, so that the fluid sample can be received into the extension or can be ejected from the extension by the flow that can be generated by the displacement element.

A sample carrier may include a sample preparation module and an amplification module. A sample mixes with a lysis medium and a nucleic acid amplification medium in the sample preparation module and then flows into a plurality of microfluidic chambers in the amplification module. The microfluidic chambers have disposed therein primers configured to initiate amplification of one or more target nucleic acid sequences corresponding to one or more pathogens. The sample carrier is inserted into an apparatus that includes a plurality of Sight sources and a camera. The light sources illuminate the microfluidic chambers with excitation light, a fluorophore emits fluorescence light indicative of nucleic acid amplification in response to the excitation-light, and the camera captures images of the microfluidic chambers. A target nucleic acid sequence in the sample is indicated by the images showing an increasing fluorescence in a microfluidic chamber that has the primers for that sequence.

According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a box-shaped package, comprising: a base, and a cover configured to be placed on the base to close the package, wherein in a closed configuration of the package, the interface between the base and the cover is gas-tight; the base and/or the cover comprise one or more gas-permeable zones which are capable of passing gases, such as air, into and out from the package, particularly in the closed configuration.

An exemplary mobile impedance-based flow cytometer is developed for the diagnosis of sickle cell disease. The mobile cytometer may be controlled by a computer (e.g., smartphone) application. Calibration of the portable device may be performed using a component of known impedance value. With the developed portable flow cytometer, analysis may be performed on two sickle cell samples and a healthy cell sample. The acquired results may subsequently be analyzed to extract single-cell level impedance information as well as statistics of different cell conditions. Significant differences in cell impedance signals may be observed between sickle cells and normal cells, as well as between sickle cells under hypoxia and normoxia conditions.

A stack of histology cassettes configured to be inserted into a hopper of a printer, wherein each histology cassette in the stack includes a bottom face, a top face opposite the bottom face, a front face, a rear face opposite the front face, a first lateral face and a second lateral face opposite the first lateral face. The top face of the histology cassette is open to allow a sample to be received within the histology cassette. The histology cassettes have substantially the same orientation within the stack. The histology cassettes in the stack are arranged with a first histology cassette at the bottom of a stack, and each subsequent histology cassette in the stack up to a last histology cassette in the stack is arranged with its bottom face positioned on the top face of a preceding histology cassette in the stack.

A method for fluid transport includes receiving fluid at an inlet port of an inlet. The fluid is outputted through an opening of the inlet into a channel. A first ratio of a first distance to a second distance is substantially equal to a cubic root of a second ratio between a first length dimension and a second length dimension of the inlet, the first distance being measured from an entrance of the inlet port to a first position within the inlet, the second distance being measured from the entrance of the inlet port to a second position within the inlet, the first length dimension and the second length dimension each being measured along a direction orthogonal to a measurement direction along the first distance and the second distance, the first length dimension and the second length dimension being measured at the first position and the second position, respectively.

A split or two-part microplate is formed of a base and a rack. The rack has a top with a plurality of openings capable of holding glass vials. The base has an interior bottom surface and an exterior bottom surface and a plurality of upwardly extending vertical walls and being so dimensioned and sized so as to fit onto the base with at least a portion of the top planar surface resting on the vertical walls. When the rack is assembled onto the base, the top planar surface is spaced from the bottom surface by a first distance. The rack includes downwardly extending legs that are adapted to rest on a flat surface whereby the top planar surface is spaced from the flat surface by a second distance which is greater than the first distance. A plurality of vials is held in the openings and include rims preventing the vials from passing through the openings. The length of the vials from below the rim to the bottom is greater than the first distance but less than the second distance. Whereby, when the rack is resting on a flat surface, the vials hang from the rack and when the rack is assembled onto the base, the bottoms of the vials engage the interior bottom surface and the rims of the vials are positioned above the top planar surface.

A microfluidic system for fluid transport is provided. The microfluidic system includes a microfluidic device. The microfluidic device includes an inlet body including an inlet. The microfluidic device includes a base supporting the inlet body. The base includes a channel in fluid communication with the inlet. The base includes one or more sensors formed on a surface of the channel, or one or more sensors formed in one or more wells formed in the surface of the channel. The channel is configured to facilitate flow of the fluid. The fluid includes a plurality of beads. The fluid includes a plurality of suspended cells. The inlet is configured to receive the fluid at an inlet port. The inlet is configured to output the fluid through an opening in fluid communication with the channel. The inlet is configured to provide substantially uniform flow of the fluid across a substantial portion of a horizontal dimension of the channel. The device is configured to compensate for edge effects otherwise present therein. Related methods, apparatuses, systems, techniques and articles are also described.