The present invention provides an apparatus for conducting biological assays which employs virtual wells in lieu of the physical wells of conventional array plates. Also provided are methods of processing a sample and/or culturing cells using the apparatus and systems described herein. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a first structure having a sheet layer with a plurality of discrete through holes; and a second structure coupled to the first structure, the second structure including a base layer. At least a portion of a first surface of the sheet layer of the first structure is exposed from the second structure, and a second surface of the sheet layer, opposite to the first surface of the sheet layer, is embedded in the base layer of the second structure adjacent the first surface of the base layer.

Microfluidic probe head for processing a sequence of separate liquid volumes separated by spacers. The microfluidic probe head includes: an inlet, an outlet, a first fluid channel and a second fluid channel and a fluid bypass connecting the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel. The first fluid channel delivers the sequence of separate liquid volumes from the inlet toward a deposition area, the fluid bypass allows the spacers to be removed from the first fluid channel obtaining a free sequence of separate liquid volumes without spacers, the first fluid channel delivers the free sequence of separate liquid volumes to the deposition area, and the second fluid channel delivers the removed spacers from the fluid bypass to the outlet. The present invention also provides a microfluidic probe and method for processing a sequence of separate liquid volumes.

Methods are provided for separating magnetically responsive beads from a droplet in a droplet actuator. Droplet operations electrodes and a magnet are arranged in a droplet actuator to manipulate a bead-containing droplet and position it relative to a magnetic field region that attracts the magnetically responsive beads. The droplet operations electrodes are operated to control the droplet shape and transport it away from the magnetic field region to form a concentration of beads in the droplet. The continued transport of the droplet away from the magnetic field causes the concentration of beads to break away from the droplet to yield a small, concentrated bead-containing droplet immobilized by the magnet.

A single junction sorter for a microfluidic particle sorter, the single-junction sorter comprising: an input channel, configured to receive a fluid containing particles; an output sort channel and an output waste channel, each connected to the input channel for receiving the fluid therefrom; a bubble generator, operable to selectively displace the fluid around a particle to be sorted and thereby to create a transient flow of the fluid in the input channel; and a vortex element, configured to cause a vortex in the transient flow in order to direct the particle to be sorted into the output sort channel.

A device comprising: a first zone comprising an attachment site; a first pathway; a second pathway and a means for creating a second medium comprised of aqueous microdroplets in a carrier; a microdroplet manipulation zone comprising: a first composite wall comprised of a first transparent substrate; a first transparent conductor layer on the substrate; a photoactive layer activated by electromagnetic radiation; and a first dielectric layer on the conductor layer; a second composite wall comprised of a second substrate; a second conductor layer on the substrate; and optionally a second dielectric layer on the conductor layer; an A/C source; a source of first electromagnetic radiation; means for manipulating the points of impingement of the electromagnetic radiation on the photoactive layer; an detection zone disposed downstream of the microdroplet manipulation zone or integral therewith; and a fluorescence or Raman-scattering detection system.

The present invention relates to droplet-based surface modification and washing. According to one embodiment, a method of splitting a droplet is provided, the method including providing a droplet microactuator including a droplet including one or more beads and immobilizing at least one of the one or more beads. The method further includes conducting one or more droplet operations to divide the droplet to yield a set of droplets including a droplet including the one or more immobilized beads and a droplet substantially lacking the one or more immobilized beads.

A microfluidic synthesis platform includes a microfluidic chip holder that has a computer controlled heating element and cooling element therein. A microfluidic chip is mountable in the microfluidic chip holder. The microfluidic chip is formed by a hydrophobic substrate having patterned thereon a hydrophilic reaction site and a plurality of hydrophilic channels or pathways extending outward from the hydrophilic reaction site and terminating at respective loading sites on the substrate, wherein the hydrophilic channels or pathways are tapered with an increasing width in an inward direction toward the hydrophilic reaction site. A fixture is provided for holding a plurality of non-contact reagent dispensing devices above the microfluidic chip at locations corresponding to the loading sites of the plurality of hydrophilic channels or pathways, the fixture further holding a moveable collection tube disposed above the hydrophilic reaction site of the microfluidic chip for removing droplets containing reaction products.

Provided is a liquid droplet collection device including: a substrate having a hydrophobic surface; and a hydrophilic channel arranged in the hydrophobic surface, wherein the hydrophilic channel includes: a first-generation channel including a plurality of tapered channel portions radially extending from an origin point and monotonically tapering with increasing distance from the origin point; and a second-generation channel that includes a plurality of tapered channel portions radially extending from an origin point and monotonically tapering with increasing distance from the origin point, and is scaled down in size as compared to the first-generation channel, wherein the second-generation channel is joined to the first-generation channel to face the same direction as the first-generation channel, and wherein one of the tapered channel portions of the second-generation channel overlaps a distal end portion of one of the tapered channel portions of the first-generation channel, and the hydrophilic channel monotonically tapers from a proximal end of one of the tapered channel portions of the first-generation channel to a distal end of one of the tapered channel portions of the second-generation channel.

An AM-EWOD device includes a plurality of array elements arranged in an array of rows and columns; each column including a column addressing line that applies control signals to a corresponding column of array elements, and each row including a row addressing line that applies control signals to a corresponding row of array elements; each array element including an element electrode for receiving an actuation voltage and a switch transistor, wherein the switch transistor is electrically connected between the column addressing line and the element electrode and is switched by the row addressing line; and a column detection circuit comprising an addressing circuit that applies an electrical perturbation during a sensing operation to the column addressing line of an array element being sensed, and a measuring circuit that measures an output signal from one of the column addressing lines, wherein the output signal varies based upon a capacitance present at the element electrode.

Embodiments are directed towards methods and systems of depositing a uniform test-pathogen mixture onto a test article for testing the sterilization efficacy of an electromagnetic radiation or other sterilization process. The system includes a holding mechanism configured to removably secure the test article to the system. The system also includes a test-pathogen dispenser configured to uniformly deposit the test-pathogen mixture onto a reference surface of the test article. The system is structured so that at least one of the test article and the test-pathogen dispenser moves relative to the other. A plurality of test-pathogen mixture droplets or lines is deposited onto the reference surface in a predetermined test-pathogen pattern, such as, for example, a plurality of rows and columns of droplets. A distance from a dispenser tip of the test-pathogen dispenser to the reference surface of the test article may be determined to help maintain consistency between test-pathogen mixture droplets or lines.